Art 100W Tutorial: Skill #4

4. Synthesize information from a variety of sources and cite that information appropriately
(pull together information of several types to complete your project…let us know what sources you used and where we can find them too)

What's a citation?

• a citation gives basic descriptive information about an article, book or other document
• it should include enough information to allow anyone to track down the source
• a citation can be to an article, book, or any kind of document
• you can even cite telephone or personal conversations, speeches, etc.

Why cite sources?

• to avoid plagiarism (see Skill #5 for more information)
• to back up your argument or conclusions
• to allow other interested parties to track down the same sources

Know how to read citations!

• misinterpreting a citation may keep you from finding an item you really need
• common citations are to whole books, chapters in books, or articles in periodicals

Sample citation to periodical article: (Art Bulletin style)

McHam, Sarah Blake, 2001,"Donatello's Bronze David and Judith as Metaphors of Medici Rule in Florence," Art Bulletin, 83, no. 1, 32- 47.

• author of article
• year date of that issue
• title of article
• title of journal
• volume number (a "volume" means the issues for a specific time, usually a year)
• issue number (Art Bulletin publishes 4 issues per volume, so this is the first issue for this volume)
• pages of article

Sample citation to a book chapter/essay: (Chicago style)

Perkins, Nancy. 1999."Women Designers : Making Differences. " In Design and Feminism: Re-visioning Spaces, Places and Everyday Things, ed. Joan Rothschild, 120-124. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.

• author of chapter
• publication date of book
• title of chapter
• title of book
• editor of book
• pages of chapter within book
• place of publication and publisher for book

Why use a style manual?

• it shows you how to cite your sources consistently
• it shows you how to include all the necessary information for different types of sources
• your professor may recommend or require a specific one
  • many standard style manuals are kept at the Reference Desk in the Library
  • sometimes there is additional information on the Internet--see Citing & Writing

Go to Skill #5 >>> or Back to Intro

Comments and questions to Edith Crowe edith.crowe@sjsu.edu
Last Updated 17 September 2004
Created 10 February 2003