Elements of a citation

Citations from one database may look a little different from citations from another. Elements may be rearranged or use different abbreviations. Most complete citations, however, should contain the following information.

Articles:

1. Article title
2. Author
3. Magazine, journal or newspaper title
4. Date of publication
5. Volume and issue (not applicable for most newspapers)
6. Page numbers (or at least the starting page)

Book Chapters:

1. Title of chapter
2. Author of chapter
3. Chapter page numbers
4. Author/editor of book
5. Title of book
6. Place of publication
7. Publisher
8. Copyright date

Does the library have it?

It's not hard to find out whether or not we have the articles or book chapters in print format. Just follow these steps:

Articles

• Go to ALCUIN (the library's online catalog)
• Click "search."
• Click "title."
• Type the title of the JOURNALin the box. Don't use the title of the ARTICLE--these aren't listed in there. That's why you had to go to another database to begin with.
• Press enter or return.
• At this point, you might go right into your journal's record, or you might get a list of similar titles. If you get a list of titles, choose the one which either doesn't have a date next to it or has no extra information after the title. It may take a little hunting, but you'll find it. It will be the one that lists a location as "periodical collection and microform collection."
• OK, you're in the home stretch. The last step, and perhaps the most important, is to check to see what form your volume is in. It may be bound, current, microfiche, or microfilm. Look for your volume number in the list, and that will tell you where to find it.
• If you get a red note in the middle of the list saying "your entry ... would be here," it means either we don't have it or you have mistyped something. Be sure you check for the latter before you assume that it's not here.
• If we don't have it in print, it might be available online in one of our other databases. Check the e-journals list to see.

Book Chapters:

• Go to ALCUIN (the library's online catalog)
• Click "search."
• Click "title."
• Type the title of the BOOK in the box. Don't use the title of the CHAPTER--these aren't listed in there. That's why you had to go to another database to begin with.
• Press enter or return.
• If we have it, you should get a record or a list of records from which you can pick the exact book title
• OK, you're in the home stretch. The last step is to write down the call number, BUT ALSO check to see what location the book is in, and whether it is available. You don't want to bother searching for books that are checked out, or missing, or in process, etc. And you also don't want to waste time looking at the right call number but in the wrong location. So make at least a mental note of whether the book is supposed to be in the General Collection, Reference Collection, Oversize, Juvenile, etc.
• Note: if the status says "due ..." and gives a due date, the book is STILL checked out, even if that due date was three months ago.
• If you get a red note in the middle of the list saying "your entry ... would be here," it means either we don't have it or you have mistyped something. Be sure you check for the latter before you assume that it's not here.

How do I get items the library doesn't have?

We can often borrow them from another library. For information on this service, click here.