Archival document: how to cite in Chicago Style – author-date (17th ed.)?

Create a spot-on reference in Chicago 17 and 16

Select a source type:

Book Website Journal article Video (online)

Archival document Blog post Book Book chapter Complete reference Conference paper Copyright certificate Court case Dictionary Dictionary entry Disc Dissertation / Thesis Encyclopedia Encyclopedia article Extended abstract of dissertation Image Journal article Law / Act Newspaper article Patent Podcast Preprint Press release Religious text Report Social media post Software Standard Video (online) Video game Website

General rules

In contrast to the notes and bibliography system, Chicago Style – author-date (17th ed.) does not require transferring the main details of an archival document to notes or to an in-text citation. All the appropriate information on the archival material is given in the list of references using the following template:

Author of the document. "Title." Document location in the archive. Collection number and Title. Name of Archive, City.

Include the information on archive units such as folder, box, call number, etc. in the 'Document location in the archive' element. This data can be different from country to country or can be absent at all, which is often the case when dealing with digitised online archives.

For online documents, use the same template, adding the URL address at the end.

If an archival material does not have a precise title, give a descriptive title without the quotation marks instead.

Examples in a list of references

Skov, Jeff. 1975. Pool Report: Golf and Autographing Cookbook. Box 9. 1 April 1975. White House Press Releases. Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library, Ann Arbor, MI. https://catalog.archives.gov/id/7338580.

"Giant of the Air." n.d. 44-PF-172j. World War II Foreign Posters, 1942 – 1945. National Archives at College Park, College Park, MD. Accessed 29 December 2020. https://catalog.archives.gov/id/44266478.