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WRIT 1120: Research Workshop: Citation Chaining

In-person library workshop activities for WRIT 1120 classes

One good source can lead you to others

Have you found at least one relevant article? If so, try citation chaining!

What is citation chaining?

Citation chaining is a method by which you trace an idea or topic both forward and backward in time either by sources that have cited a particular work or through the references that a particular work has cited. This idea of linking one source to another, which then links to another, creates a chain of related sources or citations.

Steps for following the citation chain forward

Forward chaining: look for sources that cite the source you already have

Google Scholar

1. To begin, search for your item in Google Scholar using words from the title, the author, etc.

2. Beneath each result, you will see a link that says 'Cited by ...' and a number.  Look carefully, as there may be more than one result matching your search.

3. Clicking on "Cited by ..." will bring up a list of citing documents in Google Scholar. These are arranged with the most highly cited works at the top. To locate a copy of these works, you can look for [PDF] links on the right, or links to Find it @ BGSU to the right or below each citation.

Steps for following the citation chain backward

Backward Chaining: look for sources cited in the source you already have

The way to identify if BGSU has access to the source requires several steps

1.Begin at the BGSU Libraries home page (bgsu.edu/library)

2. Select the "Journals by title" link underneath the Summon search box

3. Search for the title of the journal in which the article was published.

4. If BGSU has a subscription, you will see one or more options for accessing the journal. Each link for access should include the dates of coverage.

5.You will also see a box that says "search inside this journal". Search for the first 5-7 words of the title of the article. If this doesn't work, go back to step 4 and select the option that matches the day, month, and year and/or the volume and issue number in which the article was published. Look for your article's title in the list of all of the articles published in that issue.