Using scholarly journal articles in your Chicago author-date research paper is a great way to build up your authoritative sources. Scholarly journals are indexed in databases, such as EBSCO and OCLC. Although many of these academic databases are fee-based, your school, college or public library usually offers free access to students. There are also open-source scholarly journals such as San Jose State University’s Student Research Journal and others available through DOAJ. As well, Google Scholar is an easy way to search for relevant articles in your field.
Why Use Journal Articles
Using journal articles in your research has several advantages, such as currency and authority of the research. Journals publish issues regularly, which means the information is current. What’s more, the articles are peer-reviewed, which lends authority to the research. Accessing journal articles is easy, too, both online and at your local library.
Are Journal Articles Primary Sources?
You may wonder if journal articles are primary or secondary sources. The answer is, “It depends.” Primary sources are those that are composed of original research, in which scientific methods have produced a new theory or reinforced earlier theories. For example, if you find an article published as a literature review only, that is a secondary source, as it does not provide original research. Reviews, textbooks and reference works are secondary sources.
How to Cite in Author-Date Reference List
Citing journal articles in Chicago/Turabian’s author-date style is straightforward. As with other source entries, you need to include as many identifying elements as possible. If you access a journal article online, include the URL, DOI, or database name.
Print Journal Article Format
Author’s Last Name, Author’s First Name. Year of Publication. “Title of Article: Subtitle of Article.” Title of Journal Volume Number, Issue Number (Additional Date Information): YY-YY.
Example
Bacon, Christine D. 2019. “Travel for Two.” Science 364, 6443: 902-903.
Online Journal Article Format
Author’s Last Name, Author’s First Name. Year of Publication. “Title of Article: Subtitle of Article.” Title of Journal Volume Number, Issue Number (Additional Date Information): YY-YY. URL.
Example
Ting, Renee I. 2017. “Accessibility of Diverse Literature for Children in Libraries: A Literature Review.” SLIS Student Research Journal 6, 2: 13-28. http://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/slissrj/vol6/iss2/4.
Chicago Reference List
Remember to create a reference list at the end of your report when using the Chicago/Turabian author-date style. Organize the reference using the letter by letter alphabetizing system and include only those sources you used to create your paper. Each in-text (parenthetical citation) corresponds to an entry in the reference list.