For help with citations to the print volumes, see Style Guidelines for Referring to The Joseph Smith Papers. Individuals who cite materials on the Joseph Smith Papers website should be aware that updates will frequently be made to the site to correct errors and infelicities, to make revisions based on later research findings and editorial decisions, to achieve consistency in the treatment of similar events or other matters, to expand existing content, and to add new content. As is the case with most websites, no attempt will be made to announce or catalog the changes, or to make past versions of materials available. Therefore, researchers citing materials on this site may wish to print a copy of the cited material and to note on the hard copy the date that the material was printed.
The following guidelines are offered to help those who wish to cite materials on this website. These guidelines are merely recommendations based on the Joseph Smith Papers Project’s house style and the Chicago Manual of Style, sixteenth edition. Of course, other style conventions and different publication formats may call for adaptation and variation.
The Joseph Smith Papers. http://josephsmithpapers.org/.
As illustrated in the following examples, we recommend that the following elements be included in citations of materials on this website: [identification of the specific item being cited], [original page number where appropriate], The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed [date], [URL]. See the last section of this article for a discussion of what portion of the URL should be included in a citation.
Thomas B. Marsh to Joseph Smith, 15 Feb. 1838, The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed 25 Apr. 2016, http://josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/letter-from-thomas-b-marsh-15-february-1838.
Revelation, 27 Feb. 1833 [D&C 89], The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed 15 Mar. 2014, http://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/revelation-27-february-1833-dc-89.
Joseph Smith, Discourse, 7 Apr. 1844, as Reported by Wilford Woodruff, pp. [133]–[134], The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed 18 Nov. 2015, http://josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/discourse-7-april-1844-as-reported-by-wilford-woodruff.
Deed from William and Rosannah Robinson Marks to Joseph Smith, 11 Feb. 1841, p. [3], The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed 4 Mar. 2015, http://josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/deed-from-william-and-rosannah-robinson-marks-11-february-1841-a/3.
License for Henry Jacobs, 13 Apr. 1840, The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed 12 Dec. 2014, http://josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/license-for-henry-jacobs-13-april-1840.
Minutes, Discourses, and Blessings, 14–15 Feb. 1835, p. 148, The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed 6 Mar. 2015, http://josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/minutes-discourse-and-blessings-14-15-february-1835/2.
“An Ordinance to Regulate Weights and Measures,” in Times and Seasons, 15 Mar. 1842, The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed 2 June 2016, http://josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/times-and-seasons-15-march-1842.
Characters Copied by John Whitmer, ca. 1829–1831, The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed 12 Aug. 2015, http://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/appendix-2-document-1-characters-copied-by-john-whitmer-circa-1829-1831.
Joseph Smith, Journal, 30 Sept. 1838, The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed 26 July 2015, http://josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/journal-september-october-1838/3. [Note: in citations of journals, minute books, letterbooks, and other records with multiple dated entries, we generally recommend citing by entry date rather than original page number. Page number can be included where needed for clarity, such as if there are multiple entries for the same date or if material is out of sequence.]
Joseph Smith, Journal, 15 Dec. 1841, The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed 20 Oct. 2014, http://josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/journal-december-1841-december-1842/4.
William Clayton, Journal, 1 Apr. 1843, The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed 12 Apr. 2015, http://josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/appendix-william-clayton-journal-excerpt-1-4-april-1843.
Minute Book 2, 11 Sept. 1833, The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed 30 Sept. 2013, http://josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/minute-book-2/38.
Hyrum Smith, Reynolds Cahoon, and Jared Carter to the Churches of Christ, 1 June 1833, in Letterbook 1, pp. 36–38, The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed 5 Mar. 2014, http://josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/letterbook-1/48.
Record of the Twelve, 17–19 July 1835, The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed 11 Dec. 2014, http://josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/record-of-the-twelve-14-february-28-august-1835/22.
Nauvoo Relief Society Minute Book, 15 Sept. 1843, The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed 19 Jan. 2015, http://josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/nauvoo-relief-society-minute-book/142.
Invoice, Mead, Stafford & Co. to Rigdon, Smith & Cowdery, 8 Oct. 1836, The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed 1 Apr. 2016, http://josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/invoice-mead-stafford-co-to-rigdon-smith-cowdery-8-october-1836.
Hymn 15, A Collection of Sacred Hymns for the Church of the Latter Day Saints, 21, The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed 9 Aug. 2013, http://josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/collection-of-sacred-hymns-1835/23.
Revelation, 4 Dec.1831–A [D&C 72:1–8], in Revelation Book 2, p. [13], The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed 1 Feb. 2012, http://josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/revelation-book-2/23.
