Being able to interpret a citation is an important research skill. Conventions for documenting sources vary by discipline, but typically a citation tells you enough basic information to go and find the item no matter what style is used (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.).

There are three steps in following a citation trail to locate an item at Collins Library.

1. Read the citation to determine what kind of source you are looking for (a book, an article, something else).
2. Choose the essential citation information you need to locate the item.
3. Use Primo to search using the citation information.

Before you can find the full text, you need to understand the parts of a citation.

Example of a Journal Citation

Keeling, Kara. "Looking for M—: Queer Temporality, Black Political Possibility, and Poetry from the Future." GLQ: A Journal of Lesbian and Gay Studies 15, no. 4 (2009): 565-582. 

Example of a Magazine Citation

"The Man Who Lived 30 Years as a Woman." Ebony 31, no. 1 (November 1975): 85–88. 

Example of a Book Citation

Weheliye, Alexander G. Habeas Viscus: Racializing Assemblages, Biopolitics, and Black Feminist Theories of the Human. Durham: Duke University Press, 2014.

Example of an Essay in an Anthology or Edited Collection 

Snorton, C. Riley and Jin Haritaworn, "Trans Necropolitics: A Transnational Reflection on Violence, Death, and the Trans of Color Afterlife." In Transgender Studies Reader 2, edited by Susan Stryker and Aren Aizura, 66-76. New York, NY: Routledge, 2013.

Use Primo to locate these sources.

Once you've identified a citation, your next step is to locate the full text. Whether it's a book, magazine, journal, or newspaper article, check Primo. Use the library map to identify the floor of a physical item.

Searching Primo for a book is pretty straightforward: search by the title of the book and/or the author's (or editor's) name. If you are looking for a chapter or essay in an edited collection or anthology, again search by the title of the book.

Locating individual articles (from a magazine, newspaper, or scholarly journal) in the library catalog is a little like looking for a needle in a haystack. For this reason, searching for the journal first is often a more effective way to find an article. To locate a specific article from a citation, follow these steps:

1. Type in the title of the journal in the Primo search box. Limit the "Material Type" to "Journals"
2. Find the record in our library catalog and determine whether the journal is online or in print.
3. Locate the correct year, volume, and issue number.
4. Locate the article within that issue using the table of contents or the page numbers indicated in the citation. 

Review the notes and bibliography section for your group's chapter and identity 4-5 sources to locate. Jot down the citations and look for the full text in Primo.

For each of your sources, note your search results. Does the library own or provide access to the item? If yes, where can the full-text be found?

If your source is only available in print, you may request books for lobby pickup or request that portions of print books be scanned. To submit a request, make sure you are logged in with your Puget Sound username and password and click the relevant link within Primo (under "Request Options").

If the library doesn't have access to the source, trying requesting it via Summit or Interlibrary Loan, or choose another citation.

If your article is not available at Collins Library, you've got another option for getting it. Use Tipasa, our interlibrary loan service.

Tipasa is linked to your library account so you'll need to log in to use it.

Once you are logged in, either go directly to Tipasa and manually enter the information, or, if you're using a database, look for a shortcut link to automatically fill out the form:

Allow at least a week for the article to come. If your article is delivered in electronic format, you'll receive an email with a link to follow as soon as it's arrived.