Genealogy Source Citations Simplified

Do you feel dread when you hear the mention of genealogy source citations? Does crafting solid genealogy reference notes overwhelm you? If so, join me on my blog journey to simplify and clarify the process of crafting clear and consistent source citations.

As a professional genealogist, crafting proper source citations (also called full reference notes) is essential. But there are many more equally important reasons for all serious genealogists and family historians to learn how to quickly and easily craft articulate and consistent source citations.

The Purpose of Genealogy Source Citations

What is a genealogy source citation, and why is it important to write clear, consistent, and professional source citations for genealogy research projects? A genealogy source citation is a statement about a source that describes what the source is, who created the source, where and when the source was created, and where the source is now located. Formulating proper source citations adds credibility to any research project.

Quality source citations improve research credibility by:

• Creating a pathway so that the researcher and anyone reading the research report or research log can locate each unique source quickly and efficiently.
• Allowing the writer to evaluate the state and validity of the source found and express that to others.
• Helping the writer communicate the details of the source, such as titles, source creator, access information, reliability, etc.
• Showing solid organization of the research and that reasonably exhaustive research was conducted.
• Allowing the researcher to verify the research as their own original work.

Several years ago while starting the accreditation process with the International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists^SM (ICAPGen), I remember being completely overwhelmed when I realized the need to construct professional citations. I was proud of my citations up to that point. They were very basic citations which included Author-Name-Date-Locators, just like I learned in high school and university English classes.

Although I was citing my sources, I really had no idea what I was doing. So I sat down with my trusty Kindle version of Evidence Explained by Elizabeth Shown Mills and began crafting my first professional genealogy reference note citation. It took me an hour and a half to compose it. I remember thinking what a ridiculous amount of time it took and doubted I could ever learn to do this task quickly. I attempted my second reference note citation and shaved a whopping five minutes off my time. But I stuck with it and soon learned valuable strategies to speed up the process. Now, I can thoroughly examine a source and craft a well-thought-out citation in much less time with much better results. Call me a citation nerd, but I like writing citations now!

My Road to “Genealogy Source Citations Simplified”

As mentioned previously, I first learned to write proper source citations from Evidence Explained. Elizabeth Shown Mills is a master teacher and researcher. I then delved into Mastering Genealogical Documentation by Thomas W. Jones. His clear and concise writing spurred me to the next level of understanding. I eventually bought a copy of The Chicago Manual of Style as a reference tome. Using all these sources, I had the basics down. One of my favorite forays was learning about punctuation by delving into Chapter 5 of Mastering Genealogical Documentation.

Yet, I still struggled with my overall format. So many different choices and so many little nuances that bogged me down. Then I read an article by Paul K. Graham in the Association of Genealogy Professionals Quarterly called “Cite Anything: A Unified Approach to Crafting Citations.” With this last piece of the puzzle, citation writing finally came together for me. Paul promotes the idea of a citation structure divided into two main parts. The beauty of this two part structure is that when shortening a subsequent citation, the access information section can just be omitted, making the process simple and easy.

Source Citation Parts

1.  Information about the source and
2. Access information for that source

• Include additional layers with citing information as needed

Templates Are an Essential Key

With a source citation system that made complete sense to me and a master source citation template solidified, I worked on fine-tuning my collection of record-type master citation templates. When encountering each source in my research I use these templates to create a unique source citation. These templates have been essential in my work as a professional genealogist. (Details about creating templates will be covered in future blog posts.) 

Last year, several of my accreditation clients asked me to teach a source citation course for them, which I decided to call “Genealogy Source Citations Simplified.” My goal was to take the confusion, frustration, and mystery out of crafting clear and consistent genealogy source citations. It was so rewarding to witness my students discover that source citations can be crafted quickly and easily, without stress and anxiety.

The four-week course includes weekly presentations, posted recordings of the presentation to review, a digital syllabus, homework, and peer reviews. As a bonus to the course materials, my students receive a complete copy of my entire Record Type Template Bank.

Whether you sign-up for my course or you join me on my blog journey, I will show you how to become capable and confident in writing source citations. I will teach you all the basics that I wish I had known in the beginning. Understanding the what, the why, and the how of crafting excellent genealogical source citations will put you leaps and bounds beyond the one-hour struggle to write a proper reference note citation. Let’s begin with the overall format and structure of a source citation.

