I used a quote in my paper, but I don’t have the author’s name, title of the article, or know where I got it from. How can I find the source?
Answer
We have several dictionaries of quotations in our collection. They allow you to search for a quotation by topic and get a full citation for it. They are also good for getting interesting quotes from notable individuals. You may quote the dictionary as a reference if you have not read the original source. Find Dictionary of Quotations from Ancient and Modern English and Foreign Sources here.
You can also try searching the quote on the open internet to see if you can track down the title/author(s) that way. Put the entire quote, with quotation marks, into your browser of choice, and check if any of the results look familiar to you.
Common knowledge or proverbs do not require a citation.