Citing Archives

Archival records are unique, unpublished sources that provide invaluable insight into the past. Unlike books, which may be held by many libraries, archives are usually one-of-a-kind documents and held by a single repository or organisation.

Precise citation in archival collections is essential, not just for academic integrity, but for enabling future researchers to locate and verify sources, and assisting our archivists to locate sources cited in scholarly work that may be used in the intellectual control of collections.

Follow these guidelines to ensure your work is transparent, reproducible, and helps preserve the archival record for generations to come.

Why citation matters

Correctly citing archival materials:

  • Ensures sources are locatable – It allows other researchers to follow your research path and access the same materials. It also allows our archivists to associate your research with the collection.
  • Preserves academic integrity – It upholds standards of accuracy, accountability, and ethical scholarship.
  • Acknowledges ownership and effort – It credits the individuals and institutions that preserved and organised the records.

What to include in a citation

A complete archival citation should contain the following elements:

  1. Creator – The individual or organisation responsible for producing the material. In the University of Melbourne Archives' catalogue, the creator will appear in the record, within the Provenance menu.
  2. Title or Description – A brief description or title of the item, including the date. In the University of Melbourne Archives' catalogue, items usually have a clear title. If they do not, creating a very short description surrounded by square brackets would be appropriate. ie. [conference notes, March 1962].
  3. Collection Name – The name of the collection to which the material belongs. In the University of Melbourne Archives' catalogue, this will usually be referred to as the Accession name and begins with an eight-digit number in square brackets. ie. [2012.0286] CAMPAIGN FOR INTERNATIONAL CO-OPERATION AND DISARMAMENT
  4. Reference Number – Any identifying numbers (e.g., series, box, folder, item). In the University of Melbourne Archives' catalogue, this presents as a 14 digit number referred to as an identifier. These start with UMA-. If there is a Unit number present in the record, please include that too.
  5. Repository – The full name and location of the institution where the material is held. For material from our collections, this should be University of Melbourne Archives.

Referencing styles

Use the University of Melbourne Library's tool Re:cite to find advice on formatting the information on this page for the style recommended by your faculty or publisher, and to see examples from the University of Melbourne Archives' collections.

Re:cite contains University of Melbourne Archives examples and formatting advice for the following styles: