OSA / Research at OSA

OSA Suggested Citation Elements

Contents: Location and hours Citation suggestions Research Room Regulations General Restriction  Statement See also: Distant Research at OSA

Citations for the records held by the Open Society Archives (the abbreviation for Open Society Archives reads: HU OSA, i.e. the repository, and the country in which it is located) should identify the fonds, the sub-fonds, the series, file unit and record item and the container number.

Textual records

Each of these citation elements provides information that describes the context and source of the record. The following example illustrates the various elements in a textual record citation (brackets in examples given indicate name of citation element only and need not be quoted):

A BM Karhatalom átszervezése készenléti rendőri alakulattá; végrehajtási ütemterv; 11 lap. [file unit]

HU 357-2-1 Parallel Archives [fonds], Records of the Hungarian Ministry of Interior, [subfonds] Parancsgyűjtemény = Collection of Orders [series], container no. 5

HU OSA 300-80-7 Records of the Research Institute of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty [fonds], Soviet ('Red') Archives [sub-fonds], USSR Biographical Files, 1953-1994 [series], container no. 122

When clippings are included in a file, both the clippings and the file citation are needed. If the name of the newspaper does not include its place of publication, the place name should be provided.

'Tito on U.S. Public Indifference to Elections ', Politika ( Belgrade ), April 14, 1977 [record item],

HU OSA 300-80-7 Records of the Research Institute of Radio Free Europe/Radio [fonds] Liberty , Balkan Section [sub-fonds], Yugoslav Subject Files I., 1943-1994 [series], United States of America, 1977 [file unit], container no. 458

In the case of public documents, the records should be cited as follows:

Final Report of the United Nations Commission of Experts Established Pursuant to Security Council Resolution 780 (1992), S/1994/674, 27 May 1994 and Annexes, Volume 4 - Annex VIII, Reprint, 1995 [record item]

HU OSA 304-0-1 Records of the International Human Rights Law Institute Relating to the Conflict in the Former Yugoslavia (IHRLI), 1973-1995, container no. 2

In the case of correspondence, the records should be cited as follows:

Politikai pártok: MSZMP: MSZMP KB-nak írt levél Csehszlovákia megszállása miatt, 1977, Aczél György válaszával [file unit]

HU OSA 361-0-5 Personal Papers of Hegedűs András, Letters written by András Hegedűs, container no. 2

In case of publications , the records should be cited as follows:

Yugoslav Paper Criticizes Bulgaria for half-hearted destalinization [record item], October 16,1956

HU OSA 300-8-3, RFE/RL RI: Publications Department: Background Reports, 1956 -1989, Country Series: Bulgaria, 1956 [file unit], container no. 4

Audiovisual records

In the case of audio-visual materials such as recordings of television programs and films, the name, date(s) and broadcasting company or production company should be cited together with the Identity Number of the item at the Open Society Archives, that is fonds-subfonds-series: container number (that is video or audio cassette, DVD or CD that contains footage), as listed above. Thus, for a single special broadcast the citation would read:

'A Town Called Kozarac ', produced by Macneil/Lehrer Productions, PBS News hour, July 15, 1993 [record item], Fonds 304, Records of the International Human Rights Law Institute [fonds], OSA, Budapest, Hungary [repository].

ID number: 304-0-16: 13 (see: the label on the video cassette)

Revised: June 2006

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