Self Help

There is no perfect, scientific formula for citing every type of source. Genealogists use many different resources. Each needs different types of information to uniquely identify it. The basic formula is this:

1. Author:
a. Who was interviewed.
b. Who wrote the book.

2. Title:
a. Title of the book, manuscript, census record, etc.
b. Title of an article, followed by the title of the periodical it is in.

3. Publication information:
a. Place of publication, name of the publisher, and date of publication or copyright of the book, written in parentheses as (Place: Publisher, Date).
b. Volume, issue, and page numbers of the periodical.
c. Film and item number for a microfilm, plus the above information about the original if known, written in parentheses as (Author, Tide, Publication information).

4. Where you found it (and where it is normally kept, if different):
a. Repository (such as the Library of Congress or the DAR Library in Washington, D.C.).
b. Cemetery name and location.
c. Web site name and URL (if you are quoting a Web page at that Web site).

5. Details:
a. Specific page number the information was found on in a book.
b. Entry number and date recorded for a marriage record.
c. Date you found the gravestone, who transcribed the information, and took the picture.