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Citing Sources Tutorials

Primary Sources

Citing Primary Sources

Primary sources are resources that contain firsthand information about a specific time period, event, or person.  When citing a primary source, it is important to identify what type of source it is first.  Primary sources include (but are not limited to): diary/journal entries, government documents (example: executive orders, resolutions, statutes), letters, interviews, press releases, speeches, surveys, and transcripts.

Keep in mind that commentaries -- thoughts, opinions, and background information -- found alongside many primary sources, are not primary source materials.  Remember to examine the information being provided -- if it is firsthand information, then you are working with a primary source.

If you're not sure what type of primary source you are citing, examine any provided information about the source very carefully for any clues that may help.  You may also try searching for the source title as an exact phrase in Google Advanced Search.

 

Citing Diary/Journal Entries

A diary or journal entry can be considered a "historical manuscript", which are original personal documents.  Although it is important to give credit to the source that a diary might have been reprinted from, it is not necessary in most cases.  The important aspect of this type of citation is the diary itself and where you accessed it from.

Keep the following in mind when citing a diary:

  • Some diaries do not have titles.  Provide one only if given an official title.
  • If citing only one diary entry, provide that entry's date in your citation.  If citing multiple entries, include only the year(s) of the diary to indicate more than one diary entry date.

Citing Government Documents

Government documents can include (at both the state and federal level): court cases, government publications, bills, resolutions, hearings/testimonies, reports, statutes, debates, executive orders, patents, and regulations.

Choose Database OR Website, then select the best option from the NoodleTools "Create a New Citation" selection box to complete your citation.

If you're not sure what type of government document you are citing, examine any provided information about the source very carefully for any clues that may help.  You may also try searching for the document title as an exact phrase in Google Advanced Search.

 

Citing Letters

A letter is another example of a primary source.  Although it is important to give credit to the source that a letter might have been reprinted from, it is not necessary in most cases.  The important aspect of this type of citation is the letter itself and where you accessed it from.

Keep the following in mind when citing a letter:

  • Most letters do not have titles.  Provide one only if given an official title.
  • Citations should include both the author and the recipient of the letter.

Citing Tips:

  • Locate the source citation information at bottom of page.  If no author is provided, review any provided commentary or the end of the letter itself.
  • Make the following selections in NoodleTools:
    • Database OR Website
    • Letter or Memo
  • Use the Annotation Generator for help creating annotations for your citations. 

 

Citing Personal Narratives

A personal narrative is an essay/article of someone's personal experience or viewpoint.  Think of it like a diary entry but written for the purpose of sharing the experience with other people.  The important aspect of this type of citation is whether or not the narrative was published and, if so, giving credit to the original source in which it was published.

 

Citing Personal Interviews

Personal interviews are interviews you conduct yourself.  Even though you are conducting your own interview, any information from the interview being used in your project needs to be cited.

Keep the following in mind when citing a personal interview:

  • Citations should include the names of both the interviewer (you) and the interviewee (person you are interviewing).
  • Format of the interview (example: interview conducted via email or an instant messaging service, conducted in person, etc.)

 

Citing Professional Interviews

Professional interviews are interviews conducted by a professional, such as a news correspondent, a journalist, a reporter, or a commentator.  Professional interviews may be published through a publication such as a magazine, journal, or newspaper, or may be published on a website.

Keep the following in mind when citing a professional interview:

  • Include the names of both the interviewer(s) (person conducting the interview) and the interviewee(s) (person being interviewed).
  • Include the original publication information, if available.  If an interview was originally printed in a magazine, journal, or newspaper prior to being published online, the original publication should be cited.

Published interview:  Interview that was originally published in a magazine, newspaper, or journal prior to being published online.

Unpublished interview:  Interview that is original online content -- information was not published in print prior to being published in a database or on a website.

 

Citing Speeches

The following tutorials show how to cite a speech whose content you are reading as text provided by a database or a website.  If you are listening to a recording of the speech, see a librarian for citation directions.

Keep the following in mind when citing a speech:

  • Some speeches may not have a formal title.
  • The date of the speech may have to be inferred.  For example, in President Roosevelt's "A Date That Will Life in Infamy" speech, he states, "Yesterday, December 7, 1941..."  You would infer that the actual date of the speech is December 8, 1941, and cite it as such.