Project:AIC Style Guide (Citations, References, Bibliography and Further Reading)

This page contains examples of how to format References, Bibliography and Further Reading attributions as required AIC publications and detailed in the Project:AIC Style Guide page.

Archives[edit source]

Archives
Roberson Archive. Hamilton Kerr Institute. Cambridge University, Cambridge, England.

Unpublished Document in Archives
Jones, Elizabeth H. 1949. “Washington Allston’s Painting Technique and His Place in the Colorist Tradition.” Unpublished typescript, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

AIC Specialty Group Catalogs (print editions)
Samet, Wendy H. 1998. “Factors to Consider when Choosing a Varnish.” In Paintings Conservation Catalog, vol. 1, Varnishes and Surface Coatings. Washington, DC: AIC. 1:1–20.

Mayer, Debora. 1994. “Fiber Identification.” In Paper Conservation Catalog. 9th ed. Washington, DC: AIC. 1:1–9.

AIC, Book and Paper Group. 1994. Paper Conservation Catalog. 9th ed. Washington, DC: AIC.

AIC Specialty Group Catalogs (wiki editions)

AIC, Book and Paper Group. 2014. Paper Conservation Catalog Wiki. Accessed August 1, 2014. http://www.conservation-wiki.com/wiki/Paper_Conservation_Catalog.
“Mold.” 2014. Paper Conservation Catalog Wiki. Accessed August 1, 2014. http://www.conservation-wiki.com/wiki/Paper_Conservation_Catalog_-_Mold.

Chapter in a Book
Schniewind, Arno P., and Dale P. Kronkright. 1984. “Strength Evaluation of Deteriorated Wood Treated with Consolidants.” In Adhesives and Consolidants, edited by Norman S. Brommelle. London: International Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works. 227–316.

Book
Clapp, Anne F. 1973. Curatorial Care of Works of Art on Paper. Oberlin, OH: Intermuseum Conservation Association.

E-book
For books consulted online, include a URL or the name of the database in the reference list entry. For other types of e-books, name the format. If no fixed page numbers are available, cite a section title or a chapter or other number in the text, if any (or simply omit).

Kurland, Philip B., and Ralph Lerner, eds. 1987. The Founders’ Constitution. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. http://press-pubs.uchicago.edu/founders/.

Edited Book
Zycherman, Lynda A., and John Richard Schrock, eds. 1988. A Guide to Museum Pest Control. Washington, DC: Foundation of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works and Association of Systematics Collections.

Entry in Dictionary or Edited Book
Well-known online and print reference works, such as major dictionaries and encyclopedias, are normally cited only in the text, rather than in References: According to Wikipedia, the Antiquities Act of 1906 allows the president to…

If it is necessary to give a reference, use this format: Wikipedia. s.vv. “Antiquities Act.” Last modified July 28, 2014. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antiquities_Act.

Encyclopaedia Britannica. 9th ed. s.v. “Isinglass.” Use s.v. (sub verbo, “under the word”) for single words, s.vv. for plural.

For less well-known reference works, cite in the text and give more complete publication information in the References.

Lewis, Richard J. 2007. Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary. 15th ed. New York: Wiley & Sons. 23-24.

Later Edition
Mayer, Ralph. 1991. The Artist’s Handbook of Materials and Techniques. 5th ed. New York: Viking Press.

Materials Research Society
Inaba, M., and R. Sugista. 1991. “Permanence of Washi (Japanese Paper).” In Materials Issues in Art and Archaeology, vol. 2. Materials Research Society Symposium Proceedings 185, edited by Pamela B. Vandiver et al. Pittsburgh: Materials Research Society. 799–804.

Preprints Stone, Janet L. 1987. “Treatment of 19th-century Tracing Papers from the Frederick Law Olmsted Collection.” In ICOM Committee for Conservation preprints. 8th Triennial Meeting, Sydney. Paris: ICOM. 2:731–38.

Heller, Don B. 1983. “The Coating of Metal Objects at Winterthur.” In AIC Preprints. American Institute for Conservation 11th Annual Meeting, Baltimore. Washington, DC: AIC. 57–64.

Proceedings and Conference Titles Williams, Scott R. 1989. “Blooms, Blushes, Transferred Images and Mouldy Surfaces: What are these Distracting Accretions on Art Works?” In Proceedings of the IIC-Canadian Group 14th Annual Conference, Toronto, May 27-30, 1988, edited by Johanna G. Wellheiser. Ottawa: IIC Canadian Group. 65-84.

Postprints Hackett, Joanne. 1998. “Observations on Soot Removal from Textiles.” In Textile Specialty Group Postprints, vol. 8. American Institute for Conservation 26th Annual Meeting, Arlington, Virginia, June 10-16. Washington, DC: AIC. 63–69.

Reprint Tucci, Giuseppe. (1978) 1988. The Temples of Western Tibet and their Artistic Symbolism. Reprint, New Delhi: Aditya Prakashan.

Single Volume of a Multivolume Work Kopp, Hermann. 1847. Geschichte der chemie. Vol. 4. Braunschweig: F. Vieweg und Sohn. 1843-1847.

