From another list. . . kemis ----- Original Message ----- I found this very helpful in citing my sources. My source: Genealogy 101 http://www.ancestrysolutions.com/Genea101%20Cite.html#SH Shortcuts and Abbreviations Right about now you may be wondering if it is really necessary to write out such detail for every single certificate, census, church entry and newspaper announcement that you have examined. After all, you quite likely have several hundred references for church entries of christenings, marriages and burials, dozens of civil registration certificates of births, marriages and deaths and several newspaper references culled from one newspaper. If you are one of those researchers who is keeping a manual system of citations, the prospect of having to sit down and spend hours writing out full details for each entry can be daunting. Well, there is some good news! First, you must decide how you wish to maintain your citations. Will it be in the manner of a chronological listing of references for each family line, or, will it be in the manner of a chronological listing by type of reference work? Once this decision is made you can now make use of three types of shortcuts in recording the reference information. The use of "ibid." "Ibid." is a reference that you have probably encountered at some point in your academic past. It is the shortform of the Latin word ibidem meaning "in that same place". "Ibid." is used when noting an additional reference from the same work that is referred to in the citation or footnote immediately preceding it. Because you are citing from the same work it is not necessary to rewrite the author's or publisher's name or details. All that is required is the word "ibid." in italics or underlined as it is a foreign language word and the page references, thusly: ibid., pp. 31-37 OR ibid., pp.31-37 The rule for the use of "ibid." is simply that it can only be used when an identical source is being cited immediately preceeding it. Note the following usage: Church of England, Canterbury Cathedral Library, Canterbury, Kent, England; Bishop's Transcripts, Faversham parish church ; (Utah, U.S.A.: Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.A. and Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, n.d.); Family History Library, 35 North Temple Street, Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.A. microfilm #1736720; 21 October 1770; marriage of Thomas Nutt to Mary Herman. ibid., 4 October 1772; Christening of Thomas Nutt. "Ibid." can be used in the above instance as every piece of reference information is identical to the source quoted immediately above it. All that differs is the date, event and the subject person of the event. The use of "op. cit." If you wish to make reference to one work again and again, but those references are not in immediate succession to one another there is a way in which you can still shortcut your work. The Latin term "op. cit." or opere citato, meaning "in the work cited", is used to refer your reader back to a work prepared by the same author that may have been cited several footnotes ahead of the current reference. Hyde, Patricia and Harrington, Duncan; Faversham Oyster Fishery through eleven centuries; (Kent, England: Arden Enterprises, Ashton Lodge, Church Road, Lyminge, Folkestone, CT18 8JA, 2002) pp 237-238. A list of the members of the Faversham Oyster Fishery Company as of 1791 citing Thomas Nutt, Sr., Thomas Nutt, Jr. and John Nutt as members at that time. ISBN 0-9530998-2-2. Board of Guardians, Faversham Poor Law Union, Kent, England; Death Register ; (Utah, U.S.A.: Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City, and Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, n.d.); Family History Library, 35 North Temple Street, Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.A. microfilm #1656030; 22 November 1862; Death of Matthew Nutt at age 84 years. Hyde and Harrington, op. cit., p. 198. Cites Matthew Nutt as one of a group of signatories ratifying original articles of agreement of the Faversham Oyster Fishery Company. In the third citation, above, you can see that we have to include an abbreviated reference to the names of the authors, followed by "op. cit." and by the remainder of our reference information. Again, as "op. cit." is a foreign language it must be either italicized or underlined. This shortcut works well when you are using only one book or reference work produced by an author. If, however, you are using two or more books or reference works produced by the same author "op. cit." cannot be used. For instance, "op. cit." could not be used to refer to multiple census returns from different geographical areas - the author may be the same, but the title of each census work varies from enumeration district to enumeration district. In such an instance there would be no method by which to adequately put across to your reader to which census return you were referring. A solution to this situation can be seen in the example below: Office of the Registrar General, London, England now Office of National Statistics, Kew, Surrey, England; 1851 census, Faversham District, Faversham Sub-District, Parish of Faversham (Utah, U.S.A.: Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City, and Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, n.d.); Family History Library, 35 North Temple Street, Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.A. microfilm #0193527; RG11/0968, Folio 104, page 36; 30 March 1851; Ann Weeks Bunting; Office of National Statistics, 1851 census, Parish of Faversham, Folio 106, page 38; ..... Note that the author has been shortened to reflect just the current entity. The title of the work has also been shortened to reflect just the pertinent details, in this case, the year of the census and parish concerned. All other identical information has been omitted from the second citation. The last rule that applies to the use of "op. cit." is to use one of the above two methods only. Do not mix your methods. Remain consistent throughout your citation lists. Other Helpful Abbreviations ch. Chapter comp. compiler; compiled by ed. or eds. (plural)editor, edited by, or edition n.d. no date of publication given n.p. no place of publication given p. or pp. (plural)page or pages sec. section ser. series tr. or trans. translator, translated by, translation vol. or vols. (plural)volume or volumes