Preferred Citations

Citing Sources

Below are guidelines for citing the various kinds of material you will find in Special Collections & Archives.

For books and periodicals in Special Collections & Archives, you can follow typical citation rules in whatever style is required for an assignment, generally Chicago Manual of Style, MLA, or APA. 

For archival, manuscript, or photograph collections, the Chicago Manual of Style , 16th Edition  does not require a particular order of elements (14.232-14.242) but does require that all of the following elements be included and that the citation elements to be ordered consistently:

  •  Author or creator of the collection
  •  Type of records in the collection
  •  Date span of collection
  •  Manuscript or series number
  •  Name of holding repository
  •  Location of holding repository

Bibliography citation examples

[Collection Name, date span]. Collection #. Special Collections and University Archives, Iowa State University Library, Ames, Iowa

Examples

American Society of Brewing Chemists Records, 1934-[ongoing] . MS 227 . Special Collections and University Archives, Iowa State University Library, Ames, Iowa.

Clementine M. Harris Diaries, 1898-1911 . MS 338 . Special Collections and University Archives, Iowa State University Library, Ames, Iowa.

Pilar A. Garcia Papers, 1933-2011 . RS 12/6/53 . Special Collections and University Archives, Iowa State University Library, Ames, Iowa.

Footnote citation examples

Forwhen you are citing content from a particular document

[Item, date][Box #, Folder #]. [Collection Name, date span]. Collection #. Special Collections and University Archives, Iowa State University Library, Ames, Iowa.

Examples

  • Dorothy Kehlenbeck to P. Mabel Nelson, 2 March 1960. Box 2, Folder 9. Dorothy Kehlenbeck Bean Papers. RS 25/4/51. Special Collections and University Archives, Iowa State University Library, Ames, Iowa.
  • Clothing Construction Techniques, 1981. Stewart railroad cottage lease, 15 October 1915. Box 10, Folder 5. Union Pacific Railroad Collection, 1902-1969. 97-19. Special Collections and University Archives, Iowa State University Library, Ames, Iowa.
  • Executive Committee Minutes, Iowa Conservation Education Council, 3 January 1980. Box 12, Folder 69. Iowa Conservation Education Council Records, 1958-1998. Special Collections and University Archives, Iowa State University Library, Ames, Iowa.

Credit lines for photograph materials

Full Citation Format

[Photo caption with date if available]. [Photo Collection Name] [Collection #### (space)Photo Number ###]. Special Collections and University Archives, Iowa State University Library, Ames, Iowa.

Example
  • Jack Trice and Teammates, 1923. University Photographs RS 21/07/A. Special Collections and University Archives, Iowa State University Library, Ames, Iowa.

Medium Citation Format

[Photo caption] [Photo Collection Name] [Collection #### (space) Photo Number ###]. UNLV Libraries Special Collections & Archives, University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Example
  • Jack Trice and Teammates, 1923. University Photographs RS 21/07/A. ISU Library Special Collections and University Archives, Iowa State University, Ames.

Brief Citation Format

[Photo caption] [Photo Collection Name] [Collection #### (space) Photo Number ###]. UNLV Libraries Special Collections & Archives.

Example
  • Jack Trice and Teammates, 1923. University Photographs RS 21/07/A. ISU Library Special Collections and University Archives.