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In EE 4th edition, page 511, it says “Researchers who obtain file copies from NPRC commonly face one problem: they are provided photocopies without the requisite details to cite the source.”
How does one find those details? On page 512 of EE, there’s an example of a source list entry for a World War I era file that includes a date range for the files: “1885-1951.” How would one go about finding the appropriate date range for World War II era or more recent files? Are there other source details one should find to properly cite such files?
I am specifically interested in citing World War II era files for one person in the US Marine Corps and another in the US Army. I’m also interested in citing the file of a recent veteran who served in peacetime
Thanks!
Emily, this is a topic we've…
Emily, this is a topic we've discussed several times at length in this forum. Use the search box and query for key words such as "personnel records," "military records" and "NPRC."
The date ranges and other details come from the archive folders and boxes for the records when we use them onsite. If you pay someone to pull records for you, they should supply this.
The identification of these records are also explained in archive catalogs that we can find online. To help understand these catalogs, see our QuickLesson 4: NARA Citations and Finding Aids at https://www.evidenceexplained.com/content/quicklesson-4-nara-citations-finding-aids. The instruction in this QuickLesson is essential to understanding any records from NARA and will also help you understand how records from state-archives are organized.