So You Found a Gem on JSTOR? Now Don't Lose It With Bad Citations! (A Guide for the Scholarly, Slightly-Frazzled You)
Ah, JSTOR. The land of academic goldmines, where articles on literally everything (including the history of buttons, yes, buttons) reside. You've unearthed the perfect source for your paper, but now you're staring down the barrel of citation anxiety. Fear not, fellow scholar! This guide will be your knight in shining Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS), helping you navigate the art of citing JSTOR articles like a pro.
First Things First: Understanding the Beasts We Face
JSTOR offers a buffet of academic goodies: journal articles, book chapters, even primary sources. But for now, let's focus on the king of the jungle: journal articles. These scholarly gems come in two flavors:
- Those Fancy Online Databases: If your university subscribes to a bunch of databases (like JSTOR!), you'll likely access your article through one of them. Don't worry, the citation format remains the same!
- The Elusive Standalone PDF: Sometimes, you might snag an article as a PDF download. Fear not, Indiana Jones of academia, the citation gods will still smile upon you!
Now, Let's Craft That Citation!
Alright, adventurer, grab your metaphorical pen and prepare to slay the citation dragon. Here's what you'll need, depending on your article's origin:
- For the Database Denizen:
- Author's name (Last Name, First Name)
- Title of the article: Include quotation marks, even for the sassy ones with colons (we see you, grammar rebels!).
- Title of the journal (italicized, because fancy things get italics)
- Volume number, issue number (separated by a comma)
- Month and year of publication (in parentheses)
- Page range (separated by a hyphen)
- The magic ingredient: DOI (Digital Object Identifier) or URL – this nifty code helps others find your treasure too!
Here's an example to tickle your scholarly funny bone:
Funnybone, Lucille. "The History of Laughter in Kangaroos." Journal of Improbable Research 17, no. 4 (April 2023): 23-31. doi:10.1000/THISISA totally.MADEUP.DOI
- For the PDF Private Eye:
Same info as the database gang, but with a twist...
- You might need to dig for the publication info (volume, issue, etc.) within the PDF itself.
- Unless you have a superpower for finding obscure page numbers, skip the page range and just include "n. pag." (for "not paginated").
Remember: Double-check everything before you submit that paper. A misplaced comma can send chills down your professor's spine (and trust us, you don't want that).
Citation Blues Got You Down?
Fear not, weary scholar! Many citation management tools can help you through this process (and save you from future headaches). But beware of over-reliance! Always double-check the citation before hitting submit.
Congratulations! You've conquered the art of citing JSTOR articles in Chicago style. Now go forth and spread your knowledge, minus the citation anxiety!
