SECONDARY SOURCES

• Use secondary sources sparingly. Try first to locate the original source.

If you want to cite a source that appears in another source, you must credit both sources. Let's say you want to use an idea by Smith, which appears in a work by Jones (i.e., you did not read Smith's work firsthand), you will need to cite both sources in your in-text citation (but you will only list the secondary source on your reference page).  Here are examples of a narrative citation and a parenthetical citation. 

Narrative citation

According to Smith, ..... (as cited in Jones, 2014).
        
The narrative format is preferred in citing secondary sources as it gives better flow and is less cumbersome.

Parenthetical citation

One writer posits that ... (Smith, as cited in Jones, 2014).