American Heritage Center

According to the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th Edition, it is generally accepted that an item description should be the first element listed in a citation. There is, however, no formal agreement on the order for the remaining elements in archival and manuscript collection citations (17.222). While there is considerable freedom in the format of citations, it is important the author remain consistent when citing materials in their own work.When providing a citation for archival materials there are several elements which must be present in the citation.

 

• Item Description
• Collection Information
• Repository Information

 

These elements can vary widely from collection to collection and from repository to repository. For additional information about citing archival materials please see the latest addition of either the Chicago Manual of Style or the Turabian Manual for Writers.Given the nature of the archival collections at the American Heritage Center, the following is a recommended citation style for footnotes/endnotes and bibliographies.