Citation Guides

All ideas, including illustrations and other art, has to be cited. You can visit the citation style guides to ensure you are using the right citation style.

Here to help!

Information desk is on 1st floor
Schedule Librarian Appointment
Call (405) 974-3361
Email libraryresearch@uco.edu
Search our FAQs
Text (405) 266-5895
(Message & data rates may apply)

Primary v. Secondary sources

Primary sources are original sources created by a participant or observer of an historical event. Primary sources may include: letters, manuscripts, diaries, journals, newspapers, speeches, photographs, audio recordings, government documents, and videos.

In the arts, primary sources also include original garments, sketches, wigs, etc.

Secondary sources are interpretations or analyses of an event, usually written by scholars after the event occurred.

Steps for citing sources

Help! How do I cite ____?

Follow these steps:

What are the important elements of the source? -- author, title (journal and article if needed), publication date, publication info, electronic retrieval info (such as DOI or homepage of the journal or website, if applicable)
What format of source is it? -- electronic vs. print. (Did you get it from a computer originally? Even if you printed it off, it's still electronic!)
What type of source is it? -- magazine, journal, newspaper, regular book, reference book, video, audio, picture...
Using #2 and #3, find the closest-matching source citation example that you know is correct for your citation style. Use your elements from #1, and make your citation match the example. Use examples from the APA, MLA, and Chicago tabs above, or use the citation style guidelines specific to the journals in your field.

Still stuck?

Ask us for help, on the left!

Popular v. Peer Reviewed

No matter what citation style you use, sometimes professors will ask you to use "scholarly articles" rather than popular magazines. What's the difference? See the table below:

Characteristics	Scholarly Articles	Popular Magazine
Appearance	Sober and serious May contain graphs or charts Will not find glossy pages or photographs	Attractive appearance Advertisements Heavily illustrated Glossy paper
Audience	Scholars and students	General audience
Authors	Scholars in the field of study	Reporters, usually not experts on the subject
Documentation	Sources cited in footnotes and/or bibliography	Sources not cited or cited informally
Purpose	Report results of original research or experimentation	Provide general information
Article Acceptance Procedure	Many (but not all*) scholarly journals are "refereed" or "peer review" journals - articles undergo a rigorous examination by other scholars in the field before being published.	Written by hired reporters, edited by magazine editors, and published.
Example journals	Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise Journal of Sports Medicine Internal Journal of Sport Psychology	Sports Illustrated Coach and Athletic Director Bicycling
Example articles	Peer-reviewed article example	Popular article example

*Peer review = reviewed by peers independent of the journal. Scholarly = not peer reviewed but has an editorial staff knowledgeable in the field

Design and Costumes