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Understanding Citations

Citation:  A reference to a source used in an article, essay, book, etc.

Most citations of articles include the following information:

  • Author
  • Article title
  • Journal or magazine title
  • Volume number of the journal or magazine
  • Date of publication
  • Page numbers of the article (some citations only include the beginning page number)

See Citing Sources for advice on documenting the references you have used to write a paper. 

Reading a Citation

1. This citation was found in the database Web of Science:

citation 

We can identify:

Article Author(s): Michael Bode and Hugh Possingham
Article Title: Can culling a threatened species increase its chance of persisting?
Journal Title (Source):  Ecological Modelling
Journal volume number: 201, issue number 1
Article page numbers: 11-18
Date of Publication: February 10, 2007
Other information provided:
  • Sp. Iss. SI indicates that this was a special issue of the journal
  • identifies document type as article (not book, book chapter, abstract, dissertation, etc)
  • identifies that the article is written in English
2. This citation was found in the database PAIS:
citation 2 

We can identify:

Article Author(s): Anthony N. Doob, and Jane B. Sprott
Article Title: Punishing Youth Crime in Canada: The Blind Men and the Elephant
Journal Title (Source):  Punishment & Society
Journal volume number: 8, issue number 2
Article page numbers: 223-233
Date of Publication: April 2006
Other information provided:
  • provides the ISSN for the journal Punishment and Society to assist in locating the item
  • indicates that the authors (or main author) are affiliated with the University of Toronto

Identifying Journal Titles from Abbreviations

Titles of magazines or journals are often abbreviated in citations. In most cases, you will need the full title to search for the journal in the online catalog or as an e-journal. Try:

  • Selecting a link for the "full citation" or "complete reference" in an online source
  • Selecting the link for a database's source list, and then looking for your journal title
  • Looking in the beginning of a print journal, book or periodical index, as there may be an abbreviations list
  • Looking in the book Periodical Title Abbreviations, available at the Perkins Reference Desk and Lilly Ready Reference
  • All That JAS: Journal Abbreviation Sources provides links for the natural and social sciences, law, and philosophy. 
  • Ask a librarian.