Sources that are cited in another source (secondary referencing)
Answer
This guidance was updated on 19 October 2019 with the requirement to include the year of the original source that you are referencing.
Sometimes, you may want to cite a source that you have not read, but has been summarised, paraphrased or quoted in a source that you’re using.
We call this ‘secondary referencing’.
We recommend that you try to avoid using secondary references: this is because you’re relying on someone else’s interpretation of another person’s idea. The original context of that idea, or the author’s interpretation of it, may not be correct or relevant for your own work. If possible, always read the original work.
Example
In a textbook by Wilson written in 2015, you see a summary of a research project carried out by Khan in 2012. You want to refer to Khan’s work, but you have not read it yourself.
Your in-text citation must include both the name of the author whose ideas you’re using and the year they were published (Khan and 2012), as well as well as the author of the source you have read and its publication year (Wilson and 2015).
Use the phrase ‘cited in’ or ‘quoted in’ depending on how you’re presenting the idea in your work. You must include the dates of both the secondary source and the source you are reading it in.
Several key studies have demonstrated this effect (Khan, 2012, cited in Wilson, 2015).
This effect has been described as “prominent and sustained” over several studies (Khan, 2012, quoted in Wilson, 2015, p.24)
In your reference list, you must only put the full reference for the work you have read (in this example, Wilson). The person reading your assignment will be able to find a full reference to Khan in Wilson’s work.
