Research Guides: Citing Sources: Author / Date

Overview

The Author / Date method uses parenthetical citations (P) in a paper to indicate the last name of the author, date of publication, and page number(s) (if applicable) of the source being referenced by the writer. Then each of those citations correspond to a full reference (R) located at the end of the paper in a Reference page.

The parenthetical citation will be formatted as follows: (Author's Last Name year of publication, page #).

(P) As Strang points out, the "settlers' first priority when they acquired new land was to bring it under technological control" (Strang, 1977, 50).

When formulating the reference, this particular citation would be constructed like this and listed in alphabetical order on the Reference page:

Author's Last Name, Author's First Name. date (year of publication). Title of Book or Article. Place of Publication: Publisher.

(R) Strang, Veronica. 1997. Uncommon Ground: Cultural Landscapes and Environmental Values. New York: Berg.

Overall Basic Pattern for References:

Author, date (year) of publication, title, other facts of publication, full range of pages.

Types of Parenthetical References

The in-text parenthetical citation may be written as a paraphrasing of an original source or directly quoting an original source. Either way, the date should immediately follow the author's last name. Always include a page number when quoting directly. A page number is not required when paraphrasing. For example:

When you do not include an author's last name in the sentence

Recent literature has examined long-run price drifts following initial public offerings (Ritter 1991; Loughran and Ritter 1995), stock splits (Ikenberry et al. 1996), seasoned equity offerings (Loughren and Ritter 1995), and equity repurchases (Ikenberry et all. 1995).

When you DO include an author's last name in the sentence

"As Edward Tufte (2001, 139) points out, "A graphical element may carry data information and also perform a design function usually left to non-date-ink."

Citation Breakdown (Author/Date):

Examples

Books

Basic Format

(P) (Author's Last Name year of publication, page number)

(R) Author's Last Name, First Name. Year of Publication. Title of the Book: And Subtitle, Place of Publication: Publisher's

Name.

Book with One Author/Editor

(P) (Hurston 1990, 72)

(R) Hurston, Zora Neale. (1937) 1990. Their Eyes Were Watching God. Philadelphia: J.B. Lippicott. Reprint, New York:

Harper and Row.

Multiple Authors/Editors

(P) (Hand, Ashton, and Meadows 2016, 72)

(R) Hand, Cynthia, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows. 2016. My Lady Jane. New York: HarperCollins.

(P) (Laraña, Johnston, and Gusfield, eds. 1994, 128-129)

(R) Laraña, Enrique, Hank Johnston, and Joseph R. Gusfield, eds. 1994. New Social Movements: From Ideology to

Identity. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.

For four or more authors, in the parenthetical citation, list just the Last Name of the first author and then et al. for the remaining authors (ex: Smith et al., Year of Publication, xx). However, include all the authors' names in the Reference (R) citation.

Chapter in an Edited Book

(P) (Durkheim 1988, 235)

(R) Durkheim, Émile. "Rules for the Explanation of Social Facts." In High Points in Anthropology, 2nd ed., edited by Paul

Bohannan and Mark Glazer, 234-253. New York: McGraw Hill.

Periodicals

Basic Format

(P) (Author's Last Name Year of Publication, page number)

(R) Author's Last Name, First Name. Year of Publication. "Title of the Article: And Subtitle." Title of the Journal Volume

number, Issue no. (Month and Date - if indicated): #-#. Location of article online.

Journal Articles Magazines

(P) (Uy and Dimaano 2008, 75)

(R) Uy, Tricia, and Christian Dimaano. 2008. “Lessons Learned from ‘The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down’: Student

Perspectives on How Cultural Differences Can Lead to Health Disparities.” Health Education Journal 79, no.1

(January): 73–81. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0017896919862592.

NOTE

If you found the article in print, you don't need the URL/DOI. Though if there is a DOI/URL/Permalink, this can be useful to include so others can find your sources.
For more than one author, follow the pattern for author's names for books.
Check with your instructor whether they want you to make the URL/DOI active link or make it static.

