The following guidelines are offered to help those who wish to cite or otherwise refer to The Joseph Smith Papers or its component series or volumes. For guidelines on citing materials on the website, see Citing The Joseph Smith Papers Website. These guidelines are merely recommendations based on the Joseph Smith Papers Project’s house style, precedents from other documentary editions, and the Chicago Manual of Style, seventeenth edition (Chicago). Of course, other style conventions and different publication formats may call for adaptation and variation.
The Joseph Smith Papers Project and The Joseph Smith Papers
Use “the Joseph Smith Papers Project” or “the Joseph Smith Papers” to refer to the entire project’s goals and structure. Do not capitalize shortened forms such as “the project.” The term “Smith Papers” is also sometimes used to refer to the project.
The goal of the Joseph Smith Papers Project is to present verbatim transcripts of Joseph Smith’s papers in their entirety.
The project’s goal is to present verbatim transcripts of Joseph Smith’s papers.
She began her employment with the Joseph Smith Papers in 2011.
Use “the papers of Joseph Smith” or similar forms to refer generally to the documents and papers of Joseph Smith.
The work of collecting the papers of Joseph Smith continued after his death.
Use italicized The Joseph Smith Papers (or, for short, the Papers) to refer to the published and online products, including those that are forthcoming. Capitalize and italicize the initial The when the full title is used.
It is true that The Joseph Smith Papers cite original sources where possible and practical.
It is true that the Papers cite original sources where possible and practical.
When the title The Joseph Smith Papers takes a verb, it will be considered a plural noun.
The Joseph Smith Papers are being prepared under the auspices of the office of the historian of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The project’s website is officially titled “The Joseph Smith Papers” but is typically known as the Joseph Smith Papers website. The URL is josephsmithpapers.org.
The Church Historian’s Press
The publisher of The Joseph Smith Papers is the Church Historian’s Press. The press is an imprint of the Church History Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
It was the fourth volume published by the Church Historian’s Press.
Series Names
In running text, capitalize but do not italicize the name of a series of The Joseph Smith Papers, such as the Journals series. The word series is not capitalized because it is not part of the official series name.
The Journals series of The Joseph Smith Papers presents an unaltered and unabridged transcript of each of Smith’s known journals.
Work is complete on the first volume of the Administrative Records series.
The official names for the seven series to be published as part of this project are as follows:
Administrative Records
Documents
Financial Records
Histories
Journals
Legal Records
Revelations and Translations
Reference to Volumes in Running Text
By full title:
The first volume is titled The Joseph Smith Papers, Journals, Volume 1: 1832–1839 and was published in 2008.
The second volume is titled The Joseph Smith Papers, Revelations and Translations: Manuscript Revelation Books and was published in 2009. (Note: This volume, the first in the Revelations and Translations series, was also the first volume of The Joseph Smith Papers to be presented in a facsimile edition, meaning with photographic facsimiles of each manuscript page.)
The press’s latest volume is The Joseph Smith Papers, Administrative Records: Council of Fifty, Minutes, March 1844–January 1846. (Note: This volume is the only one that will be published in print in the Administrative Records series.)
By shortened titles:
The library ordered two copies of Journals, Volume 1: 1832–1839 last Tuesday.
This review of Journals, Volume 2 focuses on the scholarly annotation.
In contrast, volume 1 of the Documents series provides rich contextual notes.
The transcripts published in Manuscript Revelation Books were verified three times.
He was assigned at that time to review the annotation for the facsimile edition of Manuscript Revelation Books.
Council of Fifty, Minutes, March 1844–January 1846 includes four appendixes.
(Note: Do not capitalize or italicize volume when the word is not being used as part of the title, as in the third example.)
Citing Print Volumes in Bibliographies
For citations of print volumes in bibliographies, please see the rules in Chicago, chapters 14 and 15, which allow for some variations in citation style. The following recommended formats appear to be among the various reasonable alternatives.
Citation of the entire edition:
Jessee, Dean C., Ronald K. Esplin, and Richard Lyman Bushman, eds. The Joseph Smith Papers. 27 vols. Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2008–2023.
Basic citation format for any volume of The Joseph Smith Papers:
[Names of volume editors], eds. [Volume Title]. Vol. [#] of the [Series name] series of The Joseph Smith Papers, edited by [list general editors named on that volume]. Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, [year of publication of volume].
