TOP TIP # 11 - Secondary Sources when Referencing

When you want to reference something that someone else has cited, it is called a secondary reference.  This is how you go about referencing secondary sources:

 

1. We always reference the source that we are looking at. 
2. So if I'm reading an article by author Smith 2020 and in the article, Smith cited John from 2018, it is Smith that must be referenced in the Bibliography. 
3. In the in-text citation you indicate that Smith 2020 referenced John, 2018 as follows: (Jones, 2018 as cited by Smith, 2020)

One guideline is that you should aim for most of your sources to be primary sources.  In other words, always go to find the original author (original source). Avoid having too many secondary sources.  It is always best practice to go back to the orginal source.