How to Cite Properly

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How to Cite Properly

Archival materials are unique as they are primary sources and that makes it tricky to know how to cite properly. The City of Ottawa Archives recommends viewing the Library and Archives Canada’s article on How to Cite Archival Sources. It provides excellent examples of citing various materials such as textual documents, audiovisual documents, photographic documents, architectural documents, etc.

The Chicago Manual of Style is the standard for proper citation of archival resources as it covers the many different types of materials you would find in the archives.

Appropriate and correct citation of your sources when researching is critical because:
It allows readers to return to your original source and make their own analysis and conclusion.
It also gives credit to the author or creator.

Step One: Decide whether your primary citation will be in the form of footnotes or endnotes. It is personal choice (footnotes are easier to follow along with the text).

Step Two: Compose a bibliography with the complete citation of your sources.

When documenting where your source came from, you’ll want to make sure you have written down at least these main criteria:

Author or creator
Title
Date
Publication Information
Collection name
Box, folder, page
Credit/ Source

Evidence! Citation and Analysis for the Family Historian by Elizabeth Shown Mills (Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997) is an excellent guide for citing archival sources. For further detail, consult this book or the Chicago Manual of Style Quick Guide.

Want to know more? See: Resources

Citation Examples

 Deed (Town or County Level)

Primary Citation
1. Providence Land Evidences, Book 4: 263, City Hall- Division of Archives and History, Providence, Rhode Island.

Complete Citation in Bibliography
Rhode Island. Providence. City Hall-Division of Archives and History. Land Evidences, 1721.

City Directory 
Primary Citation
1. Might’s Greater Ottawa (Carleton County, Ont.) City Directory, Including: Vanier, Rockcliffe Park, and those portions of Gloucester and Nepean Townships Adjacent to Ottawa, for 1971. “Alphabetical List of Names”, (Toronto, Ontario: Might Directories Limited Publishers, 1971), 168.

Complete Citation in Bibliography
Might’s Greater Ottawa (Carleton County, Ont.) City Directory, Including: Vanier, Rockcliffe Park, and those portions of Gloucester and Nepean Townships Adjacent to Ottawa, for 1971. “Alphabetical List of Names”. Toronto, Ontario: Might Directories Limited Publishers, 1971.

Photograph
Primary Citation 
1. Andrews-Newton Photographers Fonds, “Elvis Presley at the Auditorium”, 3 April, 1957, Ottawa, photograph by A. Andrews, C. Buckman, D. Gall, T. Grant, City of Ottawa Archives, MG393-AN-049378-109.

Complete Citation in Bibliography
A.Andrews, C. Buckman, D. Gall, T. Grant, Andrews-Newton Photographers Fonds, City of Ottawa Archives, MG393-AN-049378-109.

Book 
Primary Citation
1. John N. DePew. A Library, Media and Archival Preservation Handbook. (Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO, Inc., 1991), 200.

Complete Citation in Bibliography
DePew, John N. A Library, Media and Archival Preservation Handbook. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO, Inc., 1991.

Journal article
Primary Citation
1. James L W III West. “Annotating Mr. Fitzgerald.” Documentary Editing 22, no. 3 (September 2000): 54.

Complete Citation in Bibliography
West, James L W III. “Annotating Mr. Fitzgerald.” Documentary Editing 22, no. 3 (September 2000): 54-58.

Newspaper Article
Primary Citation
1. Greg Connolley. “Mayor Turns Green Island Sod For New $3,000,000 City Hall.” The Ottawa Citizen. 17 September 1956: 25.

Complete Citation in Bibliography
Connolley, Greg. “Mayor Turns Green Island Sod For New $3,000,000 City Hall.” The Ottawa Citizen. 17 September 1956.

Map
Primary Citation
1. Map of the City of Ottawa and Vicinity. Corporation of the City of Ottawa, Copyright Canada April 27, 1936. Serial no, 37327. C.1-35, CA 15358. City of Ottawa Archives.

Complete Citation in Bibliography
Map of the City of Ottawa and Vicinity. Corporation of the City of Ottawa, Copyright Canada April 27, 1936. Serial no, 37327. C.1-35, CA 15358. City of Ottawa Archives.