What is this citation for and how do I find it?

A bibliographic citation, the convention normally used to acknowledge a work quoted in a paper, contains basic information needed to locate an item. There are different formats for citing books, journal articles, chapters in books, dissertations, pamphlets, videocassettes, and many other formats. This guide focuses on books, journal articles, and book chapters.

Books

In general, the publication information, which includes place of publication, publisher, and year, identifies a book (or part of a book).

To find a copy of a book, see How do I find a specific book?

Periodical articles (journal, magazine, and newspaper articles)

In general, the publication information, which includes volume number, date and page numbers, identifies a journal article.

To find a copy of an article, How do I find a specific article?

Book chapters

Chapters of books can be identified by the presence of two titles, the title of the chapter and the title of the book. Two or more names may be listed as well; the author(s) of the chapter and the editor(s). The same publication information that appears in a book citation—place of publication, publisher, and year—will also appear here:

To find a copy of a book chapter, see How do I find a specific book? Remember to search for the book title rather than the chapter title!