Citation Guide for Primary Sources

General Guidelines

It is important to provide full credit to the creators and  publishers of documents, and to allow future scholars to find the source  quickly and correctly. Citing a primary source is also crucial to critical  thinking and analysis because it requires that the student think carefully  about where the source came from, who made it, and in what context the student  first discovered it. Methods for citing primary sources differ from those for  published works. The discipline in which you are writing and class requirements  will determine the citation system you should use. Typical elements of a  citation include: document title, document date, location information,  collection title, collection number, and repository name.

The following citation guidelines for primary sources are  based on those in the Chicago  Manual of Style, which you should consult for more detailed  information.

Notes

39. Diary of New York trip of John Meachem, Jr., 1922, box 2,  John G. Meachem, Sr. and Jr. Papers,  Parkside Mss 15, University of Wisconsin-Parkside Libraries, Archives  Department.

Subsequent citations of the same item, or items from the  same collection, may be shortened for the reader's convenience. The writer  announces the use of short forms in a parenthetical statement at the end of the  first citation, as follows:

39. Diary of New York trip of John Meachem, Jr., 1922, box 2,  John G. Meachem, Sr. and Jr. Papers,  Parkside Mss 15, University of Wisconsin-Parkside Libraries, Archives  Department. (hereafter cited as Meachem Papers).

40. Copybook of Thomas Meachem, box 3, Meachem Papers.

In a bibliography, the main element is usually  the title of the collection in which the specific item may be found, the  author(s) of the items in the collection, or the repository of the collection.  Specific items are not usually mentioned in a bibliography. We recommend using  the collection title as the main element of the citation. If the collection  title includes a personal name, we recommend placing the last name first for  the reader's convenience.

For example:
Sullivan, John, Papers. Parkside MC 11. University of  Wisconsin-Parkside Libraries, Archives Department.

Examples of Citations for Items from  the Archives Department of the University of Wisconsin-Parkside Libraries

Note Forms

41. Speeches, 1923-1951, box 2, folder 7, Horace J. Mellum Papers, Parkside Mss 13,  University of Wisconsin-Parkside Libraries, Archives Department.

42. Speeches and Tributes, 1932-1945, box 2, folder 12, Della Wendt Papers, Parkside MC  03, University of Wisconsin-Parkside  Libraries, Archives Department.

43. Investment Transactions, 1974-1975, box 5, folder 16, Kemper Hall Records, Parkside Mss 41,  University of Wisconsin-Parkside Libraries, Archives Department.

Bibliographic Entries

Kemper Hall Records.  1855-1957, Parkside Mss 41. University of Wisconsin-Parkside Libraries,  Archives Department.

Office of the  Chancellor. Parkside AC 01. University of Wisconsin-Parkside Libraries,  Archives Department.

Wallace, Irving, Papers. Parkside MC 01. University of  Wisconsin-Parkside Libraries, Archives Department.

Archives Department staff will gladly provide further  guidance on citing primary sources in your research papers.

Scroll to top
Who Are You?