Evidence Explained: Citing History Sources from Artificats to Cyberspace -- History Module

     As we have no doubt seen, historians pull from a large variety of source types, many of them outside the normal scope of popular citation styles, like APA and even Chicago. How do you cite a gravestone? What about the records of an insurance company? The multitude of unconventional and unpublished source types can make historical and genealogical research difficult to document properly. For that purpose, Evidence Explained exists.
     In its pages are example upon example of historical source citations, for virtually any kind of resource. There is definitely an emphasis on primary resources, for which other style guides often provide vague instructions for citations.The source types are organized in a relatively easy to navigate structure: archives and artifacts, records for businesses and institutions, cemeteries, censuses, churches, local & state governments, national governments, and publications of all types. In each section, there is a contents list, a "quickcheck model," and more detailed explanations of the citations. The quick check models are extremely helpful in that they breakdown each part of the citation into individual units. The detailed instructions are also very thorough, typically describing procedures for online access to resources of that nature and the various nuances of the source type. For example, the differences between films and fiches made for preservation purposes only and those made for commercial distribution are covered in the archives section.
     There is also a chapter related not to the citation of sources but to their analysis. Here the author covers primary and secondary sources, legal terms, criticisms to consider when analyzing sources, and a "process map for evidence analysis," all in significant detail. This section is valuable for understanding how arguments can be made and proven soundly in research.
     The author, Elizabeth Shown Mills, is a well known historian and genealogist. She was a former president of the American Society of Genealogists. he book itself is published by the Genealogical Publishing Company. Because of this, perhaps, the book does seem to be geared towards genealogists and local historians (or maybe this is my own projection/bias for having taken a class on local history and genealogical research methods). Either way, the list of source types is extensive; it is hard to imagine a source that would not be covered here. I do not think this bias matters much as there seem relatively few sources a historical researcher would use that a local historian would not.
     The book does a good job of considering both the multitude of sources that one might cite, and also the format that these sources might be viewed (in person or electronically, etc.). The 2nd edition has apparently added much in the way of content due to consideration by the author, suggestions by readers, and the changing nature that researches access their sources.
     Many of the explanations include instructions that do not necessarily come from any documented style. For example, for citing a photocopied material received from another individual, Mills notes that you should indicate who supplied the photocopy. These comments seem to be made at the discretion of Mills, but lean to the side of reason and care.
     Overall, this book is an extremely helpful source for those utilizing sources not covered in APA, MLA, and Chicago. History faculty and students alike would benefit from its availability; few things are more frustrating to me then trying to cite a source when there isn't a clear format for that type. Evidence Explained takes the guess work out of bibliographies and notes and allows the researcher to focus on their research. 
    

Mills, E.S. (2007). Evidence Explained: Citing History Sources from Artifacts to Cyberspace.      Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company.