Citing Secondary Sources

Faculties: BW, SW

In general, the rule is: Always look for the best source. This is usually the source where the knowledge originated – the one that was published first, empirically researched first, or summarized first. A simple search in Google or in the OPAC is often not enough. Instead, you need to use more comprehensive research and acquisition strategies.

Illustration: A person searching for literature in the library

The usual research

While working with sources, you usually need to search databases, browse through journals, or request an interlibrary loan. Sometimes you also need to obtain literature from the university library in Erlangen or Nuremberg. If you need support with literature research or acquisition, our library will gladly assist you.

Also refer to our articles Effective research: Tips and tools for beginners and Starting your research.

Exceptions for citing secondary sources

If your efforts do not succeed, or if obtaining the literature would involve an unreasonable amount of effort, you may exceptionally refer to knowledge gained from secondary sources with the note “quoted in” (abbreviated as “qtd. in”), or “as cited in”. In this case, you take the relevant quotation that you do not have access to from the publication that is available to you. It can look like this:

Example: Solution-oriented short-term therapy is based on the insight that “major therapies without a time limit usually drag on until the patient realizes that the treatment could last a lifetime, and gives it up” (Watzlawick et al., 2001, p. 137, qtd. in Berklin, 2010, p. 56).

In the reference list, only “Berklin, 2010” is included – in other words, only the work you have consulted. Under no circumstances should you quote Watzlawick without mentioning Berklin if you have not personally examined Watzlawick’s work.

You should only use this approach in an emergency, as the quote from the work you have may appear in a completely different context in the original.

Frequently asked questions

What is a quotation from a secondary source?

When quoting from secondary sources, you cite content from the source available to you, while that text in turn quotes from the original work.

What should I keep in mind when citing a secondary source?

You must mention both sources. The authors of the original literature appear first in the reference. You should only resort to quoting from secondary sources in exceptional cases.

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This article was published in August 2025 and last updated in March 2025.

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Citing Secondary Sources

Contents

The usual research

Exceptions for citing secondary sources

Frequently asked questions

What is a quotation from a secondary source?

What should I keep in mind when citing a secondary source?

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What is Plagiarism?

What Do I Have to Prove?

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