Citation Guide

Our citation guide pages represent some foundational thoughts on how to cite sources for genealogical research. We have a brief outline of the standard elements of a citation, an expanded citation guide that includes examples and a page of simple cut and past citation templates for commonly used genealogical resources online.

The Citation Guide - This page provides key structural examples of typical citations for several genealogical resources, including list-serve messages, e-mail, online databases, forums, abstracted records, USGenWeb sites, and more.

Standard Elements of a Citation - This page includes some basic principals of citation and the types of information you need to have in your citations. Even if you are are well versed in citations, generally, this page is a great structural framework for building a citation should you have an unusual document that needs to be referenced.

Common Citations (Cut and Paste Templates) - We have posted some of the citations we use the most during the course of research for the convenience of us and our colleagues. If you'd like to use them for your own papers, please feel free. They will work with Microsoft Word, Corel Word Perfect, Lotus Ami-Pro and any other word-processing system you use. Have fun!

Additional Reading:

The standard text on genealogical source citation has been written by Elizabeth Shown Mills and is entitled Evidence. You will want to purchase this book for your genealogical reference library.

Cool Tools: