FAQ: How do I cite a source quoted within another source (or how to cite a secondary source) in MLA Style?

A secondary source is a source cited within another source. Sometimes, this is called an indirect source. It is always recommended to locate and cite the original source whenever possible, but there are times when the original source is unavailable (e.g. it’s out of print, in a language other than English, or difficult to obtain through usual sources, etc.). If that’s the case, you may find that you need to cite the secondary source instead.

The MLA Handbook (9th edition), p. 284 states that you should use the original source if you can find it. However, if you need to cite an indirect source, as the manual refers to secondary sources, if what you quote or paraphrase is itself a quotation, put the abbreviation qtd. in (“quoted in”) before the indirect source you cite in your parenthetical reference. (You may wish to clarify the relation between the original and secondhand sources in a note.)

Works Cited Example

Beirne, Logan. Blood of Tyrants: George Washington & the Forging of the Presidency. Encounter Books, 2013. EBSCOhost, ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/snhu-ebooks/detail.action?docID=1771968.

In-Text Example

George Washington described his meeting with French officers, then a twenty-one year old, in his diaries and explained that the wine the officers drank “banished their restraint” (qtd. in Berine 450).

More Information

• Citing Your Sources Guide (Shapiro Library)  

Disclaimer

This information is intended to be a guideline, not expert advice. Please be sure to speak to your professor about the appropriate way to cite sources in your class assignments and projects