Citing Archives Guide
Why It Is Important
- to clearly identify the source of the information used
- to enable the referenced archives to be easily re-located.
- as a courtesy, to acknowledge and recognise the source of archives which have been used.
Contents of Citations
Citations of archives usually include the following elements: custody, administrative origins, record series, record item, and perhaps documents. Some of these may be represented by numbers rather than words.
Custody
This identifies the institution, company or other organisation that holds the records. In this case it is James Cook University Special Collections Archives.
Administrative Origins
Archives are maintained in units named for the person or agency that donated them, for example Coutts Group of Companies; New Moon Theatre Company.
Series
The series is the basic unit of management and control of archival records. The term series is used to describe a group of records having a common system of control or resulting from the same process of accumulation and having a similar format and content. Examples of series titles might be: Correspondence 1920 - 1930; Minutes of meetings 1975 - 1985; Station diaries 1930 - 1935.
Record Item
Where a record series comprises more than one physical item, it may be necessary to identify the specific items used. The original control number or symbol and title, given when the record was created, should be used where these exist. If record i tems do not carry an original control number, symbol or title, one will usually have been supplied. The control number or symbol and title should be followed by the date of the item. Examples of record items might be: Minutes of meeting of 31 June 1966; Diary for Jan - Dec 1934.
Document
Sometimes this level is not needed in a citation. It is required when the record item is long or consists of more than one part. For example Minutes of meeting of 31 June 1976 outgoing correspondence item 10; Diary for Jan - Dec 1934, page 16, ent ry for 15 February.
Citations should look like this:
Example One
James Cook University Special Collections Archives
Nelly Bay Archive
IV/14/27
Assistant Town Planner's Report
April 1989
Example Two
James Cook University Special Collections Archives
Pioneer Sugar Mills Records
Audited final accounts
PMR/ACCOUNTS/15, Accounts for 1942
If this information is inadequate, incorrect, or can be improved in any way, please let us know