How do I cite a source that I read about in another source but haven't actually seen?
Answer
This is known as citing secondary or indirect sources. It is not recommended, as it is better that you have read the original yourself, but is allowed in certain circumstances if it is difficult or impossible to find the original.
For example, suppose you read an article by an author called Black who cites information by someone called Jones. Here is how you might convey that, depending on which referencing style you are using.
| Style | in your text | in your Works Cited or Bibliography |
|---|---|---|
| MLA 8 |
The scent of a rose cannot be chemically extracted from the flower (Jones qtd. in Black). |
Black, Candace. “The Stone Rose.” Great River Review, vol. 5, no. 60, 2014, pp. 1–11, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=96526970&site=eds-live. |
| APA |
The scent of a rose cannot be chemically extracted from the flower (Jones, as cited in Black, 2014). |
Black, C. (2014). The Stone Rose. Great River Review, 5(60), 1–11. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=96526970&site=eds-live |
| Chicago | The scent of a rose cannot be chemically extracted from the flower. 1 |
[Footnote / Endnote] 1. Richard Jones, The Chemistry of Flowers (London: Science Press, 2000), 110, quoted in Candace Black, “The Stone Rose.,” Article, Great River Review 5, no. 60 (2014), http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=96526970&site=eds-live. [Bibliography -- include both sources] Black, Candace. “The Stone Rose.” Article. Great River Review 5, no. 60 (2014): 1–11. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=96526970&site=eds-live. Jones, Richard. The Chemistry of Flowers. London: Science Press, 2000.
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