DISSECTING DATABASE RECORDS

When it comes to citing sources, some find database records a little confusing. This section will clarify some common mistakes students make regarding the titles of database names, journals, publishers, and other items commonly found in database records.

One common mistake is using the database vendor, or company name, instead of the database name. This would be like writing out an address and using US instead of UT: United States instead of Utah. It’s not that the address isn’t in the US, but that there are a lot of other states in addition to Utah, so you need to narrow it down. For example, the database search-screen below shows the database vendor’s name, ProQuest, and logo in the upper left-hand corner. The name of the database, Psychology Database, (circled) is directly above the search bar. When creating a citation that requires the name of the database used, students commonly say ProQuest, when searching the Psychology Database.

Another common problem people have is figuring out the name of the journal. One reason is that it’s not always referred to as a “journal name” in the database. Sometimes it’s called “publication title” or “source.” In the following example, the name of the journal, Employee Relations, is only listed as a bolded hyperlink (circled).

How can you be sure to NOT make the mistake of confusing the database name with the vendor name, or to confuse the vendor with the journal name?

1. When you initially choose a database from the database list, record the name of the database you selected instead of trying to figure out what it is after you are already searching. When you chose a database, you clicked on the name of that database to find articles. That is your database name. Note that our discovery tool, OneSearch, is not a database to cite your sources — it can show you content (e-books, journal articles, etc.) within some of our databases. If you choose to use one of those sources, you must pay attention to which database the source is in.
2. Open the actual article if there is confusing information on the screen. If you look at the PDF of most articles, the journal name will be listed (along with the volume number) in most cases.
3. Remember that the names of the journals might be listed as “publication title” or “source,” instead of the more obvious “journal name” or “journal title.”
4. Also remember to look carefully at the publication date. Sometimes the “online” date (for articles submitted online) and the publication date (when the article was actually published) are different. Sometimes they include a “submission date” that tells you when the article was submitted. Again, this is not the actual publication date.
5. Another thing to look at is the volume and issue numbers. These can be listed in several different ways. An article published in issue 2 of volume 14 can be listed as 14.2, 14(2), or written out as volume:14 issue:2. Usually, the volume is listed first.
6. Finally, when you find articles online, view the actual article to verify the page numbers. Sometimes, only the first page is shown in the article record, rather than the range of pages
7. Still confused or want to make sure? Call, text, or chat with someone in the library. A library assistant can verify that you have the correct information.

RESOURCES FOR CITING SOURCES

Citations are all about putting things in the right order, ensuring all required punctuation is present, and that the appropriate terms are capitalized and italicized. Even more important is that citations are complete (e.g., all authors are listed, the whole title listed) and correct (e.g., authors’ names are spelled correctly, volume, issue, and page numbers are listed correctly).

Think of how you address an envelope. You always begin with the name of the person to whom you are sending the letter to, the street address below that, followed by the city, state, and zip code. Citations are similar. APA citations require information about the source written in a certain order. MLA citations are similar but may require slightly different information about the source and the items written in a different order. Both use different punctuation and formatting conventions, but both citation styles will enable you to locate the item; they just look slightly different.

• The Sample Citations section of this chapter has a few examples of basic citations you may use in this or other classes. Each source type is cited in APA 7^th edition and MLA 9^th edition, so you can see the differences in style. Some of the rules to remember are recorded below the citations.

The general rule of thumb is this: if you cannot find an example exactly like the source you are trying to cite, find the most similar example you can and get it as close as possible. This list presents only basic examples from books, articles, and websites. If you are citing a different source type, the best place to look for information is the official style manual. We have copies of each available in the library:

American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association. (7th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1037/0000165-000

Modern Language Association of America. (2021). MLA Handbook. (9th ed.).

APA and MLA also have official companions to their style guides: The APA Style Blog at https://apastyle.apa.org/blog, and the MLA Style Center at https://style.mla.org/. The official APA Style website also has examples at http://www.apastyle.org/.

