PSYC 205: Introduction to Personality: Track down sources you find online

What Are Cited References?

Cited references are the articles, books or other materials listed in a bibliography -- called a "references" list or "works cited" page -- at the end of a journal or magazine article, book chapter, encyclopedia article, etc.

Knowing how to do a cited reference search is a very useful research skill! It's almost like doing research backwards!

What's a "Cited Reference Search"?

So a "cited reference search" (also known as "citation searching") is when you try to locate the specific source that is cited -- you use clues from the information provided in the citation to find the original source.

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Searching for a Specific Article by Title

If you have an article citation (like the one below) and want to find that specific article, you can find it several ways:

• Cook, A., Arter, J., & Jacobs, L. F. (2014). My owner, right or wrong: The effect of familiarity on the domestic dog's behavior in a food-choice task. Animal Cognition, 17(2), 461-70. doi:http://dx.doi.org.tacomacc.idm.oclc.org/10.1007/s10071-013-0677-0
   

1. Look in SuperSearch 

• Copy and paste the article title into SuperSearch, found on the Library's homepage (or use the link below). It is often useful to put quotes around the article title to find the exact title you want.  Example: “My owner, right or wrong: The effect of familiarity on the domestic dog's behavior in a food-choice task”. Follow the full-text link in the results to find the full article.

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   Try a cited reference search using our "Periodicals A-Z" tool

• Watch this short video going over the steps for how to see if the TCC Library has access to an article from a specific journal, magazine, or newspaper (aka "periodicals")

3. Look in Google Scholar

If the Library's research databases don't contain this article, then search Google Scholar using the same technique - “My owner, right or wrong: The effect of familiarity on the domestic dog's behavior in a food-choice task”.

• Google Scholar provides full access only to some articles, but it's worth a shot if the Library's research databases do not have the specific article for which you are looking.

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   Ask for help!

If neither of these avenues provide you with the article, ask a librarian for help. You can also request that the TCC Library get the article from another library.

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