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The University of Alabama Libraries Special Collections

A guide to accessing resources at the W.S. Hoole Special Collections Library.

Citing Archival Sources

Manuscript and Photo Collections

Archival sources are often wild, wooly things, so they can be difficult to cite for an essay, article, or book. Most citation formats do have models in place for archives or unpublished items. Below are links to guides we've prepared that give a few examples for each style. When it doubt, ask your instructor or publisher.

Also remember: Citations are useful things, helping others find the resources you used. If you collect as much information as you can and matched it to the format of the model you're using, then you've done the best you can do for a fellow researcher.


University Archives

The University Archives at UA are a special type of archival resource because of their unique organization. You should be able to cite University Archives as you would any other archival resource, as long as you understand the way the records are structured. 

For a better sense of that organization, see the following document.

University of Alabama-related Collections

Basic Searching in Scout

Using Limiters