Citation Guide

With over 400 collections made up of about 24 million pages, JFK Library staff and researchers rely on thorough, accurate citations and credit lines. Noting where an individual document or photograph came from lends legitimacy to any research project, and can help archivists and researchers put the item in context and find additional helpful materials.

Most archives have specific, unique requirements for a good citation, and they can differ based on the type of material. Essential elements often include some combination of the collection name, series, box number, folder title, creator, and/or accession number.

We’ve included examples below to help researchers compile the accurate citations that are helpful to future generations of scholars and readers.

Please note that it is the researcher’s responsibility to keep track of citations throughout the course of their research; archivists are not able to find items that have not been properly cited.

Document

Full document citations generally include the following information:

Document title and/or date. Collection name, box number, folder title. Library name.

Examples:

James M. Curley to Mr. and Mrs. John F. Kennedy, February 12 1957. President's Office Files, Box 29, “Curley, James M., 12 February 1957.” JFK Library.

Chief of Naval Personnel to Lieut. John F. Kennedy, January 7, 1944. John F. Kennedy Personal Papers, Box 11, "Navy records, 7 January 1944-15 May 1952." JFK Library.

Photograph

Photograph credit lines generally include the following information:

Accession number. Photographer and/or copyright owner (if known). Collection name, Library name.

Examples:

ST-C72-49-62. Cecil Stoughton. White House Photographs, JFK Library.

KFC734N. Copyright ©John F. Kennedy Library Foundation. Kennedy Family Collection, JFK Library.

Moving Image

Moving image credit lines generally include the following information:

Accession number. Creator and/or copyright owner (if known). Collection name, Library name.

Examples:

PPP:27. Robert Knudsen. President’s Personal Pictures, John F. Kennedy Presidential Library.

TNC:258. Copyright ©CBS. Non-exclusive licensing rights held by the JFK Library Foundation. JFK Library.

Sound Recording

Sound recording credit lines generally include the following information:

Accession number. Creator and/or copyright owner (if known). Collection name, Library name.

Examples:

JFKPOF-TPH-11C-4. President’s Office Files, Presidential Recordings, JFK Library.

WH10-2. White House Audio, JFK Library.

Oral History

Full oral history interview citations generally include the following information:

Interviewee, interview number, interview date. Collection, Library name.

Examples:

G. Mennen Williams oral history interview: JFK #1, 1/27/1970. John F. Kennedy Oral History Collection. JFK Library.

Oral history interview of Theodore Sorensen, RFK #2, July 23 1970. Robert F. Kennedy Oral History Collection. JFK Library.

Website Text and Articles

To cite website content outside of digitized archival material, such as articles written by Library staff, please include the title and URL of the individual page. The author should be listed as “John F. Kennedy Presidential Library Staff." Because we edit our web pages often, the publication date can be listed as the current month and year.

Example:

John F. Kennedy Presidential Library Staff. “The Civil Rights Movement.” John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. www.jfklibrary.org/learn/about-jfk/jfk-in-history/civil-rights-movement Accessed 27 December 2017.

Questions?

Please contact the JFK Library archivists with questions about citing materials in our holdings.

Textual items: Kennedy.Library@nara.gov

Audiovisual items: JFK.AVarchives@nara.gov