Citation of volumes of the Administrative Records series:
Grow, Matthew J., Ronald K. Esplin, Mark Ashurst-McGee, Gerrit J. Dirkmaat, and Jeffrey D. Mahas, eds. Council of Fifty, Minutes, March 1844–January 1846. First volume of the Administrative Records series of The Joseph Smith Papers, edited by Ronald K. Esplin, Matthew J. Grow, and Matthew C. Godfrey. Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2016.
Citation of volumes of the Documents series:
MacKay, Michael Hubbard, Gerrit J. Dirkmaat, Grant Underwood, Robert J. Woodford, and William G. Hartley, eds. Documents, Volume 1: July 1828–June 1831. Vol. 1 of the Documents series of The Joseph Smith Papers, edited by Dean C. Jessee, Ronald K. Esplin, Richard Lyman Bushman, and Matthew J. Grow. Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2013.
Godfrey, Matthew C., Mark Ashurst-McGee, Grant Underwood, Robert J. Woodford, and William G. Hartley, eds. Documents, Volume 2: July 1831–January 1833. Vol. 2 of the Documents series of The Joseph Smith Papers, edited by Dean C. Jessee, Ronald K. Esplin, Richard Lyman Bushman, and Matthew J. Grow. Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2013.
Dirkmaat, Gerrit J., Brent M. Rogers, Grant Underwood, Robert J. Woodford, and William G. Hartley, eds. Documents, Volume 3: February 1833–March 1834. Vol. 3 of the Documents series of The Joseph Smith Papers, edited by Ronald K. Esplin and Matthew J. Grow. Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2014.
Godfrey, Matthew C., Brenden W. Rensink, Alex D. Smith, Max H Parkin, and Alexander L. Baugh, eds. Documents, Volume 4: April 1834–September 1835. Vol. 4 of the Documents series of The Joseph Smith Papers, edited by Ronald K. Esplin and Matthew J. Grow. Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2016.
Rogers, Brent M., Elizabeth A. Kuehn, Christian K. Heimburger, Max H Parkin, Alexander L. Baugh, and Steven C. Harper, eds. Documents, Volume 5: October 1835–January 1838. Vol. 5 of the Documents series of The Joseph Smith Papers, edited by Ronald K. Esplin, Matthew J. Grow, and Matthew C. Godfrey. Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2017.
Ashurst-McGee, Mark, David W. Grua, Elizabeth Kuehn, Alexander L. Baugh, and Brenden W. Rensink, eds. Documents, Volume 6: February 1838–August 1839. Vol. 6 of the Documents series of The Joseph Smith Papers, edited by Ronald K. Esplin, Matthew J. Grow, and Matthew C. Godfrey. Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2017.
Godfrey, Matthew C., Spencer W. McBride, Alex D. Smith, and Christopher James Blythe, eds. Documents, Volume 7: September 1839–January 1841. Vol. 7 of the Documents series of The Joseph Smith Papers, edited by Ronald K. Esplin, Matthew J. Grow, and Matthew C. Godfrey. Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2018.
Rogers, Brent M., Mason K. Allred, Gerrit J. Dirkmaat, and Brett D. Dowdle, eds. Documents, Volume 8: February–November 1841. Vol. 8 of the Documents series of The Joseph Smith Papers, edited by Ronald K. Esplin, Matthew J. Grow, Matthew C. Godfrey, and R. Eric Smith. Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2019.
Smith, Alex D., Christian K. Heimburger, and Christopher James Blythe, eds. Documents, Volume 9: December 1841–April 1842. Vol. 9 of the Documents series of The Joseph Smith Papers, edited by Matthew C. Godfrey, R. Eric Smith, Matthew J. Grow, and Ronald K. Esplin. Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2019.
Kuehn, Elizabeth A., Jordan T. Watkins, Matthew C. Godfrey, and Mason K. Allred, eds. Documents, Volume 10: May–August 1842. Vol. 10 of the Documents series of The Joseph Smith Papers, edited by Matthew C. Godfrey, R. Eric Smith, Matthew J. Grow, and Ronald K. Esplin. Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2020.
McBride, Spencer W., Jeffrey D. Mahas, Brett D. Dowdle, and Tyson Reeder, eds. Documents, Volume 11: September 1842–February 1843. Vol. 11 of the Documents series of The Joseph Smith Papers, edited by Matthew C. Godfrey, R. Eric Smith, Matthew J. Grow, and Ronald K. Esplin. Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2020.
Grua, David W., Brent M. Rogers, Matthew C. Godfrey, Robin Scott Jensen, Christopher James Blythe, and Jessica M. Nelson, eds. Documents, Volume 12: March–July 1843. Vol. 12 of the Documents series of The Joseph Smith Papers, edited by Matthew C. Godfrey, R. Eric Smith, Matthew J. Grow, and Ronald K. Esplin. Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2021.
