How do I cite Secondary Sources? How do I cite text that I don’t have access to and can only draw from a citation in another document?

This refers to incorporating ideas from a source other than the primary one. If possible, always find the original primary source (article, book, website) and reference directly from it. If the source is unavailable or inaccessible, in exceptional cases, you may use what is known as a secondary citation, but citation ethics must be followed. It is important to mention both the author of the idea and where it was published/mentioned, as the author of the article interpreted the idea within a certain context.

According to the APA 7 citation style,

Cite secondary sources sparingly—for instance, when the original work is out of print, unavailable, or available only in a language you do not understand.
If possible, as a matter of good scholarly practice, find the primary source, read it, and cite it directly rather than citing a secondary source. For example, rather than citing an instructor’s lecture or a textbook or encyclopedia that cites original research, find, read, and cite the original research directly (unless an instructor has directed you to do otherwise).

Follow these directions when citing a secondary source:

  • In the reference list, provide an entry for the secondary source that you used.
  • In the text, identify the primary source and write “as cited in” the secondary source you used.

If the primary source’s publication year is known, include it in the text citation.

For example, if you read a work by Lyon et al. (2014) in which Rabbitt (1982) was cited, and you were unable to read Rabbitt’s work yourself, cite Rabbitt’s work as the original source, followed by Lyon et al.’s work as the secondary source. Only Lyon et al.’s work appears in the reference list.

Guidelines for this type of citation can be found here.

 

According to the ČSN ISO 690 citation style, you can proceed as follows:

  • Novák (2010, p. 45) mentions that Pavlík’s (2009) research results are considerably diverse, especially in…
  • “…considerably different” (Pavlík 2009 cited by Novák 2010, p. 45).
  • “…considerably different” (Pavlík, 2009 cited according to Novák, 2010, p. 45).

In the reference list, you will cite the source you had access to, i.e., NOVÁK, Jiří, 2010… or you may specify further: PAVLÍK, Jan, 2009… cited in: NOVÁK, Jiří, 2010…

This is used for ideas that cannot be found elsewhere, but you still write the full citation of the document you referenced.