Revelation, 20 May 1831, in Doctrine and Covenants 23:4, 1835 ed. [D&C 51:13–17], The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed 8 Oct. 2014, http://josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/doctrine-and-covenants-1835/158. [Note: In this citation, since a particular verse of section 23 of the 1835 edition has been cited, the bracketed D&C citation to the modern edition also includes the corresponding verses.]
Printer’s Manuscript of the Book of Mormon, 1923 photostatic copies, pp. 374–376, The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed 6 Aug. 2015, http://josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/printers-manuscript-of-the-book-of-mormon-1923-photostatic-copies/376.
Book of Mormon, 1830 ed., 151–152 [Words of Mormon 1:3–7], The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed 11 June 2013, http://josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/book-of-mormon-1830/157.
Egyptian Alphabet, Oliver Cowdery Scribe, ca. July–ca. Dec. 1835, The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed 18 Aug. 2015, http://josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/egyptian-alphabet-oliver-cowdery-scribe-circa-july-circa-december-1835.
Old Testament Revision 1, pp. 2–3, The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed 12 July 2015, http://josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/old-testament-revision-1/4.
Joseph Smith History, ca. Summer 1832, p. [5]–[6], The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed 13 June 2013, http://josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/history-circa-summer-1832/5.
Joseph Smith, “Latter Day Saints,” in Rupp, ed., He Pasa Ekklesia, 404–407, The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed 19 June 2015, http://josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/latter-day-saints-1844.
[William W. Phelps], “Rise and Progress of the Church of Christ,” in The Evening and the Morning Star, Apr. 1833, The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed 24 July 2016, http://josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/william-w-phelps-rise-and-progress-of-the-church-of-christ-april-1833.
Joseph Smith History, vol. A-1, 193, The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed 1 Apr. 2015, http://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/history-1838-1856-volume-a-1-23-december-1805-30-august-1834/199.
Joseph Smith History, vol. C-1, addenda, 18–19, The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed 22 May 2016, http://josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/history-1838-1856-volume-c-1-addenda/18.
Joseph Smith History, ca. 1841, draft, 4, The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed 4 Sept. 2013, http://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/history-circa-1841-draft-draft-3/4.
Joseph Smith History, draft notes, 25 June 1844, The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed 25 Nov. 2015, http://josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/history-draft-21-june-8-august-1844.
Account of Proceedings, ca. 3 Apr. 1838 [Boynton and Hyde v. Smith], The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed 29 Jan. 2016, http://josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/account-of-proceedings-circa-3-april-1838-boynton-and-hyde-v-smith.
Invoice from Martin Birge, 17 June 1836, The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed 31 May 2013, http://josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/invoice-from-martin-birge-17-june-1836.
“Revelations, Letters, Reports of Discourses, Editorials, Minutes of Meetings, and Other Documents,” The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed 23 Dec. 2013, http://josephsmithpapers.org/doc/series-introduction-for-the-documents-series.
“Introduction to History, 1838–1856 (Manuscript History of the Church),” The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed 17 May 2015, http://josephsmithpapers.org/doc/introduction-to-history-1838-1856-manuscript-history-of-the-church.
“Hazen C. Aldrich” (biographical entry), The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed 5 Jan. 2012, http://josephsmithpapers.org/person/hazen-c-aldrich.
“Fishing River, Missouri” (geographical entry), The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed 10 Nov. 2013, http://josephsmithpapers.org/place/fishing-river-missouri.
“Pearl of Great Price” (topic entry), The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed 16 Apr. 2015, http://josephsmithpapers.org/site/the-pearl-of-great-price.
“The Book of Mormon and the Growth of Printing in America” (lesson plan), The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed 5 Oct. 2015, http://josephsmithpapers.org/article-jsp/the-book-of-mormon-and-the-growth-of-printing.
Historical Introduction to Revelation, 12 July 1843 [D&C 132], The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed 29 Feb. 2016, http://josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/revelation-12-july-1843-dc-132.
Because of the website structure, the URL in the address box sometimes includes information unnecessary for citations. For example, search for “pillar of fire,” then click on the 1834–1836 history. This is the result:
http://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/history-1834-1836/125?highlight=pillar%20of%20fire
The first part references the document itself:
http://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/history-1834-1836
The second part references the specific page. If you are trying to reference the whole document, you can delete this:
/125
The next part tells the browser to highlight the search words. This is not needed for citations:
&highlight=pillar%20of%20fire
So if you want the document itself, this is the URL:
http://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/history-1834-1836
If you want page 125, you need this:
http://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/history-1834-1836/125
Note that the “p=” field does not always match the page number in the document itself (which is found at the bottom of the transcript: [p. 123]). Make sure you are citing the correct original page, and test your URL to make sure it points to the correct place.