HomePoliciesCiting Archival Collections

Citing Archival Collections

You must cite archival sources used in your research, whether you simply make reference to a source, quote directly from it, paraphrase it, or reproduce an image in your work. Regardless of which format you use, citations of archival materials typically include four key elements:


1. Title: usually the title given by the archives to a file or item. In the absence of a title provide a short description.

  • Letter from Anna Laura Gebhardt to Nora O. Solum, 1928 January 1
  • Address of President Coolidge before the Norwegian Centennial celebration, at Minnesota State Fairgrounds June 8, 1925

2. Name of collection:

  • O.E. Rølvaag papers
  • Norse-American Centennial papers

3. Collection identifier: Also include numbers that identify the specific box and folder.

  • P0584, Box 50, Folder 2
  • P0562, Box 8, Folder 10

4. Repository and location: 

  • Norwegian-American Historical Association, Northfield, Minnesota