How to Interpret Citations for Books or Articles

Citations can be confusing. The sections below have examples to help you determine whether you need to request a book or a periodical article.

Periodical Articles
Articles from periodicals such as journals, magazines and newspapers generally include the following elements:

• article author
• publication year
• article title
• periodical name
• volume number
• page numbers

Examples include:

Levin, S. 1983. The Origin of Grammar in Sophistry. General Linguistics 23:41-47.
The title of the article is 'The Origin of Grammar in Sophistry,' which was written by S. Levin. The article appears in a periodical named General Linguistics, in volume 23, pages 41-47, which was published in 1983.

Hehir, J. Bryan. "Just War Theory in a Post-Cold War World." Journal of Religious Ethics 20,no.2 (Fall 1992):237-57.
The title of the article is 'Just War Theory in a Post-Cold War World,' which was written by J. Bryan Hehir. It appears in a periodical named Journal of Religious Ethics, in volume 20, issue 2, pages 237-257. This issue was published in the fall of 1992.

Books
Books generally include the following elements:

• author or authors
• title
• place of publication
• publisher
• publication year

Examples include:

Johnson, James Turner, Can Modern War Be Just? New Haven, Conn., and London: Yale University Press, 1984.
The name of the book is Can Modern War Be Just?, which was written by James Turner Johnson. It was published by the Yale University Press in both New Haven and London and was published in 1984.

Cox, Jeffrey N., (ed.), Seven Gothic Dramas, Athens: Ohio University Press, 1992.
This book is named Seven Gothic Dramas and was edited by Jeffrey N. Cox. It was published in 1992 by the Ohio University Press. The place of publication was Athens.

Essays in Books
Ramsey, Paul. "A Political Ethics Context for Strategic Thinking." In Morton A. Kaplan, ed., Strategic Thinking and Its Moral Implications, 101-47. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1973.
This citation looks like both a book and an article citation because it is citing an essay that is located in a book. The essay is called 'A Political Ethics Context for Strategic Thinking' written by Paul Ramsey and located on pages 101-147 of a book edited by Morton A Kaplan. The name of the book is Strategic Thinking and Its Moral Implications, published in 1973 by the University of Chicago Press. In this case, you would request the entire book.

If you are still confused by a citation you have, you can get help by contacting the Information Desk at 816-501-4188.