Magazines

With author:

(P) (Warzel and Caufield 2025)

(R) Warzel, Charlie and Mike Caufield. 2025. "The Internet is Worse Than a Brainwashing Machine." Atlantic, January

6. https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2025/01/january-6-justification-machine/681215/

No author:

(P) (New Hampshire Magazine 2025)

(R) New Hampshire Magazine. 2025. "Where to Go Snowshoeing in New Hampshire. NH Magazine, January

2. https://www.nhmagazine.com/where-to-go-snowshoeing-in-new-hampshire/

Newspapers & News Sites

(P) (Rojas and Taft 2025)

(R) Rojas, Rick and Isabelle Taft. 2025. "The Uneasy Relationship Between New Orleans and Its Most Famous Street." New

York Times, January 5, https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/05/us/bourbon-street-attack-safety-tourism.html.

NOTE

If applicable, include the newspaper's edition (e.g. Final Edition, or Eastern Edition) in the References page.
If the paper is published in several sections, the section number (e.g. sec. 1) or the section title (e.g. Opinion) may be added.
If you cite an article that you found online, be sure to include the URL or DOI. If neither are available, include the name of the library Database.
Unlike Journal and Magazine articles that separate the publication day and URL/DOI with a period, with Newspapers or News Sites use a comma.

Websites, Blogs and Social Media

Basic Format

Identify the author Last Name, First. Publication year (if known, otherwise n.d.). "Title of the page." Title or description of the site, the owner of the site (if not already in the title), more specific information on the date/time stamp, and the URL.
If the page is one that is frequently updated, include a time stamp if one is available. If you can't find a date, include and access date.
You can start the note with the author's name, or if there isn't a clear individual author, use the name of the owner or sponsor of the site, or the site's title.

(P) Author Last Name Date)

(R) Author's Last Name, First. Year of publication. "Title of the Page." Title or description of the site, Owner of the site,

publication/time stamp/accessed date. URL.

Websites

(P) (Little 2019)

(R) Little, Becky. 2019. "Native Americans Weren't Guaranteed the Right to Vote in Every State Until 1962." History Stories,

A&E Television Networks, updated August 20, 2019. https://www.history.com/news/native-american-voting-rights-

citizenship.

Blogs

(P) (Swenson 2020)

(P) (Patterson [Georgia], November 4th, 2020, comment on Swenson 2020)

(P) According to a comment on November 4th, 2020, by Patterson of Georgia (Swenson 2020).

(R) Swenson, Kate. 2020. "Advice for the Special Needs Parent on Halloween," Finding Cooper's Voice: The Secret World of

Autism (blog), November 4. https://www.findingcoopersvoice.com/2020/11/04/advice-for-the-special-needs-

parent-on-halloween/.

NOTE

Blog posts can be cited much like articles in a magazine. Use a period between the date and URL/DOI.
Include (blog) at the end of the Blog title if it isn't clear that it is a blog.
If the blog is part of a larger publication (such as a journal or website), provide the name of the publication after the blog title.
For comments made on a blog, use a parenthetical citation (P) to quote or paraphrase in-text, then include a citation for the blog in the References page (see the second (P) example above).
Blog content should usually only be cited in-text by way of parenthetical citations (P). Include it in the References page only if it is cited frequently, vital to your argument, or is required by your professor. If you cite multiple entries from a blog, that would be a reason to cite the whole blog in the References page.

Social Media

(P) Geisel Library seeks to help students with their study skills even on Facebook: "Your third Research Trick-or-Treat of the week helps you find results that have a specific phrase!" (Geisel Library at Saint Anselm College, October 29, 2020).

(R) Geisel Library at Saint Anselm College. "Your third Research Trick-or-Treat of the week helps you find results that have a

specific phrase!" Facebook, October 29, 2020. https://www.facebook.com/173252109443922/posts/

2788507201251720/.

(P) (O'Brien 2020)

(R) O'Brien, Conan [@ConanOBrien]. "Let's not be too judgmental, who among us hasn't said something stupid and

embarrassing at 2am?" Twitter, November 4, 2020, 3:13 p.m. https://twitter.com/ConanOBrien/status/

1324082312695468033.