Heimburger, Christian K., Jeffrey D. Mahas, Brent M. Rogers, Mason K. Allred, J. Chase Kirkham, and Matthew S. McBride, eds. Documents, Volume 13: August–December 1843. Vol. 13 of the Documents series of The Joseph Smith Papers, edited by Matthew C. Godfrey, R. Eric Smith, Matthew J. Grow, and Ronald K. Esplin. Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2022.
Smith, Alex D., Adam H. Petty, Jessica M. Nelson, and Spencer W. McBride, eds. Documents, Volume 14: 1 January–15 May 1844. Vol. 14 of the Documents series of The Joseph Smith Papers, edited by Matthew C. Godfrey, R. Eric Smith, and Ronald K. Esplin. Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2023.
Dowdle, Brett D., Adam H. Petty, J. Chase Kirkham, Elizabeth A. Kuehn, David W. Grua, and Matthew C. Godfrey, eds. Documents, Volume 15: 16 May–28 June 1844. Vol. 15 of the Documents series of The Joseph Smith Papers, edited by Matthew C. Godfrey, R. Eric Smith, and Ronald K. Esplin. Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2023.
Citation of the volumes of the Histories series:
Davidson, Karen Lynn, David J. Whittaker, Mark Ashurst-McGee, and Richard L. Jensen, eds. Histories, Volume 1: Joseph Smith Histories, 1832–1844. Vol. 1 of the Histories series of The Joseph Smith Papers, edited by Dean C. Jessee, Ronald K. Esplin, and Richard Lyman Bushman. Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2012.
Davidson, Karen Lynn, Richard L. Jensen, and David J. Whittaker, eds. Histories, Volume 2: Assigned Historical Writings, 1831–1847. Vol. 2 of the Histories series of The Joseph Smith Papers, edited by Dean C. Jessee, Ronald K. Esplin, and Richard Lyman Bushman. Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2012.
Citation of volumes of the Journals series:
Jessee, Dean C., Mark Ashurst-McGee, and Richard L. Jensen, eds. Journals, Volume 1: 1832–1839. Vol. 1 of the Journals series of The Joseph Smith Papers, edited by Dean C. Jessee, Ronald K. Esplin, and Richard Lyman Bushman. Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2008.
Hedges, Andrew H., Alex D. Smith, and Richard Lloyd Anderson, eds. Journals, Volume 2: December 1841–April 1843. Vol. 2 of the Journals series of The Joseph Smith Papers, edited by Dean C. Jessee, Ronald K. Esplin, and Richard Lyman Bushman. Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2011.
Hedges, Andrew H., Alex D. Smith, and Brent M. Rogers, eds. Journals, Volume 3: May 1843–June 1844. Vol. 3 of the Journals series of The Joseph Smith Papers, edited by Ronald K. Esplin and Matthew J. Grow. Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2015.
Citation of volumes of the Revelations and Translations series:
Jensen, Robin Scott, Robert J. Woodford, and Steven C. Harper, eds. Manuscript Revelation Books. Facsimile edition. First volume of the Revelations and Translations series of The Joseph Smith Papers, edited by Dean C. Jessee, Ronald K. Esplin, and Richard Lyman Bushman. Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2009.
Jensen, Robin Scott, Robert J. Woodford, and Steven C. Harper, eds. Revelations and Translations, Volume 1: Manuscript Revelation Books. Vol. 1 of the Revelations and Translations series of The Joseph Smith Papers, edited by Dean C. Jessee, Ronald K. Esplin, and Richard Lyman Bushman. Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2011.
(Note: It is acceptable to cite either version of the first volume of the Revelations and Translations series.)
Jensen, Robin Scott, Richard E. Turley Jr., and Riley M. Lorimer, eds. Revelations and Translations, Volume 2: Published Revelations. Vol. 2 of the Revelations and Translations series of The Joseph Smith Papers, edited by Dean C. Jessee, Ronald K. Esplin, and Richard Lyman Bushman. Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2011.
Skousen, Royal, and Robin Scott Jensen, eds. Revelations and Translations, Volume 3, Part 1: Printer’s Manuscript of the Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 1–Alma 35. Facsimile edition. Part 1 of vol. 3 of the Revelations and Translations series of The Joseph Smith Papers, edited by Ronald K. Esplin and Matthew J. Grow. Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2015.