INTERNET RESOURCES vs. THE STYLE MANUAL

While it is easy to find examples of citations on the Web, the actual style manual is the only definitive source for the rules.

So, what does this mean for you as a student?

1. The style manual is the official source. Always look there first.
2. Don’t have access to a style manual? (Most libraries — even public libraries — should have copies of these. Just ask at their service desk.) If you do not have access to the manual, look at the MLA website, or the APA website/blog.
3. Avoid searching Google to try and find an example. Many of them are incorrect.
4. If you are citing a source not covered in the manual, the general rule of thumb is to find an example that is most like your source and follow that format.
5. If you are citing sources for a class paper or project, the person with the final say is your professor. If you’re unsure of something or are getting conflicting information, ask your professor for clarification.

In this class (and others), we are very picky about the rules (formatting, punctuation, etc.). In some classes, if you’re close enough, you’re okay. In this case, the professor wants to know where you found your information. When you are asked to provide a bibliography in a specific style, ask your professor about their expectations.

SAMPLE CITATIONS

This section shows basic citations you may use in this or other classes. Each source type is cited in APA 7^th edition and MLA 9^th edition, so you can see the differences in style. Some book and article citations are in image format, with the specific pieces of the citation labeled. In some cases, rules to remember are recorded below the citations. Types of citations included in this list are:

 PRINT BOOK – ONE AUTHOR AND AN EDITION

• List the author’s initials, not their entire first name.
• Include the publication year in parentheses after the author’s name.
• Book titles should be italicized.
• If the book has a subtitle, include that after a colon.
• Only capitalize the first letters of the book title and subtitle.
• Edition information appears after the title in parentheses.
• Include the publisher’s name; the publisher’s location does not have to be included.
• Remember to use hanging indentation.
• Remember to double-space.

• Spell out the author’s first name completely.
• Book titles should be italicized.
• If the book has a subtitle, include that after a colon.
• Capitalize the first letters of almost all words in the book title and subtitle.
• Edition information appears after the title- no parentheses.
• Include the publisher’s name; the publisher’s location does not have to be included.
• The publication year is listed after the publisher’s name.
• Remember to use hanging indentation.
• Remember to double-space.

PRINT BOOK – MULTIPLE EDITORS

• Up to 20 editors must be listed. If there are 21 or more editors, list the first 19 editors, followed by an ellipsis . . . and then the final editor’s name.
• List the editor’s initials, not their entire first name.
• For multiple editors, use (Eds.). after the editor names. For a single editor, use (Ed.).
• Include the publication year in parentheses after the editor(s) name(s).
• Book titles should be italicized.
• If the book has a subtitle, include that after a colon.
• Only capitalize the first letters of the book title and subtitle.
• Include the publisher’s name; the publisher’s location does not have to be included.
• Remember to use hanging indentation.
• Remember to double-space.

• For two editors, only invert the first editor’s name. The second name should be written first name then last name.
• If there are three or more editors, list only the first editor followed by the phrase ‘et al.’ (Latin for “and others”) instead of the subsequent editors’ names.
• Spell out the editor’s first name completely.
• For books with an editor(s), type the word editor(s) after the editor’s name.
• Book titles should be italicized.
• If the book has a subtitle, include that after a colon.
• Capitalize the first letters of almost all words in the book title and subtitle.
• Include the publisher’s name; the publisher’s location does not have to be included.
• The publication year is listed after the publisher’s name.
• Remember to use hanging indentation.
• Remember to double-space.

PRINT BOOK – MULTIPLE AUTHORS

• Separate authors with the ampersand (&).
• Up to 20 authors must be listed. If there are 21 or more authors, list the first 19 authors, followed by an ellipsis . . . and then the final author’s name.
• List the author’s initials, not their entire first names.
• Include the publication year in parentheses after the author’s name.
• Book titles should be italicized.
• If the book has a subtitle, include that after a colon.
• Only capitalize the first letters of the book title and subtitle.
• Include the publisher’s name; the publisher’s location does not have to be included.
• Remember to use hanging indentation.
• Remember to double-space.

