How to Cite Sources on JSTOR

Whatever project you’re working on, if you mention or paraphrase information you learned from a source, or use a direct quote, it’s vital that you cite it. Doing so will help demonstrate your research, credit the sources of your information and ideas, and allow your readers to find and evaluate those sources. It’s also important to remember that failing to cite your sources can constitute plagiarism.

To properly cite a source, first gather its bibliographic information. You can learn how to do this in How to Keep Track of Your Sources on JSTOR.

Different citation styles include the same basic bibliographic information, but each organizes it in a specific order.

From there, you’ll need to know which citation style is required. Some commonly used citation styles are MLA, Chicago, and APA.

Different citation styles include the same basic bibliographic information, but each organizes it in a specific order. They also tend to use different punctuation to separate elements. That’s why it’s important to know which style is required by your instructor or institution. If you’re unsure which citation style to use, simply ask your instructor or check your syllabus. It’s better to double-check and be sure than to just wing it!

Using different citation styles

Let’s look at how different citation styles format the same journal article, “Vietnam: The Television War” by Michael Mandelbaum, published in Daedalus.

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In MLA style, the citation would be:

Mandelbaum, Michael. “Vietnam: The Television War.” Daedalus, vol. 111, no. 4, 1982, pp. 157–69. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/20024822. Accessed 1 Oct. 2026.

Learn how to cite other types of sources using the MLA Style Center.

In Chicago style, the citation would be:

Mandelbaum, Michael. “Vietnam: The Television War.” Daedalus 111, no. 4 (1982): 157–69. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20024822.

Learn how to cite other types of sources using the Chicago Manual of Style Online.

In APA style, the citation would be:

Mandelbaum, M. (1982). Vietnam: The Television War. Daedalus, 111(4), 157–169. http://www.jstor.org/stable/20024822

Learn how to cite other types of sources using the APA Style.

As you can see, each style includes the same bibliographic information, but the formatting and punctuation vary in subtle ways.

For guidance on formatting in-text citations, visit the links above, as each style has its own rules.

JSTOR makes citation easy

The Cite option on a source’s JSTOR page makes formatting citations easy. When you click Cite, a pop-up appears with the source’s full citation formatted in MLA, Chicago, and APA styles. You can also use this pop-up to export the citation to citation management platforms, such as NoodleTools, RefWorks, or EasyBib.

You can also export a RIS (Research Information Systems) file if you use citation management tools such as EndNote, Zotero, or Mendeley.

While the Cite option on JSTOR is incredibly useful, it’s important to double-check the information and punctuation against the guidelines for your required citation style and make any necessary corrections before submitting your work.

When reviewing your work before submission, ask yourself whether you’ve cited every source you quoted, paraphrased, or summarized. Also make sure you’ve used the citation style required by your instructor. And if you used JSTOR’s Cite option, double-check the citation for errors. Properly citing your sources lends your work credibility and allows your readers to find and evaluate the sources you used.

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