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Research @ Reynolds Libraries

7 b. Interpret citations

Reading Citations

Video created by the University of New Brunswick Libraries

Identifying Parts of a Citation

A citation is a reference to a source of information. A citation typically includes enough identifying information, such as the author, title, publisher information, date of publication, database retrieved from, etc. for a reader to be able to locate a copy of the item.

The ability to interpret citations or references from various sources of information is a fundamental research skill. In order to be able to correctly cite a source in a specific style (e.g., APA, Chicago, MLA), you need to be able to determine what type of source the item is, where the source came from and identify the various parts of the source.

Below are several examples of the most common types of sources found in the library catalog, databases and websites.

Print Book - Library Catalog

Print Book - Library Catalog

Library catalog record - Parts to identify a print book - Book title, Author, Publication Date, Publisher Location and Publisher

Chapter in an eBook - Library Database

Chapter in an eBook - Library Database

Parts to identify a chapter from an eBook from a library database - Publisher and database name, publication date, book title, book editor, chapter title, author of chapter, chapter page number range,

Notes: You will also need to include the page number range when citing a specific chapter/essay within an edited book.

Journal Article - Library Database

Journal Article - Library Database

Parts to identify a journal article from a library database - Database name, journal title, volume number, publication date, page number range, article title, authors, and DOI number

Magazine Article - Library Database

Magazine Article - Library Database

Parts to identify a magazine article from a library database - Database name, article title, magazine title, author, volume and issue numbers, publication date, and page number range.

Newspaper Article - Open Web

Newspaper Article - Open Web

Parts to identify a newspaper article from the open web - Website URL, newspaper title, article title, author, and publication date.

Government News Release - Open Web

Government News Release - Open Web

Parts to identify a government publication on the open web - Website URL, government department, government agency, website title, article title, and publication date.

Web Tutorial

Handout & Worksheet