• Separate the two authors names with ‘and’. With two authors, only invert the first author’s name. The second name should be written first name then last name.
• If there are three or more authors, list only the first author followed by the phrase ‘et al.’ (Latin for “and others”) instead of the subsequent authors’ names.
• Spell out the author’s first name completely.
• Book titles should be italicized.
• If the book has a subtitle, include that after a colon.
• Capitalize first letters of all words in the book title and subtitle.
• Include the publisher’s name; the publisher’s location does not have to be included.
• The publication year is listed after the publisher’s name.
• Remember to use hanging indentation.
• Remember to double-space.

EBOOK FROM LIBRARY DATABASE

• Up to 20 authors must be listed. If there are 21 or more authors, list the first 19 authors, followed by an ellipsis . . . and then the final author’s name.
• List the author’s initials, not their entire first name.
• If an eBook has an editor instead of an author, use singular (Ed.), or plural (Eds.), after the editor’s name.
• Use the publication date only. Do not use others, such as online accepted dates, etc.
• Book titles should be italicized.
• If the book has a subtitle, include that after a colon.
• Only capitalize the first letters of the book title and subtitle.
• Always provide a DOI if available. Use the APA DOI format – https://doi.org/10…
• If no DOI is available, cite the resource as you would a print resource and include the publisher’s name; the publisher’s location does not have to be included.
• Do not include a URL link or Permalink.

• If there are three or more authors, list only the first author followed by the phrase ‘et al.’ (Latin for “and others”) instead of the subsequent authors’ names.
• With two authors, only invert the first author’s name. The second name should be written first name then last name.
• Spell out the author’s first name completely.
• Book titles should be italicized.
• If the book has a subtitle, include that after a colon.
• List the abbreviated publisher name (see MLA manual for what to abbreviate).
• Include the publisher’s name; the publisher’s location does not have to be included.
• List the name of the database where the eBook is located in italics.
• List the web address for where the eBook is located, you may use a permalink, but do not include the http:// in the web address.

MAGAZINE ARTICLE FROM LIBRARY DATABASE

• Up to 20 authors must be listed. If there are 21 or more authors, list the first 19 authors, followed by an ellipsis . . . and then the final author’s name.
• Include the publication year in parentheses after the author’s name.
• Article titles are listed in plain text after the publication year.
• Only capitalize the first letters of the article title and subtitle.
• Magazine titles should be italicized, and listed after the article title.
• Volume numbers (if available) come next and should be italicized.
• Issue numbers (if available) follow volume numbers and should be in parentheses.
• Page numbers (if available) are listed next and should be a number range.
• If a DOI is available, list it at the end of the citation. The APA format for a DOI is https://doi.org/10…
• If no DOI exists for an article, end the citation after the page numbers.
• When referencing a print article obtained from an online database (in this case we used Accounting, Tax & Banking Collection), cite the article just like you would a “normal” print citation. It is not necessary to include the database information.

• Separate the two authors names with ‘and’. With two authors, only invert the first author’s name. The second name should be written first name then last name.
• If there are three or more authors, list only the first author followed by the phrase ‘et al.’ (Latin for “and others”) instead of the subsequent authors’ names.
• Article titles should be in quotation marks.
• Journal titles should be italicized.
• Volume, Issue, Publication Date, and Page numbers (if available) should be listed in this format – vol.*, no.*, Date, pp.*-*
• List the name of the database where the magazine is located in italics.
• Always provide a DOI (if available), in this format – https://doi.org/10…
• If no DOI is available, list the Permalink or URL for where the article is located.

