How to find the citation of an article

Detailed Guide:

1. Take a look at your citation and identify the journal, magazine or newspaper title. While all of the citation styles are different, in the major styles (like MLA, APA and Chicago) the title of the journal, magazine or newspaper is in italics. 

This is an example of a citation break-down in MLA format:

Author(s). "Title of Article." Title of Journal Volume. Issue (Year): pages. DOI/URL.

Notice that the title of the journal is in italics. If you aren't sure how to read a citation, please check out the "Help with Citations" tab on the left side of this guide.

2. Take your article citation and go to the library homepage:

If you have a DOI, follow these steps. Otherwise jump to Step 6. 

3. If you have a DOI, click on 'Get PDF by DOI/PMID' under the search box. 

4. Type the DOI in the appropriate field and click on 'Find Article.'

5. A page with full text options should come up. Click on the link to be directed either to the article itself or look for the expansion menu at the bottom of the page to find more full text options. You may be directed to the URI Proxy Login page if you are off-campus. If you see a message that the article is unavailable, you may request it through Interlibrary Loan. 

If you do not have a DOI for your article, follow the below steps.

6. Click on the 'e-Journals' link to access our searchable list of online periodicals.

7. Type the name of the journal, magazine or newspaper you're looking for into the search blank. We're going to use the Journal of Academic and Business Ethics as an example.

8. Find the result that matches the journal title. Click on the title of the journal to see which database(s) contain the full text of the journal. You may see multiple listings of databases where we have access to the full text of the periodical and the dates of coverage. If the dates of coverage match or cover the date of the article you are looking for, click on the link to the appropriate database to then see if the library owns the volume and issue listed in your citation.

9. If you do not find the periodical you are looking for by searching the e-Journal List or the dates of coverage you need are not available electronically, you can get information about the Library's print subscription by searching the catalog. Search the catalog by title of the periodical to find out if we have the publication in print. The catalog includes a record similar to that of one for a book and gives you information such as title, publisher, location, call number, and available volumes and issues.

The print journals are bound (with multiple issues bound together in hard cover) and are located on the Lower Level of the Carothers Library. Use the call number to find the journal you are looking for.

To search the catalog, click here:

Can't find the article you were looking for or need more help? Contact a Reference Librarian by stopping by one of the URI Libraries' Reference Desks or getting in touch with us by phone, email, or live chat.

We can help you track down that article or provide other options for getting the full text of the article.

Our contact information can be found here:

Cited Reference Searching

Cited reference searching is finding articles that reference a particular author, article, or book. Use cited reference searching to:

• determine who has cited specific papers or authors
• discover how an idea or innovation has been confirmed, applied, corrected, or developed over time
• identify seminal papers
• find researchers with common interests
• assess the impact of a publication

There are many library databases that provide options for cited reference searching. Watch the tutorial below to learn how to perform a cited reference search in two comprehensive interdisciplinary databases.

For the most comprehensive cited reference search, the Library recommends using multiple databases. For help identifying databases ideal for your discipline, please ask a librarian.

Google Scholar

• Google Scholar

  Many references in Google Scholar include a Cited by link to identify other resources that cite that reference.

Important things to know about Google Scholar:

• Google Scholar may include more than one version of articles and there are likely to be duplicates in the citing references among the versions.

Web of Science

• Web of Science

  Web of Science is the best known source for finding articles that cite other articles. it includes journals from the humanities and social sciences, despite the name.

Important things to know about Web of Science

• Authors' names are abbreviated, so for best results use wildcards for first names and middle initials: Harper W*
• Journal titles are usually abbreviated as well. Use the Web of Science Journals Abbreviation list to identify the correct form to use.
• All results in Web of Science have links to citing articles. However,  Cited Reference Search will give you the most complete results.

What is the easiest way to find citations?

How do you find a citation on a website?

Where can I find source citations?