Primary Sources Guide

Government documents and legal works come from different levels of government (federal, state, city, etc.), government agencies (United Sates Department of Justice, Mecklenburg County's Board of Elections, etc.), and other institutions. They can be found on government websites as well as archival collections and databases.

Government Document from a Website

Format:

Department or Agency Name. "Title of Document in quotes." Website Name in italics, Day Month Year of publication, URL.

Example:

North Carolina Commission of Indian Affairs. "Quarterly Meeting Minutes." North Carolina Department of Administration, 20 June 2024, https://www.doa.nc.gov/boards-commissions/commission-indian-affairs.

In-text citation (Department or Agency Name):

(North Carolina Commission of Indian Affairs)

Government Document from a Publication

Format:

Department or Agency Name. "Title of Document in quotes." Title of Publication in italics, Volume, Publisher, Day Month Year of publication, Page number(s). Database or Website Name in italics (if online), URL (if online).

Example: 

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Dental Assistants." Occupational Outlook Handbook, U.S. Department of Labor, 6 Sep. 2023. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/dental-assistants.htm.

In-text citation (Department or Agency Name Page #): 

(U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)

Court Case

Format:

Government Entity Name. Title of Court Case in italics. Day Month Year of decision. Database or Website Name in italics, Publisher, URL.

Example: 

United States, Supreme Court. Brown v. Board of Education. 17 May 1954. Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School, https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/347/483.

In-text citation (Government Entity Name Page #):

(United States, Supreme Court)

Statute

Format:

Government Entity Name. Name of the Public Law or Act. Website Name or Publication in italics, Volume, Day Month Year of publication, Page number(s). Publisher, URL (if online).

Example:

United States, Congress. Public Law 111-122. United States Statutes at Large, vol. 123, 2009, pp. 3480-82. U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/STATUTE-123/pdf/STATUTE-123.pdf.

In-text citation (Government Entity Name Page #):

(United States, Congress)

Note:

• According to the MLA Handbook, if you're using very few government sources in your research projects, treat them just like any other source written by an organization: record the name as presented by the source. Example: U.S. Department of Labor.
• If you're unable to locate the date of publication, you can also use the date of revision or upload. For example, last modified or last updated.
• At the end of entries for legislative documents, you may want to provide the number and session of Congress, the chamber (Senate or House of Representatives), and the type and number of the publication. Types of congressional publications include bills, resolutions, reports, and documents. (See the United States, Congress, House example above.)
• More information about citing legal works can be found here: https://style.mla.org/documenting-legal-works/

Oral histories and interviews capture firsthand memories and accounts of a people's lives, event, places, etc. It's a conversation that takes place between the person telling a story and an interviewer. This conversation is often recorded in audio, but it can also be recorded in video format or included in an article.

Format:

Last name, First name of Interviewee. "Title of Oral History/Interview in quotes." Newspaper, Magazine, or Collection Name in italics, conducted by Interviewer's Full name, Day Month Year of interview, Page number(s). Database or Website Name in italics, URL.

Example:

Griffin, Arthur. "Oral History Interview with Arthur Griffin." Oral Histories of the American South, conducted by Pamela Grundy, 7 May 1999. Documenting the American South, https://docsouth.unc.edu/sohp/K-0168/menu.html.

In-text citation (Interviewee's last name)

(Griffin)

Photographs are common primary sources because they present a visual record of a moment in time. They can be used to enhance our understanding of events, people, places, and much more.

Photograph From a Website

Format:

Last name, First name of Artist. Photograph Title in italics. Day Month Year of publication. Database or Website Name in italics, URL.

Example:

Silver, Walter. Factory. 1986. New York Public Library Digital Collections, https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/51fd9310-ea71-0131-8221-58d385a7bbd0.

In-text citation (Artist's last name):

(Silver)

Photograph From an Article

Format (when the artist is the same as the author):

Last name, First name of Author. "Article Title in quotes." Journal/Newspaper/Magazine Name in italics, Volume, Issue number, Year of publication, Page number(s). Database or Website Name in Italics, URL.

Example:

Binder, Toby. "Bibimbap." Gastronomica, vol. 12, issue 4, 2012, pp. 104-109. ProQuest Central, https://doi.org/10.1525/GFC.2012.12.4.104.