JOURNAL ARTICLE FROM LIBRARY DATABASE WITH A DIGITAL OBJECT IDENTIFIER (DOI)

• Separate authors with the ampersand (&).
• Up to 20 authors must be listed. If there are 21 or more authors, list the first 19 authors, followed by an ellipsis . . . and then the final author’s name.
• List the authors’ initials, not their entire first names.
• Include the publication year in parentheses after the author names.
• Article titles are listed in plain text after the publication year.
• Only capitalize the first letters of the article title and subtitle.
• Journal titles should be italicized and listed after the article title.
• Volume numbers (if available) come next and should be italicized.
• Issue numbers (if available) follow the volume number and should be in parentheses.
• Page numbers (if available) are listed next and should be a number range.
• The APA format for a DOI is https://doi.org/10…
• If no DOI exists for an article, end the citation after the page numbers.

• Separate the two authors names with ‘and’. With two authors, only invert the first author’s name. The second name should be written first name then last name.
• If there are three or more authors, list only the first author followed by the phrase ‘et al.’ (Latin for “and others”) instead of the subsequent authors’ names.
• Spell out the author’s first name completely.
• Article titles should be in quotation marks.
• Journal titles should be italicized.
• Volume, Issue, Publication Date, and Page numbers (if available) should be listed in this format – vol.*, no.*, Date, pp.*-*
• List the name of the database where the journal is located in italics.
• Always provide a DOI (if available), in this format – https://doi.org/10…
• If no DOI is available, list the Permalink or URL for where the article is located.

GOOGLE SCHOLAR OR OPEN ACCESS JOURNAL ARTICLE

• Up to 20 authors must be listed. If there are 21 or more authors, list the first 19 authors, followed by an ellipsis . . . and then the final author’s name.
• Include the publication year in parentheses after the author names.
• Article titles are listed in plain text after the publication year.
• Only capitalize the first letters of the article title and subtitle.
• Journal titles should be italicized and listed after the article title.
• Volume numbers (if available) come next and should be italicized.
• Issue numbers (if available) follow volume number and should be in parentheses.
• Page numbers (if available) are listed next and should be a number range.
• List the URL for the Google Scholar or Open-Access Journal article in your citation.

• Separate the two authors names with ‘and’. With two authors, only invert the first author’s name. The second name should be written first name then last name.
• If there are three or more authors, list only the first author followed by the phrase ‘et al.’ (Latin for “and others”) instead of the subsequent authors’ names.
• Article titles should be in quotation marks.
• Journal titles should be italicized.
• Volume, Issue, Publication Date, and Page numbers (if available) should be listed in this format – vol.*, no.*, Date, pp.*-*
• List the URL for the Google Scholar or Open Access Journal article in your citation.

WEBPAGE WITH AUTHOR

• List the author first. List the author’s initials, not their entire first name.
• Up to 20 authors must be listed. If there are 21 or more authors, list the first 19 authors, followed by an ellipsis . . . and then the final author’s name.
• List the publication date or last updated date if provided. If no publication date or last updated date is provided, list the date as (n.d.).
• List the title of the webpage in italics. Make sure you list the webpage title and not the website title.
• List the website title in plain text, after the webpage title.
• List the webpage URL, after the website title.

• Separate the two authors names with ‘and’. With two authors, only invert the first author’s name. The second name should be written first name then last name.
• If there are three or more authors, list only the first author followed by the phrase ‘et al.’ (Latin for “and others”) instead of the subsequent authors’ names.
• List the title of the webpage in quotation marks. Make sure you list the webpage title and not the website title.
• List the website title in italics, after the webpage title.
• List the publication date or last updated date if provided. If no publication date or last updated date is provided, use the website copyright date. If no copyright date exists, provide an accessed date at the end of the citation. For example: Accessed 3 Mar. 2022.
• List the webpage URL after the publication, last updated, or copyright date, OR before the accessed date.
• Leave http:// or https:// off the URL in your citation.

WEBPAGE WITH NO INDIVIDUAL AUTHOR

• In this example, the Mental Health Foundation is the author and the website name. For websites where the author and the website name are one and the same, you will list the website name as the author of the webpage.
• List the publication date or last updated date if provided. If no publication date or last updated date is provided, list the date as (n.d.).
• List the title of the webpage in italics. Make sure you list the webpage title and not the website name.
• Do not list the website name again after the webpage title, if the website name is listed as the author.
• List the webpage URL after the webpage title.
• Include a retrieval date if you believe the content of the webpage will change over time.

