When you cite Plato in a paper, cite by dialogue
title and Stephanus number.
This is the number & letter in the margin
in most editions of Plato’s works.
It refers to the page and line numbers from
an edition of Plato’s complete works, published
in 1578 by Henricus Stephanus of Geneva.
Stephanus numbers give us a way of referring
to passages in Plato, regardless of edition
or translation.
For example, the passage in Apology where
Socrates says, “The unexamined life is not
worth living” comes at Stephanus page number 38a.
The citation would look like this: (Apology 38a).
A citation of the passage where Socrates tells
Crito, “the most important thing is not
life, but the good life,” looks like this:
(Crito 48b).
And if you wanted to cite the passage in Republic
where Thrasymachus makes his speech in defense
of injustice, your citation would look like
this: (Republic 343b-344d)
Citing by Stephanus page numbers is a good
practice, because it allows us to find the
relevant passage in Plato, no matter what
edition or translation of the work we are using.
If you want to impress your instructor, ask
him whether you should cite Plato by page
number or by Stephanus number. 
Thanks for watching today; goodbye.