Genealogy Source Citation Structures and Styles

Writing citations is a flexible and purposeful task. The researcher has the freedom to be descriptive and expressive, as long as the citations follow a pattern of consistency. Researchers are free to develop an individual structure and style of crafting source citations. Consider creating a style guide, which is a document establishing the rules to follow when creating citations.

Guidelines for Developing a Source Citation Structure

There are three general genealogy source citation guidelines to follow when developing a source citation structure and a citation style guide. 

Guideline #1: Consult known basic citation styles

When developing a source citation style guide, most genealogists researching in U.S. regions follow the basic guidelines for the Humanities Style from The Chicago Manual of Style. This style is most effective for citing historical works and aligns well with genealogical sources. Another well-known reference book is Evidence Explained by Elizabeth Shown Mills. As mentioned earlier, Thomas W. Jones masterfully shows how to implement these principles into a consistent citation style in Mastering Genealogical Documentation. The St. Louis Genealogical Society also has a helpful citation guide with a section called Citations: How to Create Proper Source Citations, which gives helpful guidance on citing St. Louis and Missouri sources. United States researchers generally create their master citation structure and style guides using these types of reference materials.

When researching in a foreign region, consult source citation guides from foreign repositories when establishing your source citation style guide. Guidelines for foreign areas can be found at repositories, libraries, or universities in the region. Most foreign national archives have adopted a citation style for citing genealogical sources found within their repository. For instance, the University of Strathclyde has a Referencing Guide that is helpful for those researching in the British Isles. Search each website or inquire at the repositories to discover the system used. I will cover more ideas on developing and adapting foreign source citations in a future blog post.

Guideline #2: Learn proper punctuation

Punctuation such as italics, parentheses, quotations marks, and colons add meaning to the citation and shouldn’t be used haphazardly. Follow known punctuation conventions for the region of research and the system used there. My favorite resource to learn about punctuation is Chapter 5 of Mastering Genealogical Documentation by Thomas W. Jones. I will delve into punctuation guidelines in a few weeks.

Guideline #3: Develop a clear and consistent structure and style

Above all else, be clear and consistent with your citation style. Taking some time to create a master style guide and a Master Citation Template will help a researcher stay clear and consistent. Below is my Master Citation Template. Read my next blog post to learn more about creating your Master Citation Template.

Craft consistent source citations by paying attention to the following: 

• Order of each element
• Format of each element, such as the subject’s name, dates, item titles, etc.
• Format for all citations from each record type
• Capitalization of elements
• Punctuation of each element
• Use of the same citation for each unique source each time it appears in the project

Now that you understand why citations are so important for all genealogists, follow my blog or join me for Genealogy Source Citations Simplified to overcome your citation dread and learn to write effective source citations quickly and easily. My goal is to teach basic principles and give tips and strategies to help you become capable and confident in writing source citations as a genealogist at any level. I will teach you all the basics that I wish I had known in the beginning. Understanding the what, the why, and the how of crafting excellent genealogical reference note citation will put you leaps and bounds beyond the one-hour struggle to write a proper source citation.

I look forward to helping you learn through my blog series and course “Genealogy Source Citations Simplified!” Join me for the next post, Master Citation Template Part 1: Source Information.

~Lisa Stokes, AG®

Resource List

1. Graham, Paul K. “Cite Anything: A Unified Approach to Crafting Citations.” APGQ 35:3 (September 2020), 10-17.
2. Jones, Thomas W. ​Mastering Genealogical Documentation. ​Arlington, Virginia: National Genealogical Society, 2017.
3. Mills, Elizabeth Shown. ​Evidence Explained: Citing History Sources from Artifacts to Cyberspace​. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2015.
4. Mills, Elizabeth Shown. Evidence Explained: Historical Analysis, Citation & Source Usage. Website. https://www.evidenceexplained.com/index.php/.
5. St. Louis Genealogical Society. “Citations: A Guide to Creating Proper Source Citations.” Website article. https://stlgs.org/resources/on-this-site/citations-a-guide-to-creating-proper-source-citations.
6. University of Chicago Press. Chicago Manual of Style, 17^th ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2017.
7. University of Strathclyde. “Referencing Guide 2021-22.” PDF manual. https://www.strath.ac.uk/studywithus/centreforlifelonglearning/genealogy/genealogyresources/.