How do you cite a source that you found in another source?

How do you cite a source that you found in another source?

By Saul McLeod, published June 06, 2020

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Secondary sources refer to situations where you use information from a source that you have not read, but you’ve found in another source.

If you cannot find the original primary source, you should cite it through the secondary source that led you to it. This is called citing an indirect or secondary source. Therefore, secondary sources describe information originally presented from a primary source.

If you need to cite a source within a source, follow the guidelines from APA 7, Section 8.6.

Your in-text citation should include both authors: the author(s) of the original primary source and the author(s) of the secondary source

Follow these instructions when citing a secondary source APA Style: In text, name the primary source first, and then give the in-text citation for the secondary source: ('as cited in..., year').

Secondary Citation Example:

• Crane and Taylors's study (as cited in Lindsay & Norman, 2013) showed that ....

• ... as some studies show (Crane & Taylors, as cited in Lindsay & Norman, 2013).

Reference List Entry:

• Lindsay, P. H., & Norman, D. A. (2013). Human information processing: An introduction to psychology. Academic press.

Note: Only list the secondary source (i.e. the one you have read) in the reference page.

APA (see APA, section 6.17, p. 178;) suggests that secondary sources should be used sparingly, especially when the full-text of the original source is available.

However, there are instances in which the primary source is unavailable:

• The primary source is out of print.
• Unpublished or archived sources.
• Unavailable through the usual sources.
• Not available in English.