Referencing an author you read quoted in a book or article by a completely different author can be tricky. Ideally you should find the original source of the quotation but this may not always be possible. But if you can’t, no worries, QUT Library is here to help with our next Referencing Hack!
To reference an author quoted in another work in your reference list, you only need to provide a reference for the source you actually read. This is known as the “secondary source” because it is one step removed from the original source of the idea or quotation. Don’t reference the original source if you haven’t read it yourself, this is a big referencing no-no. In the text of your assignment you need to cite the original author but add the prefix “as cited in” along with the citation for the secondary source after the original authors surname.
Here is an example of how to reference this type of information in the text of your assignment –
The secondary source is Jones (the text you actually read) so Jones is the resource that will appear in the reference list.
For your reference list only include the secondary source information, like so –
Check QUT Cite|Write APA for how to reference a book, journal article or other types of sources your secondary source might be. Plus you can find more information about referencing authors quoted in another author’s other work in QUT Cite|Write. Just go to the bottom of the page under “need help with” and look for further information on Authors.
Don’t forget to check out our other Referencing Hacks for help with your referencing! Or contact us for further assistance.
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