Answered By: Todd White
Last Updated: Jun 15, 2015     Views: 765

You are dealing with a secondary citation, and this is what AMA has to say –

3.13.10  Secondary Citations and Quotations (Including Press Releases). References may be made to one author’s citation of, or quotation from, another’s work. Distinguish between citation and quotation (ie, between work mentioned and words actually quoted). In the text, the name of the original author, rather that the secondary source, should be mentioned. (See also 3.11.13, References to Print Journals, Dicussants.) As with citation of an abstract of an article rather than citation of the original document (see 3.11.9, References to Print Journals, Abstracts and Other Material Taken from Another Source), citation of the original document is preferred unless it is not readily available. Only items actually consulted should be listed. The forms for listed references are as follows:

1. Cauly JA, Lui L-Y, Ensrud KE, et al. Osteoporosis and fracture risk in women of different ethnic groups, JAMA.
    2005;293(17):2102-2108. Cited by: Acherson LS. Bone density and the risk of fractures: should treatment thresholds
    vary by race [editorial]? JAMA. 2005;293(17):2151-2154.

                                             - from AMA Manual of Style: A Guide for Authors and Editors, 10th edition. (p. 61).

So, to sum up.

a). AMA would prefer you use the original source, but does give you an escape clause.

b). cite the “original” author in your text.

c). Both the source you are reading, and the secondary source show up in the in-text citation/footnote (see example above).

d). The secondary source being quoted does not appear in your works cited list, since you did not have eyes on it.

Good luck.

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