NOTE

Like Web pages and blogs, in most instances Social Media can be cited in-text within the parenthetical citation (P). Only include an entry in the References page if it is cited frequently, critical to your discussion, or required by your professor.
For the Author's Name, if the real name is known, use that along with the screen name. Otherwise, you can simply use the screen name.
If the post is multimedia (e.g. photo or video), be sure to include that detail (e.g. Instagram photo or Instagram video).

Art Work

According to Chicago, information about paintings, photos, and sculptures can often be presented within the text. However, if a parenthetical citation (P) or reference (R) entry is required, it should include: Artist Name, Title of Work, and date of creation (preceded by "ca." [circa] if the date is approximate), information about the medium and/or dimensions (if relevant), location of the work, and for some the URL/DOI.

*The information that is included in a citation or reference will depend on what information is available and what information is most relevant to your citation.

Work of art seen in person

General Format

(P) Artist First and Last Name, Title of Work, date of creation, information about the medium and/or dimensions, location of

the work.

(R) Artist Last Name, First Name. Date of Creation. Title of the Work. Information about the medium, dimensions. Location of

the work.

Example

(P) Fredrick Wilson, Good Shephard with Landscape,1909, stained-glass window, 40.5 x 28 in., New-York Historical Society

Museum & Library.

(R) Wilson, Frederick. 1909. Good Shephard with Landscape. Stained-glass window, 40.5 x 28 in. New-York Historical

Society Museum & Library.

Works of art reproduced in a printed source

General Format

(P) (Artist's First and Last Name, Title of the Work, Year of creation, in Last Name of Author(s) Year of Publication, xx)

(R) Author's Last Name, First Name. Year of Publication. Title of the Book/Article: Subtitle. Place of Publication: Publisher.

Example

(P) (Mary Cassatt, Mother and Child, ca.1890, in Pearce 1964, 122)

(R) Pearce, John. 1964. American Painting:1560-1913. New York: McGraw.

Works of art reproduced in electronic source

General Format
(P) (Artist's Last Name Date of Creation)

(R) Artist’s Last Name, First Name. Date of Creation. Title of art work. Medium. Institution where art work is housed (if

known), City where housed if not already named. URL/DOI.

Example

(P) (Monet 1885)

(R) Monet, Claude. 1885. Meadow with Haystacks at Giverny. Oil on canvas. Museum of Fine Arts,

Boston. http://www.artstor.org.

Audio and Audiovisual Material

There is no one "right way" to cite audio and audiovisual materials. The information included and prioritized in recording citations depends on the information available, the medium in which it is transmitted, and the relevance of the contributors/pieces of the material. Refer to the Chicago manual, Turabian manual, or Purdue Owl for a more specific breakdown of what to cite in different circumstances.

Song on a CD

General Format

(P) (Last Name of Performer or Composer year of creation or release).

(R) Last Name, First of artist/composer/conductor, description of who it is. Year of recording/release. "Title of Piece." Other

important contributors and their role. Track # on Title of Album. Producer, medium.

Example

(P) (Matchbox 20 1996)

(R) Matchbox 20. "Girl Like That." 1996. Written by Rob Thomas. Track 5 on Yourself or Someone Like You. Atlantic

Recording Corporation. CD.

Song on a Streaming Service

Example

(P) (Adele 2011)

(R) Adele. 2011. "Rumour Has It." Track 2 on 21, Columbia Records. Amazon Music streaming.

Films

If you watch the film online, be sure to include the URL at the end of the citation in the Reference. In the Reference, list the film by the name of the director.

General Format

(P) (Last Name of Director Year of creation or release, other information about timing if relevant)

(R) Last Name, First Name, director. Year or creation or release. Title of the Movie. Other relevant information i.e. featuring/

starring. Company that produced the film, production date (if applicable). Medium. or URL.

Example

(P) (McTiernan 1990)

(R) McTiernan, John, director. 1990. The Hunt For Red October. Starring Sean Connery and Alec Baldwin. Paramount

Pictures. 2 hr., 15 min. DVD Disc.