Archives & Special Collections

Citations acknowledge the ideas of others and provide documentation of the source material for future researchers. When citing materials, researchers should use the citation method preferred in their academic discipline and provide citation information that allows for identification and retrieval of the specific material used in the research.

In the case of unpublished materials, Kate L. Turabian¹, following the Chicago Manual of Style, suggests:

When a specific unpublished document is first discussed in the paper, include the pertinent facts within the text and in summary form within the note. In the note, list the author’s name first or, if using a letter, list it in conjunction with a correspondent. If no author can be established, begin the note with the document’s title, if any, in quotation marks. If the document has both an author and a title, the title in quotation marks should follow the author’s name. The description of the document should follow the title if there is one, otherwise it follows the author’s name…If the document is dated, the date should follow. Next give the full name of the collection the manuscript belongs to…the full name of the repository follows…and next its location by city, and, if needed, state. Last comes the page number, if any.

For example, when citing an item from the Assemblywoman Elizabeth A. Connelly Papers:

New York State Task Force on Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias, “Final Report,” December 1995, The Assemblywoman Elizabeth A. Connelly Papers, Archives & Special Collections, Department of the Library, College of Staten Island, CUNY, Staten Island, New York, PAGE NUMBER.

Additional information may be added to the citation including the record series name and/or number, box number and folder title and/or number. Although this information is not required in the citation, it will provide more precise location information for the material cited in the research.

To use the same citation with the series name, box number and folder title:

New York State Task Force on Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias, “Final Report,” December 1995, Series: Subject Files, Box 2, Alzheimer’s Disease, 1995-2000 [folder], The Assemblywoman Elizabeth A. Connelly Papers, Archives & Special Collections, Department of the Library, College of Staten Island, CUNY, Staten Island, New York, PAGE NUMBER.

To use the same citation with the series name, box number and folder number:

New York State Task Force on Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias, “Final Report,” December 1995, Series: Subject Files, Box 2, Folder 5, The Assemblywoman Elizabeth A. Connelly Papers, Archives & Special Collections, Department of the Library, College of Staten Island, CUNY, Staten Island, New York, PAGE NUMBER.

Subsequent references to the same collection can use a shorter citation form, and should identify the item, date and an abbreviated collection name. Information concerning the location of the item in the collection (Series, Box Number and Folder Title and/or Folder Number) can be added as necessary.