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Where to Find Citation Information

This guide will walk you through how to find the information you need for MLA and APA citations in databases, books, eBooks, and websites.

Citation Information in Databases

All library databases look a little different from one another, but you should be able to find citation information in every database you search. Below are some examples of frequently used databases at SCC and where to find citation information in each of the databases.

This page will go over how to find citation information in 3 popular library databases. Click on the name of the database to learn how to find citation information in that database: EBSCOhost, Gale, and CREDO Reference

Where to Find Citation Information - EBSCOhost Databases

Many of the library databases are published by EBSCOhost and all function the same way. Some examples of EBSCOhost databases you may have used in the past are: Academic Search Premier, Business Source Premier, EBSCO Literature Databases, Medline, and Points of View.

When you click the link to an article you wish to read in an EBSCOhost Database, you will be taken into a record page for the article. The record page is going to have almost all of the information you need to complete your citations.

Click on the purple exclamation points (!) to see where you can find the information you will need for a citation in the record page of an EBSCOhost Database. Click the full screen option on the right side of the image to make the image larger.

If you have any difficulty accessing the EBSCOhost example, see the plain text version here.

Where to Find Citation Information in EBSCOhost Databases

Article Title: The Effects of Offering Proactive Student-Success Coaching on Community College Students' Academic Performance and Persistence. The article title will always be found at the top of the record page in a large font.

Authors: Mark M. Hall, Rachel E. Worsham, and Grey Reavis are the authors.

The author name is found directly under the article title.

Journal Name: Community College Review

The name of the journal that the article was published in is found under Source. It will be the first item listed.

Publication Date: Apr. 2021 is the publication date.

The publication date is found under Source, usually next to the journal name. A publication date can be either a year (2021) or a month and a year (April 2021).

Volume: Vol. 49

The volume number is found under Source, usually next to the publication date.

Issue Number: no. 2

The issue number is found under Source, next to the volume number. Keep in mind, not every source will have an issue number.

Page Numbers: p. 202-267

Page numbers are found under Source, next to the issue number (if you have one).

DOI: The DOI is 10.1177/0091552120982030

The DOI is found at the bottom of the record page. Keep in mind, not every source will have a DOI.

Database: EBSCOhost

The name of the database will be found at top left corner of the page.

URL: The URL can be found by clicking on "Permalink" under "Tools."

Where to Find Citation Information - Gale Databases

Many of the library databases are published by Gale and all function the same way. Some examples of Gale databases you may have used in the past are: Gale Power Search, Gale General OneFile, Gale in Context: Opposing Viewpoints, and Gale Literature Resource Center.

When you click the link to an article you wish to read in a Gale Database, you will be taken into the full text of the article itself. At the very top of the page is going to have all of the information you will need to complete your citations.

Click on the purple exclamation points (!) to see where you can find the information you will need for a citation in a Gale database. Click the full screen option on the right side of the image to make the image larger.

If you have any difficulty accessing the Gale example, see the plain text version here.

Where to Find Citation Information in Gale Databases

Database Name: Gale Power Search

The name of the database will always be in the top left-hand corner of your screen.

Article Title: Community College Students Rise to the Challenge--Meeting the Time Demands of Highly Structured Courses.

The article title will always be found at the top of the record page in a large font.

Authors: Scott Freeman, Pamela Pape-Lindstrom, Anne Casper, and Sarah Eddy are the authors.

The name of the author(s) are found under Author(s), underneath the article title.

Publication Date: May-June 2020.

The publication date for the article is found under Date. A publication date can be either a year (2020) or a month and year (May-June 2020).

Journal Name: Journal of College Science Teaching is the journal this article was published in.

The journal name is found under From. It will be the first item listed.

Volume: Vol. 49.

The volume number is found under From. This will be in parenthesis ( ) next to the journal name.

Issue Number: No. 5.

The issue number is found under From. This will be in parenthesis ( ) next to the volume number. Keep in mind that not every source will have an issue number.

URL: The URL can be found under "Get Link."

Where to Find Citation Information - CREDO Reference

CREDO Reference is a common database that can be used for background research. CREDO Reference works by searching reference sources (like encyclopedias and dictionaries) to find the information that you are looking for. 

When you click the link to an entry you wish to read in CREDO, you will be taken into the full text of the entry itself. At the very bottom of the page is the information you will need for your citation.

Click on the purple exclamation points (!) to see where you can find the information you will need for a citation in CREDO Reference. Click the full screen option on the right side of the image to make the image larger.

If you have any difficulty accessing the CREDO Reference example, see the plain text version here.

Where to Find Citation Information in CREDO Reference

Database: The name of the database is CREDO Reference.

The name of the database can be found in the top left-hand corner of the screen.

Article Title: The title of the article is Popular Culture.

The title of the article will be at the top of the page in a large font.

Reference Book Name: The Penguin Dictionary of Sociology

The name of the reference book that the article was published in can be found under the title of the article. It can also be found underneath the auto-generated citations.

Publisher: The publisher of the reference book, The Penguin Dictionary of Sociology, is Penguin.

The name of the publisher can be found underneath the text of the article. CREDO likes to use the publisher's logo rather than the name on the main page of the article. If you don't recognize the logo, you can click the source title (i.e., The Penguin Dictionary of Sociology) to go to the publication details page. Here you will find publication information. 

Publication Date: This article was published in 2006.

The publication date can be found next to the publisher name or logo. Look for the copyright symbol ©, and the publication date should be near that symbol.

Author: Nicholas Abercrombie, Stephen Hill and Bryan Turner are the authors of this article.

The name of the author can be found at the bottom of the page, underneath the title of the reference book. Keep in mind that not every source in CREDO Reference will have an author listed. It is also common to have an editor's name instead.

Edition: 5th edition

The edition number is hidden. In order to locate the edition in CREDO, you must click the underlined title of the main source (i.e., The Penguin Dictionary of Sociology) to go to the publication details page. Here you will find the edition and other publication information. 

URL: The URL can be found under "Share."