Skousen, Royal, and Robin Scott Jensen, eds. Revelations and Translations, Volume 3, Part 2: Printer’s Manuscript of the Book of Mormon, Alma 36–Moroni 10. Facsimile edition. Part 2 of vol. 3 of the Revelations and Translations series of The Joseph Smith Papers, edited by Ronald K. Esplin and Matthew J. Grow. Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2015.
Jensen, Robin Scott, and Brian M. Hauglid, eds. Revelations and Translations, Volume 4: Book of Abraham and Related Manuscripts. Facsimile edition. Vol. 4 of the Revelations and Translations series of The Joseph Smith Papers, edited by Ronald K. Esplin, Matthew J. Grow, Matthew C. Godfrey, and R. Eric Smith. Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2018.
Skousen, Royal, and Robin Scott Jensen, eds. Revelations and Translations, Volume 5: Original Manuscript of the Book of Mormon. Facsimile edition. Vol. 5 of the Revelations and Translations series of The Joseph Smith Papers, edited by Matthew C. Godfrey, R. Eric Smith, Matthew J. Grow, and Ronald K. Esplin. Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2021.
Citation of a particular series of The Joseph Smith Papers (here the Journals series):
Jessee, Dean C., Ronald K. Esplin, and Richard Lyman Bushman, eds. The Joseph Smith Papers. Journals series. 3 vols. Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2008–2015.
(This same example can be adapted for other series by changing the series name, publication years, and the names of the general editors of the first volume of the series.)
Citing Print Volumes in Notes
The following recommended citation formats for notes, derived from the preceding samples for bibliographies, are among those that appear acceptable to Chicago:
Full citation of the entire edition:
25. Dean C. Jessee, Ronald K. Esplin, and Richard Lyman Bushman, eds., The Joseph Smith Papers (Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2008–2023).
Full citation of any volume of The Joseph Smith Papers:
25. [Names of volume editors], eds., [Volume Title], vol. [#] of the [Series name] series of The Joseph Smith Papers, ed. [list general editors named on that volume] (Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, [year of publication of volume]), [page number(s)].
Full citation of particular volumes (here, examples are given for the first volume of the Journals series and both versions of the first volume of the Revelations and Translation series):
25. Dean C. Jessee, Mark Ashurst-McGee, and Richard L. Jensen, eds., Journals, Volume 1: 1832–1839, vol. 1 of the Journals series of The Joseph Smith Papers, ed. Dean C. Jessee, Ronald K. Esplin, and Richard Lyman Bushman (Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2008), 179.
25. Robin Scott Jensen, Robert J. Woodford, and Steven C. Harper, eds., Manuscript Revelation Books, facsimile edition, first volume of the Revelations and Translations series of The Joseph Smith Papers, ed. Dean C. Jessee, Ronald K. Esplin, and Richard Lyman Bushman (Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2009), 179.
25. Robin Scott Jensen, Robert J. Woodford, and Steven C. Harper, eds., Revelations and Translations, Volume 1: Manuscript Revelation Books, vol. 1 of the Revelations and Translations series of The Joseph Smith Papers, ed. Dean C. Jessee, Ronald K. Esplin, and Richard Lyman Bushman (Salt Lake City: Church Historian’s Press, 2011), 136.
Recommended Shortened Citation Format
Chicago and other style manuals allow for shortened forms in subsequent citations (see, for example, Chicago 14.29–36). The editors of The Joseph Smith Papers recommend a short form using the initials JSP, an abbreviation for the volume number, and the page number. For example, page 42 in the first volume of the Journals series would be cited in short as JSP, J1:42. This shortened form can also be used to cite particular parts of a volume. For example:
Council of Fifty, “Record,” 11 Mar. 1844, in JSP, CFM:40. [Minute entry featured in Council of Fifty, Minutes, March 1844–January 1846.]
Revelation, 6 June 1831, in JSP, D1:328 [D&C 52:5]. [Document featured in the first volume of the Documents series.]
Corrill, Brief History, 18, in JSP, H2:144–145 [D&C 52:5]. [Document featured in the second volume of the Histories series.]
See Historical Introduction to Revelation Book 1, in JSP, MRB:5. [Editors’ historical introduction to a document featured in Manuscript Revelation Books, the facsimile edition of the first volume of the Revelations and Translations series.]
Revelation Book 1, pp. 2, [207], in JSP, MRB:11, 385. [Document featured in Manuscript Revelation Books.]
Book of Mormon Printer’s Manuscript, p. 268, in JSP, R3, Part 2, p. 17 [Alma 39:5]. [Document featured in part 2 of the third volume of the Revelations and Translations series.]