Secondary referencing – citing something when you haven’t read the original… in the APA7 style
09/05/2023

So, you’re doing some research and you come across a really great quotation. You want to use it in your own text but there’s a problem. The quotation is not from the author(s) of this article, but rather from another author who is cited within your article. So what do you do?
If possible, the best thing you can do is to find and read the original source to make sure you understand the context of the extract, in which case, you would then reference the original source. But if this is not an option, fear not! This is an easy one. It’s known as secondary referencing. You are going to cite something that has already been cited in one of your references!
The way to do this in the APA7 style is to use the phrase “as cited in” within your in-text citation. So to use an idea from Richard Branson which was cited by Burns, you could write…
Branson highlights the essential role played by fun in the success of his commercial ventures (1998, as cited in Burns, 2013).
or, if you wanted to quote Branson directly…
“Fun is at the core of the way I like to do business and has informed everything I’ve done from the outset. More than any other element fun is the secret of Virgin’s success” (Branson, 1998, as cited in Burns, 2013, p. 41).
Then…
At the end of your document, your bibliography or reference list will include only the sources that you read directly, so your reference would be for Burns (2013) and would read as follows…
Burns, P. (2013). Corporate entrepreneurship: Innovation and strategy in large organizations (3rd ed.). Palgrave Macmillan.
Remember to format your reference with a hanging indent. As always, if you have any questions about referencing or citations, please contact your Library service.
Please note: Cranfield supports two different referencing styles – APA7 (Author-date) and Numbered (NLM). Please make sure you use the style preferred by your supervisor or lecturer. The advice above relates only to the APA7 style. If you have any questions about referencing, please contact the Library.
Feature image from Pixabay. Available at https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2016/06/01/06/26/open-book-1428428_960_720.jpg
Categories & Tags:
Leave a comment on this post:
You might also like…
Powering Progress: How Cranfield will bring the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy to life
The keenly anticipated UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy is now published, outlining eight key areas for investment and growth. The Prime Minister writes that it’s a “golden opportunity” and the report foreword says that in ...
Leaving Cranfield soon? Have you heard about Alumni Library Online?
We are proud to offer one of the UK’s leading university library services for alumni. Alumni Library Online gives you instant access to thousands of top quality journal articles and the latest thinking to support ...
Zotero: a powerful free tool for managing your references
Are you working on an assignment, research paper, thesis, or group project and need a way to stay on top of your references? Maybe you have tried using Mendeley to manage your references, but it ...
Journal searching tips
Searching for journal articles can seem a little daunting at the beginning. Here are some of our top tips to get you started when searching for articles in any of our key business journal collections, ...
Sourcing company Betas in LSEG Workspace and Datastream
Following our introductory post on sourcing Betas, this post will go into a little more depth for those who may be seeking more complex data. Betas are accessible in LSEG's Workspace service, through Workspace itself, ...
You could save a life: The real impact of learning CPR
When writing this, my sister told me to tell you my age. I won't do that, but I will tell you that I was in my forties, with no previous heart problems when I ...