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Primary Sources Research: Citation Help

Citing Primary Sources

As a general rule, if you are citing a primary source that you found quoted in a secondary source (e.g. a book or magazine or newspaper), you would use the following formats:

Chicago Style Note:

Author of original source, first name first, Title (City of Publication: Publisher, year), page number, quoted in Author of secondary source, first name first, Title (City of Publication: Publisher, year), page number.

Example of note:

29 Hastings Ismay, The Memoirs of General Lord Ismay (New York: Viking, 1960), 199, quoted in James Holland, The Battle of Britain (New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2010), 476.

MLA Style:

Zukofsky, Louis. "Sincerity and Objectification." Poetry  37 (February 1931): 269. Quoted in Bonnie Costello, Marianne Moore: Imaginary Possessions. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1981.

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For more specific information on HOW TO CITE PRIMARY SOURCES CLICK HERE.  You can then choose either Chicago or MLA style for directions to cite various types of primary sources.

Works Cited Help

Use NoodleTools to create your works cited.  Enter the information about your source and NoodleBib will correctly format it in MLA style. Getting to NoodleTools couldn't be easier. Just follow these directions: 

  1.  Login to you Bentley School gmail account. Make sure you are looking at your mail (not google drive).  
  2. Click on the "waffle" in the upper right side of the screen
  3. Scroll down the menu or click "more" until you see the NoodleTools icon
  4. Click on the icon - it takes you directly to NoodleTools.
  5. If this is your first time in this year, click "Create a New Account" and follow the directions on screen​

Once you have your account:

  • Click “Create a New Project” in green on the right
  • Choose "MLA" for the citation style and "Advanced" for the level.
  •  Enter the title of your project. e.g. “History Project”
  • On the next screen look for a box on the left side named “Components” and click on “Works Cited.”
  • On the MLA Works Cited page select a "citation type” from the box on the top left (hint: if you are doing a Gale reference source use reference source then click database on the top bar) Click Submit after filling in as many boxes as you can.
  • To Add another citation you would again select a "citation type" from the box on the top left.  This is a working bibliography and you may add more citations to it in the future.
  • If asked by your teacher, click “Share” on the "dashboard" of the project main page.  After entering your name, choose your teachers last name as the dropbox.  You must do this in order to receive credit!!**
  • Your “works cited” will be saved on the NoodleBib site for 1 year 

QUESTIONS? -- Ask Ms. Bogas

Intext Citations

Use your NoodleBib Works Cited to see exactly how to format each parenthetical citation within your text.  

As a general rule the first "element" of your citation goes into the parenthesis.  See the following examples:

1.  Works cited entry: Danhof, Clarence H. Change in Agriculture: The Northern United States, 1820-1870. Cambridge: Harvard UP, 1969. 

Parenthetical reference: (Danhof 5).

2.  Works cited entry: Morrill Land Grant Act of 1862. Prairie View A&M. 2003. Web. 6 Dec. 2008

Parenthetical reference: (Morrill Land Grant).