Fact Sheet No 5

University Archives - Citation of Archives

Citing sources used in research correctly is important not only for you as good scholarly practice but also for other researchers and archivists attempting to locate the records you have used.

The University’s policies and procedures for access to records follow the Archives Act 1983 and guidelines produced by the National Archives of Australia (NAA). The practice for citations of records held by the University Archives is based on the style used by NAA.

Giving a file’s title is optional, but it is useful for other researchers. If the file title is cited, it should be as given on the file cover, including its part number (if there is one) and date range in year form eg 1959-63. For audio-visual and photographic records, it helps to indicate which physical format you are citing and whether the record was an original or a copy.

Examples of citations:

ANU: A8144, 14.1.0.17 Part 2, Canberra University College departmental annual reports, 1958-59

ANU: 2001/20, Box 3, transcript of interview with Emeritus Professor Geoffrey Sawer, May-June 1990

A bibliography or note on sources should contain a brief description or title for the records used, for example Oral History Project records or Correspondence files. It should also acknowledge the University Archives as the location of the records, to avoid confusion with other collections held at ANU.

For further information on citation of ANU archival records contact University Archives.

Further information on citation of Commonwealth records is available from the NAA website Fact Sheet 7 Citing archival records.