When you quote or paraphrase an archival source in your work, you must provide a full citation to the material. This section of the Archival Research Guide pages provide information on how to cite archival material using APA, MLA, and Chicago citation styles.
Regardless of which style you use, all citations of archival materials typically include four key elements:
Title
The title of the file or item; provide a short description if the material is untitled.
Nova Scotia Task Force on the Status of Women Reports
Letter from Jane Smith to John Doe
Name of fonds or collection
The name given by the archives to the fonds or collection.
David and Marilyn Janigan Map Collection
Faculty of Health Professions fonds
Reference code
Sometimes called an identifier. Similar to call numbers used to locate items within in a library. Dalhousie University Archives' reference codes typically include a collection identifier (e.g., UA-2 or MS-3-245), and numbers that identify the specific box and folder.
UA-22, Box 175, Folder 2
MS-3-46, Box 23, Folder 40
Repository
The name of the archives or library and its geographic location
Dalhousie University Archives, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
