Coming soon! A separate subject guide devoted to explaining how to read citations.
Basic Structure of a Citation
Please note that ALL elements vary from style to style. Be sure you know which style you need to use for your research, and click on the corresponding tab to the left.
Main elements of a citation - typically - include:
Author or Editor
Title of publication -- If you're citing a section from a book, you need to include the book title and sometimes the chapter title. Additionally, If you are citing a section from an article, you would need to include the journal title and article title.
Date of Publication
Date of Access
Location of Publication
Method of access -- Some citation styles require a DOI, Permalink, or URL
Punctuation -- This varies wildly, from when to use italics to where to place periods and commas.
Understanding DOIs
What is a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) and why is it important?
A DOI is unique alphanumeric sequence given to an article. Think of DOIs as a sort of barcode or ISBN that identifies the specific article it is assigned to.
All DOIs start with "10." You may see it written as
http://dx.doi.org/10. ....
http://doi.org/10. ...
doi:10. ...
It is a series of 10-12 numbers
DOIs are also more stable, permanent ways of linking to an article.
DOIs are more stable than URLs.
Finding and linking to articles is easier by using a DOI resolver
Many citation styles now prefer DOIs to indicate access.