In-text citation (Author's last name, figure #, page #):

(Binder, fig. 4, p. 106)

Format (when artist is not the same as the author):

Last name, First name of Artist. Photograph Title in italics. "Article Title in quotes." by Full name of Author, Journal/Newspaper/Magazine Name in italics, Volume, Issue number, Year of publication, Page number(s). Database or Website Name in italics, URL.

Example:

Bernstein, Aaron. Photograph of Women's March. "Race and Feminism: Women's March Recalls the Touchy History," by Karen Grigsby Bates, 21 Jan. 2017. NPR, https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2017/01/21/510859909/race-and-feminism-womens-march-recalls-the-touchy-history.

In-text citation (Artist's last name):

(Bernstein)

Photograph From a Book

Format (when the artist is the same as the author):

Last name, First name of Author. Book Title in italics. Publisher, Year of publication. Database Name in italics, URL.

Example:

Caswell, Michelle. Archiving the Unspeakable: Silence, Memory, and the Photographic Record in Cambodia. University of Wisconsin Press, 2014. Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/cpcc-ebooks/reader.action?docID=3445385.

In-text citation (Author's last name, figure #, page #):

(Caswell, fig. 25, p. 143)

Format (when artist is not the same as the author):

Last name, First name of Artist. Photograph Title in italics. Book Title in italics. by Full name or Author / edited by Full name of Editor, Publisher, Year of publication, Page number(s). Database Name in italics, URL.

Example:

Bischof, Werner. Magnum Photos office, Sixty-Fourth Street, New York. The Decisive Network: Magnum Photos and the Postwar Image Market. by Nadya Bair, University of California Press, 2020, p. 31. EBSCOhost, https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=e900xww&AN=2382177&site=ehost-live&scope=site.

In-text citation (Artist's last name):

(Bischof)

Note:

• If the photograph doesn't have a title, provide a brief description without italics or quotes. Example: Photograph of...
• If your source or the archive, museum, or other institution holding the source gives an approximate date (e.g. ca. 1968-1969 or early 19th century), record the date as given, but spell out words (like nineteenth century and circa).
• If your source or the institution holding it indicates the date is uncertain (e.g. probably 1901, possibly 1923, 1899?), list the date followed by a question mark.

Films and moving images are helpful for studying not only the technology of a time, but also the prevailing social attitudes.

There are different ways to cite a video sources. Pick the one that best suits your source. 

Video From a Library Database

Format: 

Video Title in italics. Contributor(s), Publisher/Production Company, Date. Database Name in italics, URL. 

Example:

Universal Newsreels, Release 25, March 21, 1932. Universal Pictures Company, 1932. Alexander Street, https://search.alexanderstreet.com/view/work/bibliographic_entity|video_work|1789091.

In-text citation (Video Title, shorten if necessary):

(Universal Newsreels)

Video From a Website

Format:

Last name, First name of Video Creator or Name of Organization. "Video Title in quotes." Hosting Website Name in italics, uploaded by Username (if applicable), Day Month Year of publication, URL.

Examples:

Naval Photographic Center. "D-Day: Normandy Invasion." U.S. National Archives, 6 June 1944, https://catalog.archives.gov/id/2521163.

Trescot, David. "Curious Baby Manatee." Youtube, uploaded by dtrescot, 20 Apr. 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKtPb4O_I3E.

In-text citation (Author's last name or Organization name):

(Naval Photographic Center)

(Trescot)

Movie and Film

Format:

Movie Title in italics. Contributor(s), Publisher/Production Company, Year of release. Streaming Service Name in italics (if applicable).

Example:

The Monuments Men. Directed by George Clooney, 20th Century Studios, 2014.

In-text citation (Movie Title, shorten if necessary):

(The Monuments Men)

Television Series Episode

Format:

"Episode Title in quotes." TV Series Title in italics, Contributor(s), Season #, Episode #, Production Company, Year of release. Streaming Service Name in italics (if applicable). 

Example:

"The One Where Chandler Can't Cry." Friends, created by Marta Kauffman, performance by Matthew Perry, season 6, episode 14, Warner Brothers, 2004. HBO Max.

In-text citation (Episode Title, shorten if necessary):

("The One Where Chandler Can't Cry")

Note:

• If your source or the archive, museum, or other institution holding the source gives an approximate date (e.g. 1958-1960 or early 19th century), record the date as given, but spell out words (like nineteenth century).
• If your source or the institution holding it indicates the date is uncertain (e.g. probably 1901, possibly 1923, 1910?), list the date followed by a question mark.