Citing Secondary or Indirect Sources REVISED 2014
Citing Secondary or Indirect Sources REVISED 2014
Citing Secondary or Indirect Sources REVISED 2014
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Secondary or indirect sources are sources cited in another source (see example below). Citing
secondary sources, you have not read is strongly discouraged in academic research since
strong research writing is based on using sources you have read. Nonetheless, sometimes it is
challenging to find the original source. If that is the case, it is important to cite the indirect
source properly. This sheet provides basic information on citing indirect sources in APA, MLA
and Chicago. For more details, consult the specific manual or style guide, see a reference
librarian or writing tutor, or ask your professor how she or he would like you cite in this
situation.
Sample text
In analyzing “what holds marriage together” Jan Trost proposes that most of the
standard bonds have declined.
The above passage is found in Earning and Caring in Canadian Families, written by Rod Beaujot
in 2000.
APA Style
Your reference list entry includes only the source you actually read (Beaujot in the sample text
above). Because in-‐‑text citations correspond to the reference list, cite only the secondary source
(Beaujot) in parentheses, and acknowledge the original author in the sentence itself.
Example #1 -‐‑ Quotes
Trost researched “what holds marriage together” (as quoted in Beaujot, 2000, p. 110) and
found that several typical bonds had weakened.
Because the above passage contains a quote, the in-‐‑text citation requires not only the name and
date of publication of the source, but also the page number, just as you would cite primary
sources.
Example
#2
–
Paraphrase
Trost proposes that the customs and connections keeping marriages together are no
longer as effective (as cited in Beaujot, 2000, p. 110*).
The full reference for the source you read (e.g. Beaujot) must be included in your reference list.
Do not include the reference to Trost!
*When paraphrasing, APA encourages (but does not require) you to include the page number
along with the author and date. Some professors, however, prefer that you not provide page
numbers for paraphrases; it is always a good idea to ask which option they prefer.
The above information is found in the sixth edition of the Publication Manual of the
American Psychological Association on page 178, in the section titled “Secondary Sources.”
Chicago Style
Chicago style has two possible style formats: author-‐‑date and note.
Author-‐‑date Style
Include the original author and date in the sentence, and then cite the source for that quote in
parentheses, including author, date, and page number: (as cited in Beaujot 2000, 110). Cite the
source you read (Beaujot) in the reference list.
Footnote/Endnote Style
This style does not require that you mention the name of either source in the text itself; that
explanation is saved for the footnote/endnote. Unlike other styles, you must provide the full
citation of the original alongside the full citation of the secondary source. Use “quoted in” to
introduce the source you read.
Example – Footnote/Endnote (note: “quoted in” is in bold for emphasis.)
1. Jan Trost, “What Holds Marriage Together?” in Continuity and Change in Marriage and
Family, ed. J. Veevers (Toronto, ON: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1986), quoted in Rod
Beaujot, Earning and Caring in Canadian Families (Peterborough, ON: Broadview Press,
2000), 110.
If your professor requires you to submit a separate bibliography, be sure to include entries for
both sources.
The above information is found in The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th edition,
in the sections entitled “Citations taken from secondary sources” (14.273)
and “’Quoted in’ in author-‐‑date references” (15.52).
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