For more information about archives and special collections, and to browse our collections, consult the following websites:
University Archives and Special Collections (212 Albert Emmanuel Hall)
U.S. Catholic Special Collection (302 Roesch Library)
Marian Library (7th floor Roesch Library)
This page was adapted with appreciation from a guide on citing archival materials from Gerth Archives and Special Collections, California State University, Dominguez Hills.
If you are are quoting or paraphrasing from archival and/or primary sources such as letters or manuscripts, you will need to create a citation just as if you were citing a book or journal article. Even graphic materials like postcards or photographs, when referenced in your research, require a citation. Citations for archival materials, just like print materials, are meant to help others locate the source(s) of your work, and should give readers a good sense of the physical location, collection organization, and contents of the item you are using.
If you are working on a research project that references a large volume of archival materials, you may consider using a citation management program like Tropy, which allows users to describe, manage, and generate citations for photographs of research materials.
On this page are examples for citing archival materials in Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS) and MLA Style; regardless of what citation style you use, you will likely need the following basic information:
Examples from University of Dayton's archives are provided below to illustrate MLA and CMOS citations for archival materials. They are separated into four general categories:
The following examples illustrate the notes and bibliography system of citation for CMOS. In the notes and bibliography system, citations for sources can be found in footnotes or endnotes that correspond to a superscript number in the text. A separate bibliography follows the text, and bibliographic entries have a slightly different format.
Additional details regarding citing archival materials can be found in sections titled "Manuscript Collections" in the online quick guide or the full Chicago Manual of Style. In general, citations take the following pattern:
Note: Title or Description of Item, Date (day, month, year), Collection number or identifier, box number, folder number, Collection Name, Name of Repository, Location of Repository. URL if applicable.
If you reference the same item repeatedly, you can use shortened notes after the first citation.
Shortened note: Shortened Version of Title, Collection Name.
Bibliography: Last Name, First Name of author. Collection Name. Repository Name, Location of Repository.
If you are only citing one item from a collection, you can include the title of the object in the bibliography. The examples here assume that multiple items are used, and thus list individual items in the note but not the bibliography.
Note
John S. Stokes Jr. to Mary F. Reardon, 29 March 1954, ML-034, box 7, folder 4, John Stokes and Mary's Garden Collection, Marian Library, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH. https://archivescatalog.udayton.edu/repositories/2/archival_objects/15625.
Shortened note
Stokes to Reardon, John Stokes and Mary's Garden Collection.
Bibliography
John Stokes and Mary's Garden Collection. Marian Library, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH.
Note
Photograph of Pilgrims Kneeling in Front of the Statue of Our Lady of Kibeho, [2020?], ML-2021-001, Kibeho Photographs by Gianmarco Maraviglia [unprocessed], Marian Library, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH. https://archivescatalog.udayton.edu/repositories/2/accessions/493.
Shortened Note
Photograph of Pilgrims Kneeling, Kibeho photographs by Gianmarco Maraviglia [unprocessed].
Bibliography
Kibeho Photographs by Gianmarco Maraviglia [unprocessed]. Marian Library, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH.
*The date in brackets with a question mark denotes an approximation of the actual date.
*Brackets such as [unprocessed] above are used when amending the existing information, such as to provide clarification or missing words.
Note
News Release #68-114, 21 June 1968, UASC-001-NR68-114, box N1, folder 5, Whalen Congressional Papers, University Archives and Special Collections, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH. https://ecommons.udayton.edu/archives_whalen_news/169/.
Shortened Note
News Release #68-114, Whalen Congressional Papers.
Bibliography
Whalen Congressional Papers. University Archives and Special Collections, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH.
Note
Profession of Religious Vows Holy Card, devotional picture, 24 July 1930, CSC.009-006, box 1, folder 13, Collection of Commemorative Holy Cards, U.S. Catholic Special Collection, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH. https://ecommons.udayton.edu/ul_holy_cards/35/.
Shortened note
Profession of Religious Vows, Collection of Commemorative Holy Cards.
Bibliography
Collection of Commemorative Holy Cards. U.S. Catholic Special Collection, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH.
MLA style citations are formatted as in-text citations, usually in parentheses at the end of the sentence, or sometimes worked into the text of the sentence with the work you are citing (also known as a signal phrase). At the end of the paper, full citations are listed in the Works Cited. For more information about citing in MLA Style, consult the MLA Style Center, which offers guidance for citing material located in a digital archive or citing material located in a physical archive.
MLA utilizes an author-date format for citations, but it should be noted that in many cases, archival materials are not paginated and may not require a page number for the citation. Similarly, archival materials may have no known author; in which case, the author's last name can be substituted for the title or a short description of the work in quotes.
The general format for an MLA citation is as follows:
Author Last Name, First Name Middle Name or Initial. Title or description of material. Day month year. Collection name. Collection identifier, Box number, Folder number. Name of Repository, Location of Repository. URL if applicable.
MLA Style utilizes Core Elements, which function as the main building blocks for creating a citation. For archival material, you will likely employ the following Core Elements:
King, Eleanor. Letter to Josephine L. Schwarz. Date unknown. Josephine L. Schwarz Papers. UASC-003, Box 17, Folder 3. University Archives and Special Collections, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH. https://ecommons.udayton.edu/finding_aid/10/.
Muslim pilgrims at the Lourdes Grotto. 1958. Marian Library photograph collection. ML-49, Box 2, Folder 39. Marian Library, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH. https://ecommons.udayton.edu/imri_photos/67/.
White, John. Knock Shrine manuscript. 2007. Marian Apparitions collection. ML-035, Box 4. Marian Library, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH. https://archivescatalog.udayton.edu/repositories/2/archival_objects/16228.
Boesch, William C. Drawing of the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception. 1986. William C. Boesch, Sr. Drawings. UASC-030, Box 1, Folder 1. University Archives and Special Collections, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH. https://ecommons.udayton.edu/archives_boesch/5/.
