Now that you have identified sources you want to use in your research, notice what the source is, who wrote it, what publication it came from, and when it was published. It is important to be aware of where the information you use comes from. Let's learn how to identify these parts.

Look at the entry from the results screen for one of your sources:

Image of bibliographic information regarding source

Notice the type of source listed at the top of the entry, which in this case is an article. An article tends to be a shorter piece of work written and published within a few weeks to a month or so. The author does some research to write the article, but not nearly as extensively as if it had been a book. An article tends to be short, specific, and representing a concept or analysis at one moment in time.

The title is listed on the second line, Alternate Reality.

The author is listed next, Susan Sutton.

The name of the publication is written on the next line, Ceramic Industry.

The volume number of 164 and issue number of 5, in parentheses, are written after the date. This names the specific edition of the journal where the article appears.

The publication date, May 2014, is listed after the publication title.

You will get all of this information organized for you in a proper citation format, according to the style you choose (APA, MLA, Harvard or Chicago) using the Cite feature. It is important, however, to know what this information represents and where to find it.