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HIS 121: Historical Perspectives

Citing Primary Sources

Primary sources, especially from older time periods are interesting to cite because you are rarely reading the original version (or original language), so you need to cite where you found the text (whether in a book or on a website)

MLA

In-text citation- use the name and author of the primary source in your writing and the author of the collection or translation in the parenthetical citation, preceded by "qtd. in"
The Code of Hammurabi asserts that "The first duty of government is to protect the powerless from the powerful" (qtd. in Bonhomme 67).

Works cited list entry- you only need to cite the larger site, book, or journal that contained the translation of your primary source.
Bonhomme, Brian. Milestone documents in world history : exploring the primary sources that shaped the world. Schlager Group, 2010.

Chicago

Chicago has many different guidelines for citing primary sources published in other sources. Follow the link below to choose the format that works for your source.

MLA

The Modern Language Association (MLA) citation style is most commonly used in humanities disciplines such as English, foreign languages, literary criticism and comparative literature, and cultural studies.

Sample MLA Citations
  In-Text Citation for Direct Quotes In-Text Citation for Information Works Cited Page
Journal Article (Yodovich 872) (Yodovich)*

Yodovich, Neta. “Defining Conditional Belonging: The Case of Female Science Fiction Fans.” Sociology, vol. 55, no. 5, Oct. 2021, pp. 871–87. EBSCOhosthttps://doi.org/10.1177/0038038520949848.

Journal Article with Multiple Authors (Fulkerson et al. 532) (Fulkerson et al.)*

Fulkerson, Jayne A., et al. “Adolescent and Parent Views of Family Meals.” Journal of the American Dietetic Association, vol. 106, no. 4, Apr. 2006, pp. 526–32. ScienceDirecthttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.jada.2006.01.006.

Book (Golding 18) (Golding)*

Golding, Dan. Star Wars after Lucas: A Critical Guide to the Future of the Galaxy. University of Minnesota Press, 2019.

AI ("In 200 words") ("In 200 words") “In 200 words, describe the symbolism of the green light in The Great Gatsby” follow-up prompt to list sources. ChatGPT, 13 Feb. version, OpenAI, 9 Mar. 2023, chat.openai.com/chat.

*If you introduce the author(s) in the text, you don't need an in-text citation. For example, you could say, "Fulkerson et al. found that as a child ages, the frequency of family meals decreases."

Always check with your professor and syllabus for specific information on how you should use and cite AI-generated sources.

MLA does not consider Generative AI, like ChatGPT, as an author.

Chicago Manual of Style

The Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS) citation style is most commonly used in humanities disciplines such as history and the arts.

The examples below are for the Notes and Bibliography (NB) style.

Sample Chicago Citations
  In-Text Note Bibliography
Journal Article Yodovich, “Defining Conditional Belonging.”

Yodovich, Neta. “Defining Conditional Belonging: The Case of Female Science Fiction Fans.” Sociology 55, no. 5 (October 2021): 871–87. https://doi.org/10.1177/0038038520949848.

Journal Article with Multiple Authors Fulkerson, Neumark-Sztainer, and Story, “Adolescent and Parent Views of Family Meals.”

Fulkerson, Jayne A., Dianne Neumark-Sztainer, and Mary Story. “Adolescent and Parent Views of Family Meals.” Journal of the American Dietetic Association 106, no. 4 (April 1, 2006): 526–32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jada.2006.01.006.

Book Golding, Star Wars after Lucas.

Golding, Dan. Star Wars after Lucas: A Critical Guide to the Future of the Galaxy. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2019.

AI Text generated by ChatGPT, OpenAI, March 7, 2023, https://chat.openai.com/chat. N/A

Always check with your professor and syllabus for specific information on how you should use and cite AI-generated sources.