• In this example, the Mayo Clinic is the author and the website name. For websites where the author and the website name are one and the same, you will leave the author field blank and list the website name in italics after the webpage title.
• List the title of the webpage title in quotation marks. Make sure you list the webpage title and not the website name.
• List the website name in italics after the webpage title.
• List the publication date or last updated date if provided. If no publication date or last updated date is provided, use the website copyright date. If no copyright date exists, provide an accessed date at the end of the citation. For example: Accessed 3 Mar. 2022.
• List the webpage URL after the publication, last updated, or copyright date, OR before the accessed date.
• Leave http:// or https:// off the URL in your citation.

VIDEO FROM YOUTUBE

• If the author’s name is not available, provide the creator’s screen name. (On YouTube and many other video-posting websites, users post under a screen name, which is integral to finding videos.) Sometimes, the real name of the person who posted the video is known; this connects them to the real world and to any other sources they may have provided for your paper (e.g., an author who wrote an article and produced a YouTube video).
• List the date the video was uploaded.
• List the title of the video in italics.
• List [Video] in brackets after the title.
• List the name of the video hosting website next.
• Finally, list the URL for the video.

• Document video and audio sources using the guidelines for citing print sources in MLA.
• If the author’s name is the same as the uploader, start your citation with the video name in quotation marks. If the author is different from the uploader, cite the author’s name before the video title.
• List the name of the video-hosting website in italics, after the name of the video.
• List the name of the person or entity who uploaded the video, after the name of the video-hosting website.
• List the date the video was uploaded, after the uploader’s name.
• Finally, list the URL for the video.
• Leave http:// or https:// off the URL in your citation.

NEWSPAPER ARTICLE FROM A LIBRARY DATABASE

• When referencing a print article obtained from an online database (in this case, Proquest Newsstand), cite it like a “normal” print citation. It is not necessary to include database information.
• Only include a URL if the newspaper article is available online. Make sure you provide the exact URL for the article.

• Newspaper articles are cited similarly to journal articles.
• Cite the name of the database in italics (e.g. ProQuest Newsstand) for any newspaper articles retrieved from a database.
• Be sure to include a DOI, or if no DOI exists, a permalink or URL for the newspaper article.

CITING IMAGES

CITING IMAGES IN TEXT

Images should be cited based on the citation style used for the text of your presentation or research paper. In this class, we are using MLA and APA. When you include images in your projects or presentations, you need to refer your audience to them. You do this by making a statement about the image and type (fig. 1) or (figure 1). Whichever way you decide to do it, just be consistent throughout. In MLA, don’t capitalize fig. or figure; however, for APA, you should capitalize Fig. or Figure. Make sure your captions are double-spaced.

Let’s say you are writing about Moche ceramics. You might say this:

Moche artists create stunning ceramic designs including the Owl Warrior Bottle, created in the 5th-7th century (fig. 1).

At the end of the paper, before the Works Cited or References, you can include your images with the caption, which differs from your Works Cited and Reference List citations. Or you can include them with the text of your paper. You will need to use captions for both MLA and APA.

Captions in APA:

Figure 1

Moche Owl Warrior Bottle, 5th-7th century

Note. From the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In the public domain.

Captions in MLA:

Fig 1. Moche. Owl Warrior Bottle. 5th-7th century, The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

CITING IMAGES IN YOUR BIBLIOGRAPHY

In MLA and APA formatted papers, cited images with your other sources on your Works Cited page (MLA) or list of References (APA).

Artwork by a cultural group, with no artist

• Give an approximate date range when no exact date is given or known for both APA and MLA citations.

Artwork by a known artist

• Give an approximate date range when no exact date is given or known for both APA and MLA citations.

Artwork with a sponsor but no known artist OR cultural group, and no date