Issue For June 13, 2007
Writing Question of the Week
This is usually a question submitted by an OWL user to the OWL Tutors. If you have a question you need answered quickly, ask one of our OWL Tutors or call the Writing Lab's Grammar Hotline at 765-494-3723. And remember, both services are free for everyone!
Hello,
I just finished my paper and am citing references. How do I cite a reference contained in another one? Example: Americans for the Arts was the web page. It was taken from "Highlights from Key National Research on Arts Education." One of the examples is (the source): Critical Links: Learning in the Arts And Student Academic And Social Development, 2002, p.64 (the study): Using Art Processes to Enhance Academic Self-Regulation. This is just one example. So, how do I properly write this in APA style in my references? Thank you for your help.
--Caryn
Caryn,
Thanks for your question and for contacting the OWL. APA strongly requests that you go find the original sources and cite them instead of citing a secondary source. This gives you more credibility since you are using the original source material rather than relying on a secondary use of that source which could misrepresent it.
A librarian should be able to help you track down those sources.
If you cannot find those sources, you put only your original source on the works cited page (Americans for the Arts) and be clear within the text of your paper that the original source is NOT your Americans for the Arts source. Normally this is done within the text of the sentence. Ex: A 2002 study by (insert name or organization) found that . . .
If you quote something from that other source, your in text citation should say (qtd. in Americans for the Arts).
However, it is much better to find the original sources. Thank you for contacting us!
--OWL Tutors
The OWL Help Nest
Each week we publish Purdue OWL News readers' requests for advice or information and the responses from other Purdue OWL News readers.
The word "awhile" is some times written as a single word and some times as two separate words "a while". When is it written as a single word and when is it written as two separate words? --Pramod Thomas John, Bangalore India
Grammatically speaking, “a while” is a noun phrase meaning “a short period of time”; “awhile” is an adverb meaning “FOR a while” (the “for” is built in the word). This is also a test whether to use “a while” or “awhile”.
You could NOT say “I’ll stay here for awhile” because this would mean “I’ll stay here FOR FOR a while”. The same applies to “I’ll be there in awhile”. You wouldn’t say “I’ll be there in for a while”. So you should be careful to use “awhile” after prepositions – it’s usually “a while”.
- Angelika Weichhart, Austria
I would like example of sentences using both “irony" and "ironic". I am having a problem understanding the true usage of both words. --Milton Brown, Pearl, MS
Use irony as you would any noun, as the subject or a sentence, the predicate nominative or several kinds of objects.
Use ironic as you would any adjective.
Adjectives may come BEFORE the nouns they describe. "The Tell-tale Heart" is a very ironic short story.
Adjectives may come AFTER the nouns they describe. Seinfeld's TV show, quirky and ironic, is very popular with American audiences.
Adjectives may be used with linking verbs as PREDICATE ADJECTIVES. It is ironic that my miserly uncle is criticizes me for being thrifty.
--Bonnie Emmons, School marm
Irony is a noun, and ironic is an adjective. Think noun and adjective placement in a sentence for a simple check. For example, "The author uses "irony" to suggest...." and "It is ironic that..."
--Suzanne Miskel, Dublin, CA
When should one use the word "that" as compared to "which?" --David S. Kistler, State University of New York @ Potsdam
David, the choice between 'that' and 'which' is determined by the clause the pronoun ('that' and 'which' are pronouns, as is 'who') introduces. A restrictive clause (one essential to the sentence) can take either word and it all depends on which sounds best to your writer's ear. A nonrestrictive clause (one that adds extra information which isn't essential to the meaning of the sentence and is set apart by commas) can only use 'which'. Note that the parenthetical comment on nonrestrictive clauses uses both pronouns in the same sentence. Try changing their places--or using the same pronoun in both places--and you'll see it's all a matter of which 'sounds' best.
--Roy Greene
In adjective clauses, you use WHICH if the clause is not necessary to the understanding of the sentence. Example: The dog, which is brown, ran away from Joey yesterday. It is a nonrestrictive clause.
Use THAT if it introduces a clause that is necessary for understanding. Ex: The dog that bit Joey died. It serves as the introduction to the restrictive clause.
--Mary Kurtz, Georgia
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What's Happening on the OWL at Purdue
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