Citation Formats for Nontraditional Sources

Citation style guides, citation managers, and citation generators are built for peer reviewed sources and sources that are published (journal articles and books). Nontraditional sources require different considerations and formats.

Nontraditional sources are often referred in academia as grey literature which refers to a wide range of records and materials that were not published or distributed in traditional and commercial ways. Examples include reports, statistics, policies, newsletters, speeches, design or marketing standards, and other types of information that is produced at the organization level. Typically, grey literature is current and locally relevant. The records and materials in the UW-Stout Archives typically fall under the definition of grey literature.

This guide will provide you with basic APA, MLA, and Chicago style citation formats for these nontraditional sources.

More Information and Questions

For more examples and information on how to use these citations styles for nontraditional sources like Generative AI, refer to our online Citation Resource Guide. This e-text will provide you specific examples, and you will be able to save, print, and annotate as you need. 

If you are not seeing what you are looking for, are looking for different citation style, or have other questions about citing grey literature, please contact the UW-Stout Archives at archives@uwstout.edu. 

Citing with APA

Below is the format for citing with APA, American Psychological Association, style for records from the UW-Stout Archives and other grey literature. For more information on the APA style guide and other considerations visit the APA Style website.

We are here to help! If you have any questions about specific collections, documents, or citations, please reach out to archives@uwstout.edu. 

Reference List Basic Format

Author Last Name, First Initial. (year month day). Title [Description of material]. Name of collection (Collection number or identifier, Box number, Folder number). Name of repository, Location of repository. Retrieved from URL if applicable.

In-Text Citation Format

(Author's Last Name(s) or Organization, Year)

Citing with MLA

Below is the MLA guidelines for grey literature and other archival materials. For more information on MLA citations, you can refer to the MLA Style Center.

We are here to help! If you have any questions about specific collections or grey literature you are citing, please reach out to archives@uwstout.edu. 

Works Cited Basic Format

Author Last Name, First Name Middle Name or Initial. Title or description of material. Day month year. Collection Name. Collection identifier, Box number, Folder number. Name of repository, Location of repository. URL if applicable.

In-Text Citation Basic Format

(Author)

If there is not an author, use the title or a description of the material being cited.

Citing with Chicago Style

Chicago style is split into two different systems: Notes and Bibliography and Author-Date. Refer to The Chicago Manual of Style Quick Guide for more information on the two systems. Below is the format for Notes and Bibliography in The Chicago Style for archival materials and grey literature.

We are here to help! If you have any questions about specific collections or want more information on the Author-Date format, please reach out to archives@uwstout.edu. 

Notes Basic Format

1. Title or description of item, date (day, month, year), Collection number or identifier, box number, folder number, Collection Name, Name of Repository, Location of Repository. URL if applicable.

Shortened Notes Basic Format

If a collection or document is cited multiple times within footnotes, the first use of the citation must use the format above. Subsequent citations may be shortened. The shortened form is added in brackets at the end of the first citation. 

Bibliography Basic Format

Last Name, First Name of author. Name of Collection. Name of Repository, Location of Repository.