How to Find a Text from a Citation

This guide will walk you through finding a text from a citation. 

What is a Citation (Credit: Simon Fraser University) 

Citations are the address of texts. They give you the title of the text, the name of the author(s), where the article was published, the name of the journal, which issue (volume, number, date), and which page the information was taken from. This should be all the information you need to find an article. Below is a sample citation (APA style):

Louth, S. M., Hare, R. D., & Linden, W. (1998). Psychopathy and alexithymia in female offenders. Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science, 30 (2), 91-98.  

How to interpret the citation:

•  Louth, S. M., Hare, R. D., & Linden, W. are the authors of the article.
• "Psychopathy and alexithymia in female offenders" is the article title.
• This article was published in volume 30, issue 2 of the journal called Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science, on pages 91 to 98.
• The publication date was 1998.

You will also need the citations for the bibliography of your essay or assignment, so keep a detailed list of all sources you consult. See Davidson's Citing Sources guide for information and examples on the different styles. If you don't know which style to use, look in your class' rubric, or consult a librarian.