Citing Museum Resources in Research Papers
Citing information from the Museum's website
To cite information found on the Museum's webpage, provide as much of the following as you can identify in order to assist someone to find that same information in the future:
- Author (Unless an author's name is listed for a particular page, treat the Museum as the author)
- Title of article
- Title of the webpage
- Exact URL of the site
- Date information was accessed
Using this format, a sample citation for this article from the Holocaust Encyclopedia would be as follows:
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. “The Holocaust.” Holocaust Encyclopedia. http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/?ModuleId=10005143. Accessed on {insert today's date}.
A sample citation for this article from an online exhibition:
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. "A Forgotten Suitcase: The Mantello Rescue Mission" Online Exhibitions. http://www.ushmm.org/museum/exhibit/focus/mantello/. Accessed on {insert today's date}.
To reference a photograph found on the site, or in an online database, for instance this image, use the following format:
Image title. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Photo Archives # {insert image number}. Courtesy of {Name, if applicable}. Copyright of {Name, if applicable}.
Portrait of diplomatic rescuer George Mandel-Mantello. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Photo Archives #45670. Courtesy of Eric Saul. Copyright of United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
Citing information from Archival materials
The Archives consist of unpublished materials collected from a variety of sources and in different formats. The materials in the archives are stored in various record groups, and within subgroups. It is important to capture the key information on locating the information for returning to that same document for yourself and another researcher.
First citation for textual collections:
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Record Group XX, "Name of Record Group," Sub-group number (if applicable), "Name of sub-group," "Folder identification," Reel/Fiche XXX, page number.
Second Citation:
USHMM, RG-XX.XXX.XX, Folder identification, Reel XX, page XX.
Examples:
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Record Group 11.001M, "Selected Records from the "Osobyi" Archive in Moscow," Sub-group 02, "Geheime Staatspolizei (Gestapo), Berlin," "File on Religious Organizations," Reel 17, page 132.
USHMM, RG-11.001M.02, "File on Religious Organizations", Reel 17, page 132.
First citation for oral history collections:
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Record Group 50.XXX, Oral History, Name of sub-collection, Interview with X, call number.
Second Citation:
USHMM, RG-50.XXX*XXX.
Examples:
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Record Group 50.028, Oral History, Jehovah's Witnesses Collection, Interview with Genvieve de Gaulle, RG-50.028*123.
USHMM, RG-50.028*123
Citing information from Library materials
There are several accepted ways to cite materials in a bibliography or works-cited page, and styles are constantly evolving. Many history professors prefer students use The Chicago Manual of Style while high school teachers and other professors allow the use of Turabian. Certain disciplines in the humanities encourage the use of MLA: either Style Manual for graduate students and academics, or Handbook for high school and undergraduates. Speak with your teacher or professor to know which style guide or edition is preferred by your school or institution. Some common style guides include:
- The Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2003. Find in a library near you
- Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing, 3rd edition. New York: The Modern Language Association of America, 2008. Find in a library near you
- Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 7th edition. New York: Modern Language Association of America, 2009. Find in a library near you
- Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th edition. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, 2007. Find in a library near you
- Turabian, Kate L. A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, 7th edition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2007. Find in a library near you
Guidance for citing sources using these styles can be found at the Research and Documentation Online site.
Citing information from the Shoah Foundation
If you were accessing digitized oral history testimony via the Shoah Foundation interface, please use the following format for citing those interviews in your resources:
Interviewee’s surname, Interviewee’s first name. Interview {interview-code}. Visual History Archive. USC Shoah Foundation Institute. Accessed online at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum on {date accessed}.