- No year of publication
- No author
- Citing a website
- Secondary citation (citing a publication which you have seen cited in another publication)
- Adding a specific page number to the citation
- Citing an electronic journal article
- APA, 6th edition, p. 185
Example: ... (Smith, n.d.) ... - Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition, section 17.119
- MLA style manual, 3rd edition, p. 209-210
- Vancouver (NLM style guide, 2nd edition)
- APA, 6th edition, p. 205-206, examples 31, 32, 35
- Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition, section 17.47
- MLA handbook, 6th edition, p. 250 [for citation in the text]
MLA style manual, 3rd edition, p. 190 [for bibliography] - Vancouver (NLM style guide, 2nd edition)
- APA, 6th edition, p. 200, example 9
- Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition, section 17.32
- MLA handbook, 6th edition, p. 247-249 [for citation in the text]
MLA style manual, 3rd edition, p. 183, 195-196 [for bibliography] - Vancouver (NLM style guide, 2nd edition)
- APA, 6th edition, p. 187-192.
In the examples, look for the relevant reference type, e.g. examples 31-34 for online reports. - Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition, section 17.4 to 17.15
- MLA style manual, 3rd edition, p. 214-216
- Vancouver (NLM style guide, 2nd edition)
- APA, 6th edition, p. 178.
In the text cite like this: ... (Jones as cited in Smith, 1999) .... Only the Smith reference appears in the reference list. - Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition, section 17.274
- MLA handbook, 6th edition, p. 252
- APA, 6th edition, p. 170, states "When quoting, always provide the author, year, and specific page citation or paragraph number for nonpaginated material." The citation in the text will look like ... (Smith, 2003, p. 105) ... or ... (Brown, 1999, pp. 49-52) ...
- Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition, section 16.13 [general principles], section 16.109 [in-text citations]
- MLA handbook, 6th edition, p. 244-247
- Vancouver (NLM style guide, 2nd edition) gives guidance on citing "separately identified portions" of different publication types, e.g.
- APA, 6th edition, p. 198-200.
- Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition, section 17.180 to 17.181
- MLA style manual, 3rd edition, p. 218-221
- Vancouver (NLM style guide, 2nd edition)
These are some questions that we are often asked about referencing:
Question: I can't find a year of publication for this reference. How do I cite it?
Answer: Normally you cite it as "no date", or some variation of that:
Question: This publication does not have an author. How do I cite it?
Answer (a): If there is no person responsible for the publication, sometimes an organisation can be regarded as the author:
Answer (b): If there is no person or organisation responsible for the publication, it is usually just cited under the title:
Question: How do I cite a website?
Answer: It depends what you mean by website. Is it an electronic journal article? Or an electronic book? Or a report in PDF format? Or an online conference paper? Or the homepage of an organisation? The style guides give guidance on citing electronic publications:
Answer: This type of "secondary citation" is discussed in some of the standard referencing manuals:
Question: Do I have to add a specific page number to my reference?
Answer: If you have directly quoted words from the source (which means that you quoted it in inverted commas, or in an indented paragraph), you will normally have to give the precise page number for that quotation. See the instructions in the style manuals:
Question: How do I cite a journal article that I viewed online?
Answer: This is a vexed question. Most of the style manuals give specific instructions on how to cite an electronic journal article. However many authors and editors are adopting a much more pragmatic approach. If the journal is also published in printed form, they are citing the article as if they had seen it in printed form. This makes a shorter and simpler citation, but be aware that it is not the practice recommended by most style manuals.
If the journal is only published online, you have no option except to follow the instructions in the style manuals for citing electronic journal articles:
