Citing and referencing: Journals / Periodicals

Article in a database: Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article." Title of Journal, volume, issue, year, page range of article. Database, DOI.

Article in a print journal: Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article." Title of Journal, volume, issue, year, page range of article.

Example

Kuehn, Julia. “Realism's Connections: George Eliot's and Fanny Lewald's Poetics.” George Eliot - George Henry Lewes Studies, vol. 68, no. 2, 2016, pp. 91-115. JSTOR, doi:10.5325/georelioghlstud.68.2.0091.

Knopf, Kerstin. “Kangaroos, Petrol, Joints and Sacred Rocks: Australian Cinema Decolonized.” Studies in Australasian Cinema, vol. 7, no. 2-3, 2013, pp. 189-200. Taylor and Francis, doi: 10.1386/sac.7.2-3.189_1.

Kafka, Ben. "The Demon of Writing: Paperwork, Public Safety, and the Reign of Terror." Representations, no. 98, 2007, pp. 1-24. ProQuest, proquest.com/scholarly-journals/demon-writing-paperwork-public-safety-reign/docview/222828324/se-2.

Gorrie, Nayuka. "White Psycho Dream Girls: On Rage and Freedom." Kill Your Darlings, July-Dec, 2019, pp. 69-76. Informit, search.informit.org/doi/abs/10.3316/informit.834185194609281.

Mather, Christine C. "The Political Afterlife of Eleonara Duse." Theatre Survey, vol. 45, no.1, May 2004, pp. 41-59.

Belton, John. "Painting by numbers: The Digital Intermediate." Film Quarterly, vol. 61, no. 3, Spring 2008, pp.58-65.

Databases contain many articles from a range of journals. In the first example above, the name of the journal is George Eliot - George Henry Lewes Studies, and it can be found in the database JSTOR. In most instances, you will access a journal article through an online database, although you can also access them in print copies held in the library, or directly through the journal's online homepage.

Journals are sometimes referred to as Periodicals.

"vol." is an abbreviation of "volume", and "no." refers to the issue number. Not all journal articles have a volume and an issue number, some instead number all the issues in sequence.

Some journal articles will have a DOI (digital object identifier), which is a permanent identifier to the article (see first example). As URLs can change, it is preferable to use a DOI instead of a URL. If the article does not have a DOI, then use the URL.

Not all journals include the month; if this is the case, then simply omit the information. If you do include the month, then abbreviate it to the first three letters of the name of the month (if it is more than four letters long), as shown in the fourth example. There is no need to put a comma between day, month and year, to minimise the number of commas.

Seasons can be included if the journal provides that information. They should be capitalised, and should follow the issue number, as shown in the last example.

Article in a database: Last Name, First Name, and First Name Last Name. "Title of Article." Title of Journal, volume, issue, year, page range of article. Database, DOI.

Article in a print journal: Last Name, First Name, and First Name Last Name. "Title of Article." Title of Journal, volume, issue, year, page range of article.

Example

Bobkowski, Piotr, and Jessica Smith. "Social Media Divide: Characteristics of Emerging Adults Who do not use Social Network Websites." Media, Culture & Society, vol. 35, no. 6, 2013, pp. 771-81.

When a source has two authors, follow the same rules as those for books and other works. Include the names in the order they are presented in the work. Reverse the first of the names, follow it with a comma then "and", and finally give the second name in non-reversed order.

Article in a database: Last Name, First Name, et al. "Title of Article." Title of Journal, volume, issue, year, pages. Database, DOI.

Article in a print journal: Last Name, First Name, et al. "Title of Article." Title of Journal, volume, issue, year, pages.

Example

Hook, Alan, et al. “A Transmedia Topology of Making a Murderer.” VIEW: Journal of European Television History and Culture, vol. 5, no. 10, 2016, pp. 1-16. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=shib&db=f3h&AN=125586830&site=ehost-live&scope=site&custid=s8849760.

Seo, Hyunjin, et al. "Teens’ Social Media Use and Collective Action." New Media & Society, vol. 16, no. 6, 2014, pp. 883-902. Sage, doi: 10.1177/1461444813495162.

Maher, Sean, et al. “Australian Feature Films and Distribution: Industry or Cottage Industry?” Studies in Australasian Cinema, vol. 10, no. 1, 2016, pp. 114-28. Taylor and Francis, doi: 10.1080/17503175.2016.1140462.

If there are three or more authors, name the first author and add et al. (which means "and others").

Article in a database: "Title of Article." Title of Journal, volume, issue, year, page range of article. Database, DOI.

Article in a print journal: "Title of Article." Title of Journal, volume, issue, year, page range of article. 

Example

"The Dereliction of Diplomacy." The Economist, vol. 436, no. 9207, 2020, pp. 38-40. Proquest, search.proquest.com/docview/2434244866?accountid=12528.

If no author's name is given for the article you are citing, begin the entry with the title of the article. Insert the entry alphabetically in the 'Works cited list' ignoring the leading article (A, An, The). Be wary of an article that does not list an author; it may not be a scholarly (or reliable) source.

Article in a database: Reviewer Last Name, First Name. "Title of Review." Review of Title, by First Name Last Name. Title of Journal, volume, issue, year, page range of article. Database, DOI.

Article in a print journal: Reviewer Last Name, First Name. "Title of Review." Review of Title, by First Name Last Name. Title of Journal, volume, issue, year, page range of article.

Example

Buruma, Ian. “Fruit From Suffering: The Inner and Outer Worlds of Anne Frank’s Diary.” Review of The Collected Works, edited by Nancy Forest-Flier et al. Times Literary Supplement, no. 6072, 16 Aug. 2018, pp. 3-4.

Gillian Silverman. Review of Sentimental Readers: The Rise, Fall, And Revival Of A Disparaged Rhetoric, by Faye Halpern. Legacy, vol. 32, no. 1, 2015, pp. 135-37. JSTOR, doi: 10.5250/legacy.32.1.0135.

Mackin, Joseph. Review of The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction, by Alan Jacobs. New York Journal of Books, 2 June 2011, www.nyjournalofbooks.com/book-review/pleasures-reading-age-distraction.

Jeffers, Alison. Review of Performing Exile, Performing Self: Drama, Theatre, Film, by Yana Meerzon. Theatre Research International, vol. 38, no. 1, 2013, pp. 71-72.

To cite a review published in an online journal, include the reviewer's name, followed by the title of the review (if there is one), followed by "Review of...", and then cite as you would a journal article. Note that a review, even if it is published in a scholarly journal, may not be considered a scholarly source in some disciplines.