Citing archival documents from a database requires a different approach from citing the same records you may have seen, physically, in an archive. You should only cite the item to which you’re referring. For example, if you visit the Louisiana Historical Center and look at one of the colonial documents from the archive, you should referencethatdocument. But if you look at the same document on lacolonialdocs.org, you should reference that document—that is, the digital version. Though they appear to contain the same content, they are treated differently.
Citation elements for lacolonialdocs.org
URL
lacolonialdocs.org
Document identification number
varies
Database
Louisiana Colonial Documents Digitization Project
Repository
Louisiana State Museum Historical Center
Record group (two options)
Judicial Records of the French Superior Council
Spanish Judicial Records
Record item
varies
Citation example: bibliography
record group + repository + database + URL
Example:
Judicial Records of the French Superior Council. Louisiana State Museum Historical Center. Louisiana Colonial Documents Digitization Project. www.lacolonialdocs.org.
Citation example: footnotes and endnotes
record item + record group + repository + database + document ID
Example:
- François Fleuriau, inspection report, November 1, 1725, Judicial Records of the French Superior Council, Louisiana State Museum Historical Center, Louisiana Colonial Documents Digitization Project 1725-11-01-01.
Record item: François Fleuriau, inspection report, November 1, 1725
Record group: Judicial Records of the French Superior Council
Repository:Louisiana State Museum Historical Center
Database:Louisiana Colonial Documents Digitization Project
Document ID: 1725-11-01-01
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