When writing on an historical topic using the information in the Eastern Washington history article for the sources used, here are the instructions for newspapers and magazines, books, in-text citations, other websites and other sources.

Carefully write down the sources used as you obtain them. List the sources at the end of the papers/articles or on separate pages.

Formatting Sources

Newspapers and Magazines

Author (First and Last, if story has a byline), “Title of the Story in Upper-Case Headline Style,” Name of Newspaper in Italics, date, page number (or web address);

Example: “Reardan Gaining Appeal as Commuter Town,” Spokane Daily Chronicle, September 4, 1973, p. 6;

If you are citing multiple articles from one newspaper, list these sources together, ideally in chronological order. Use Ibid., in place of the newspaper name on all subsequent mentions.

Example: “Great Northern Begins Work on Cascade Tunnel,” The Seattle Times, December 5, 1925, p. 1; “8-Mile Tunnel to Be Finished in 12 Months,” Ibid., November 13, 1927, p. 2;

Magazines are cited just like newspapers. List volume numbers when available.

Example: Damon Runyan, “The Mariners are Born Losers,” Sports Illustrated, January 26, 2007, pp. 15–21;

Example: Paul Lindholdt, “Theodore Winthrop,” Columbia: The Magazine of Northwest History, Vol. 21, No. 1, Spring 2007, pp. 5–11;

If you are citing a newspaper or magazine that appears in a database, cite the original print page number rather than the page number on the database navigation. Articles from major newspaper and magazine websites do not need to have “date accessed” or the full, lengthy URL.

Example of online newspaper: Gregory Roberts, “Historical Court Clears Chief Leschi’s Name,” Seattle Post-Intelligencer, December 11, 2004 (http://seattlepi.nwsource.com);

Books

Author (First and Last), Title of the Book in Upper-Case Headline Style and Italics (City of publisher: publisher, date), pages

Example: Richard F. Steele and Arthur P. Rose, An Illustrated History of the Big Bend Country, Embracing Lincoln, Douglas, Adams and Franklin Counties, State of Washington, (Spokane: Western Historical Publishing, 1904), pp. 169–171;

Websites

Author [if any], “Title of Webpage Referenced in Upper-Case Headline Style,” Website name and date accessed (specific URL of cited page):

Example: “Mayors, 1948-Present”, Seattle Municipal Archives, website accessed March 2, 2025 (https://www.seattle.gov/cityarchives/seattle-facts/city-officials/mayors/mayors-1948-present).

Other Sources

Frequently cited materials include manuscripts, letters, emails, interviews, dissertations, theses, encylopedias, directories, non-manuscript government publications, laws, court cases, and municipal ordinances. For assistance citing these materials, contact a teacher, librarian, or archivist for assistance.

Challenging Terminology

Writing about history means working with outdated and uncomfortable terminology. Writing about issues involving race, gender, class, and sexuality requires thoughtfulness and precision. Avoid broad generalizations and labels.

It can be challenging to strike a balance between being historically accurate, respectful to marginalized people of the past, and culturally sensitive to today’s readers. If you have concerns about how to address sensitive language, please discuss them with someone such as a teacher, librarian, or archivist to choose the best way to handle them.

Images

Carefully write down the sources used for the images as you obtain them. List the sources at the end of the papers/articles or on separate pages.

Use a format that includes:

  • names of the people who appear in the image, if available;
  • location the image was taken or created;
  • date the image was taken or created;
  • original source from which you acquired the image;
  • link and item number along with date accessed.

Some examples are:

The Plunge Pool; Interior of the Plunge Natatorium Park, Spokane Wash., 1910-1920 “Interior of Plunge, Natatorium Park, Spokane, Wash.,” Spokane Public Library, accessed July 13, 2024, https://lange.spokanelibrary.org/items/show/4319.

Natatorium Park Grounds Showing Custer Car Race Track and Ball Room Building, Courtesy of Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture/Eastern Washington State Historical Society, 1941, Charles Libby Collection, L87-1.20777-41;

“Reardan Gaining Appeal as a Commuter Town,” The Spokane Daily Chronicle, September 4, 1973, p. 6.

Citations and Sources

All written papers/articles must include sources and images for them:

  • List the sources at the end of your paper/article or separately. Each should be separated by a semicolon.
  • Do not use another person’s phrases or sentences without quotation marks.
  • Attribute another person’s ideas to them. Use phrases such as “According to . . .” This is particularly important when you include information that has not been substantiated by multiple sources.
    • Example: By Taylor’s reckoning, Seattle’s selection as a CAA regional center brought 100 new city workers and added $189,000 annually to the payroll.
    • All quotes must include in-text citations that point to a full source citation in the list. Do not use footnotes.

In-Text Citations

Use parenthetical in-text citations for each direct quote used in the body of the essay. The in-text citations, as briefly as possible, direct the reader to the full citation in the source listing. Do not use “Ibid.” in the text.

Example book citation: They said it “remained one of the few towns that has never received a setback by any serious conflagration” (Steele and Rose, 171).

Example newspaper citation: “We are getting to be a bedroom town, no doubt it.” said the school superintendent in 1973 (“Reardan Gaining Appeal. . .”).

Carefully track the sources for each quote used in the papers/articles as you research and write them. It is much easier to keep track of citations while developing your writing than it is to track down a specific source citation later.