Guidelines on citations and credits

When citing our textual holdings, please include the box numbers in which materials were located; when citing audiovisual materials, please use the items' accession numbers. This information will assist our Reference staff in retrieving cited materials for other researchers. Below are examples of citation formats and credit lines for various types of Library materials. Initial citations (of collections or of the Kennedy Library) should be spelled out; subsequent citations should use abbreviations (e.g., WHCSF for White House Central Subject Files and JFKL for John F. Kennedy Presidential Library). 

For more information please contact Kennedy.Library@nara.gov or 617.514.1629.

Sample citations

1. Letter, John F. Kennedy to James M. Curley, April 20, 1948, "Cuddy-Dedrick" folder, Pre-Presidential Papers, box 32, John F. Kennedy Library. [Use the title as it appears on the folder].

2. Memorandum, Fred Dutton to Heads of Departments and Agencies, June 12, 1961, "Equality of Opportunity" folder, White House Central Subject Files, box 857, JFKL.

3. Letter, Burke Marshall to Ralph Abernathy, October 12, 1963, "Southern Christian Leadership Conference" folder, Burke Marshall Papers, box 20, JFKL.

4. Letter, Robert Williams to Myer Feldman, June 15, 1962, "Merchant Marine" folder, Myer Feldman WH Staff Files, box 18, JFKL.

5. Report, Civil Rights Activities in the Department of Commerce, July 2, 1962, "Reports to the President" folder, Department of Commerce microfilm, roll 115, JFKL.

6. G. Mennen Williams interview, January 27, 1970, p. 75, JFKL.

7. June 26, 1962, Item 136.2, Meeting Recordings, Presidential Recordings, JFKL. [Use the same format for telephone recordings.]

Sample credit lines

1. Cecil Stoughton. White House Photographs. John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston.

2. Douglas Jones, LOOK magazine. John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston.

3. Copyright John F. Kennedy Library Foundation, Kennedy Family Collection. John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston.

4. White House Communications Agency. John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston.

5. Copyright NBC. John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston.

6. Copyright Hy Peskin, LIFE magazine. John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston.

Ask an Archivist

JFKWHP-AR6296-E (crop): President Kennedy Speaks at Press Conference, 25 January 1961

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Remote Research is Here

JFKWHP-ST-C94-4-61 (crop): White House Army Signal Agency (WHASA) Advance Trip to Paris, 8 March 1961

Can't come to the Kennedy Library? Explore our digital collections!

50+ Years Ago...

JFKWHP-KN-C29284 (crop): President John F. Kennedy Visits the Vatican for Meeting with Pope Paul VI, 2 July 1963

July 2, 1963: President Kennedy Meets with Pope Paul VI at the Vatican.
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