Translation Tucci, Giuseppe. 1978. The Theory and Practice of the Mandala. Translated by A. H. Brodrick. New York: Samuel Weiser.

Viollet-le-Duc, Eugène-Emmanuel. (1854) 1980. The Foundations of Architecture. Translated by Kenneth D. Whitehead. New York: George Braziller.

Volume in Series Zeronian, S. Haig, and Howard L. Needles. 1989. Historic Textile and Paper Materials. Vol. 2. Conservation and Characterization. Advances in Chemistry Series 410. Washington, DC: American Chemical Society. 63–80.

JOURNALS[edit source]

Citing Online Publications (e.g., electronic articles in JAIC, BPG Annual)
Include a DOI or URL if possible.. If the journal is not searchable in a publisher’s website and requires a specific URL to access, you must include the URL. When a URL must be broken over a line in printed works, it should be broken before rather than after a slash (/).

Article in a Journal
Johnson, Jessica S., Susan Heald, Kelly McHugh, Elizabeth Brown, and Marian Kaminitz. 2005. “Practical Aspects of Consultation with Communities.” Journal of the American Institute for Conservation 44 (3): 203–215.

Bay, Rachael A., Noah Rose, Rowan Barrett, Louis Bernatchez, Cameron K. Ghalambor, Jesse R. Lasky, Rachel B. Brem, Stephen R. Palumbi, and Peter Ralph. 2017. “Predicting Responses to Contemporary Environmental Change Using Evolutionary Response Architectures.” American Naturalist 189 (5): 463–73. https://doi.org/10.1086/691233.

Lluveras-Tenorio, Anna, Joy Mazurek, Annalaura Restivo, Maria Perla Colombini, and Ilaria Bonaduce. 2012. “The Development of a New Analytical Model for the Identification of Saccharide Binders in Paint Sample. PLoS ONE 7 (11): e49383. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0049383.

Journal Article (not attributed to author)
Consumer Reports. 1978. “Silver care products.” Consumer Reports 43 (2): 1–10.

Journal Article Published in Installments
Low, Manfred J. D., and Norbert S. Baer. 1977. “Application of Fourier Infrared Transform Spectroscopy to Problems of Conservation. Part 1, General Principles.” Studies in Conservation 22 (3): 116–28.

OTHER[edit source]

Chicago Citation Format (Chicago Manual of Style, 18th ed., sections 14.161)
General Structure:

Author’s last name, first name, middle initial (if given).
Title of work (in italics).
Format (special presentation).
Publisher city: publishing company, copyright date (if given).
Source (From Library of Congress in normal font), Collection name with dates if given (in italics).
URL
Accessed date (in parenthesis).

Article in a Newspaper
Lore, D. 1990. “Gold Ship Provides Bonus of Clothing.” Columbus Dispatch, November 11. C6.

Association as Author
NBS (National Bureau of Standards). 1951. Preservation of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States. NBS Circular 505. Washington, DC: NBS.

Database
Conservation Information Network, Materials Database. 1989. Vikane, MCIN record 908.

Dissertation (Not italicized in Reference section, unless published)
Tutt, L. W. 1984. Excited state distortions, bonding and photochemistry of organometallic compounds. Ph.D. diss., University of California, Los Angeles.

Exhibition Brochure
Greenough, S. 1992. Stieglitz in the darkroom. Washington, DC: National Gallery of Art. Exhibition brochure.

In-house Report McCabe, C. 1993. Reclearing treatments used for aged facsimile palladium prints. Unpublished manuscript, National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC.

Letter in Archives Benson, Frank W. 1926. Letter to Albert Milch, November 3. Milch Gallery Records. Archives of American Art. Microfilm roll 4411, frame 1116.

Newsletters (formal and email-based) Rogge, Corina, and Sarah Reidell. 2025. “AIC Board: Envisioning the Next 50 Years.” AIC News, 50 (4):1, 8-10. https://www.culturalheritage.org/blogs/aic-news1/2025/10/16/lead-article-aic-board-october-2025.

“AIC/FAIC Office to Close August 4-8,” Member Update, July 2025. https://www.culturalheritage.org/blogs/bonnie-naugle/2025/07/10/monthly-member-updates-archive, Received July 10, 2025, 12:04pm ET.

Oral History Interviews "Gwendolyn M. Patton oral history interview conducted by Joseph Mosnier in Montgomery, Alabama, 2011-06-01." From the Library of Congress, Civil Rights Oral History Project. Film. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2010039_crhp0020/ (accessed September 25, 2025). Paper Presented at Meeting Daly, D., and S. Michalski. 1986. Recent Developments in Research in the Fine Arts Laboratory at CCI. Paper presented at the IIC-Canadian Group 12th Annual Conference, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.

Patent Skofronick, Bruce D. 1969. Water-treated shadowmarks. US Patent 3,486,923, filed February 21, 1968, and issued December 30, 1969.

Personal Communication Personal communications may be cited as (Minter, pers. comm.) or (Benson, unpublished data), and if the person is fully identified in the text they do not require listing in the References. If a reference is necessary to provide more detail, use this form:

Doe, Jane. 1989. Personal communication. Isotope Laboratory, Institute of Geoplanetary and Planetary Physics, University of California, Los Angeles.

