Question

If I am using a statistic from a journal article and the article references another source, which source do I use for my in text citation?

Answer 1

I am writing an APA style paper

Answer 2

If the journal article cites the entire source of a statistic, I would go ahead and cite that source. For example, if it says "according to Table 1 of the Age and Sex Composition: 2010 Census Brief published by the U.S. Census Bureau, 50 .9% of the US population is female," I would cite the US Census publication. If all it said is "according to the US government, 51% of the population is female," I would first try and find the source of the statistics and then cite that instead. If I absolutely could not find the original source of that statistic, I would cite the paper, and say something along the lines of "according to a journal article, the US government found that 51% of the population was female."

So the rule I've always used is that if I can't find or verify the statistics myself, I attribute it to whomever the author cites and then cite the place I found it as the source in the bibliography, so people know where to look if they try and find the number themselves. Generally I try and stay away from statistics that I can't verify on my own.

Answer 3

Good answer ChrisH. Anytime you come across any information that you want to use in your paper, and this information is being cited from a different source, trying to find the original source and use it as your reference. This way not only do you verify that the information is correct as ChrisH mentions, you also can ensure that the other author was not taking the information out of context or twisting it to his or her own viewpoint.