ISNAD Referencing Guide
(updated Sep 2023)


Last updated:
How to do citations in ISNAD style?

This is the Citationsy guide to ISNAD citations, reference lists, in-text citations, and bibliographies.
The complete, comprehensive guide shows you how easy citing any source can be. Referencing books, youtube videos, websites, articles, journals, podcasts, images, videos, or music in ISNAD.

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cite ISNAD  — Referencing Guide



How do you cite a book in the ISNAD referencing style? (2023 Guide)

One of the most cited mediums is of course books. Here’s how to cite a book in ISNAD

Here’s an example book citation in ISNAD using placeholders:
Last Name, First Name. Title. Editor First Name Editor Last NameEd . Edition. City: Publisher, 2000. City: Publisher, 2000.
So if we want to cite, for example, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” by Maya Angelou we’d do so like this:
ISNAD citation:
Angelou, Maya. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. 1st Ed. New York: Random House, 1969. New York: Random House, 1969.
And an in-text citation book citation in ISNAD looks like this: Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, 1st Ed., (New York: Random House, 1969) (New York: Random House, 1969).


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How to reference a journal article in the ISNAD citation style?

How do you cite scientific papers in ISNAD format?

To cite a research paper or journal article following the ISNAD formatting guide, follow these easy steps

Here’s a ISNAD journal citation example using placeholders:
Author1 LastnameAuthor1 Firstname - Author3 LastnameAuthor2 Firstname. “Title”. Container VOLUME/Issue (January 1, 2000): pages Used. https://doi.org/DOI.
So if we want to reference this scientific article: “Testing consumer preferences for iced-coffee: Does the drinking environment have any influence?” by C. Petit and J.M. Sieffermann in ISNAD:
Petit, C. - Sieffermann, J.M. “Testing Consumer Preferences for Iced-Coffee: Does the Drinking Environment Have Any Influence?” 18/1 (January 1, 2007): 161-172. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodqual.2006.05.008.
And an in-text citation would look like this: C. Petit - J.M. Sieffermann, “Testing consumer preferences for iced-coffee: Does the drinking environment have any influence?” 18/1, (January 1, 2007) (January 1, 2007): 161-172.


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How to cite a website in a paper in ISNAD style?

Although not all open web content is appropriate as scholarly evidence, you might find yourself wanting to reference a web page in ISNAD. Here’s a quick and simple guide on how to do it

Here’s an ISNAD example website reference:
Author1 LastnameAuthor1 Firstname - Author2 LastnameAuthor2 Firstname. “Title”. Publisher, January 1, 2000. Publisher, January 1, 2000. https://www.example.com.
To reference the article located at this link:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/nov/05/uselections20083
on The Guardian website:
Tran, Mark. “Barack Obama To Be America’s First Black President”. The Guardian, November 5, 2008. The Guardian, November 5, 2008. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/nov/05/uselections20083.
And an in-text citation would look like this: Mark Tran, “Barack Obama To Be America’s First Black President”, (The Guardian, November 5, 2008) (The Guardian, November 5, 2008), https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/nov/05/uselections20083.

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How to cite a YouTube video ISNAD in 2023

To cite a YouTube video, channel, or comment according to ISNAD, all you need it the following

Here’s a ISNAD citation YouTube video example:
ChannelName. “Title”. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXXXXX.
So how to cite a video ISNAD?
Pixar. “Pizza Clip — Inside Out”. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8W6rntBADUQ.
And an in-text video citation would look like this: Pixar, “Pizza Clip — Inside Out”, YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8W6rntBADUQ.

How to cite a podcast using ISNAD referencing style

Are you listening to a history, philosophy, or literature podcast and you want to cite it in a presentation or research paper. Here’s how to do it in ISNAD

It is becoming more and more common to reference podcasts in essays or other school work.
Here’s how to reference a podcast it in ISNAD.
Lastname, Firstname. “Title”. Publisher, January 1, 2000. Publisher, January 1, 2000. http://www.example.com.
Podcast referencing example in ISNAD using “This American Life” episode 640:
This American Life. “640: Five Women”. WBEZ Radio, March 2, 2018. WBEZ Radio, March 2, 2018. https://thisamericanlife.org/640/five-women.
And an in-text citation would look like this: This American Life, “640: Five Women”, (WBEZ Radio, March 2, 2018) (WBEZ Radio, March 2, 2018), https://thisamericanlife.org/640/five-women.

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How to cite a piece of music or a song using ISNAD referencing style?

Did you know that Bob Dylan has written well over 500 different songs? Here’s how to cite any song in ISNAD

An example song citation in ISNAD.
Lastname, Firstname. “Song Title”. Album. http://www.example.com.
Let‘s say we want to reference “Here Comes the Sun” off The Beatles “Abbey Road” album in ISNAD:
The Beatles. “Here Comes the Sun”. Abbey Road. https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/here-comes-the-sun/401186200?i=401187150.
And an in-text citation would look like this: The Beatles, “Here Comes the Sun”, Abbey Road, https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/here-comes-the-sun/401186200?i=401187150.


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