Podcast McMahon, Ryan, host. "Little Stories." Red Man Laughing (podcast). November 18, 2018. Accessed July 25, 2019. https://radiopublic.com/red-man-laughing-6nvLMj/ep/s1!39a43.

Product Information Dow AgroSciences. 2014. Vikane gas fumigant. MSDS Number 101201548 / A211, issued May 5, 2014. http://www.cdms.net/LDat/mp0KQ019.pdf.

Akemi Plastics. n.d. Acrylic sealant. Technical instruction sheet. Accessed August 4, 2014. http://www.akemina.com/cmsupload/support/bilder/Acrylic_sealant_GB_30.06.2009.pdf.

Social Media (See also https://aut.ac.nz.libguides.com/c.php?g=685064&p=4840651) AIC & FAIC (@conservators.bksy.social), "Two remarkable leaders, Vivian Ebersman & Susan Mathisen, are joining the FAIC Board of Directors! Their expertise & perspective are vital as we continue to evolve, adapt, & invest: today & for the next generation of conservation. We deeply appreciate their willingness to step into leadership." Bluesky, October 16, 2025, https://bsky.app/profile/conservators.bsky.social/post/3m3dc2ja4hc2p.

Technical Leaflet Fales, D. A., Jr. 1967. Care of Antique Silver. History News 22 (2): technical leaflet 40.

Video Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities. Conservation Center. 1990. Reupholstery of the Milwaukee Art Museum’s Boston easy chair utilizing a new upholstery technique. Boston: the Center. Videocassette (VHS). 18 min.

Webinar (recorded lecture) Killen, Geoffrey. 2024. "WAG Series: Ancient Egyptian Woodworking." Wooden Artifacts Webinar Series, virtual lecture, June 10, 2024. American Institute for Conservation. https://learning.culturalheritage.org/products/wag-series-ancient-egyptian-woodworking

Oliver, Eric. 2022. “Why So Many Americans Believe in So Many ‘Crazy’ Things.” Moderated by Andrew McCall, virtual lecture, February 23, 2022, posted March 21, 2022. University of Chicago. YouTube, https://youtu.be/hfq7AnCF5bg.

Cowan, Vaitea. 2022. “How Green Hydrogen Could End the Fossil Fuel Era.” TED Talk, Vancouver, BC, April 2022. https://www.ted.com/talks/vaitea_cowan_how_green_hydrogen_could_end_the_fossil_fuel_era.

YouTube Video (or other streaming service) "C2C Care Fundraising Alternatives for Cultural Institutions." Posted October 15, 2025 by AIC & FAIC. YouTube, https://youtu.be/ylT8tltvrT8?si=XZsVFTlIevrD_xCX.

STANDARDS[edit source]

ANSI, ASTM, ISO, TAPPI ANSI (American National Standards Institute). 1993. American National Standard for Imaging Media, Processes Safety Photographic Films, Storage. ANSI/NAPM IT9.11-1993. New York: ANSI.

ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials). 2011. Standard Test Method for impact strength of adhesive bonds. ASTM D950-03(2011). Philadelphia: ASTM.

ISO (International Organization for Standardization). 2007. Imaging Materials - Processed imaging materials - photographic activity test for enclosure materials. ISO 18916:2007. Geneva: ISO.

TAPPI (Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry). 2007. Solvent extractives of wood and pulp. TAPPI T204 CM-07. Atlanta: TAPPI.

WEBSITES[edit source]

All URLs in references should have the prefix http:// or https:// and include a final / wherever they appear.

If it is necessary to use a URL in the text, use the full prefix http:// prefix and include any final /.

When one is available, list a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) rather than a URL.

Always include access dates for websites. Place the date last accessed in conventional form (e.g., August 4, 2014) before a URL or DOI.

Keep in mind that wiki pages are frequently revised. An access date is essential. Blogs are typically only cited in their entirety within the text. If the same resource is frequently referenced though, it may be included in the bibliography using the style below.

Cyclododecane. 2014. CAMEO (Conservation and Art Materials Encyclopedia Online). Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Accessed September 7, 2014. http://cameo.mfa.org/wiki/Cyclododecane.

ISO (International Organization for Standardization). n.d. “Geometrical Product Specifications (GPS) — Surface Texture: Areal — Part 2: Terms, Definitions and Surface Texture Parameters. ISO 25178-2:2012.” https://www.iso.org/standard/42785.html

Blog Post: Grant, Colleen. 2021. "Collection Care Network Blog: Interview with Nicole Peters." American Institute for Conservation Online Community Blog. April 2021. https://www.culturalheritage.org/blogs/colleen-grant1/2021/03/31/ccn-peters-2021

Blog Comment: Commenter screen name. Publication Year (Time of Comment). Comment on Author (Firstname Lastname). "Title of blog posting.” Name of blog (blog). Parent publishing entity. Month/Day of publication. URL.

Online Community Discussion Post

Lee, Katelin. 2025. "Ask a Conservator Day is in Two Weeks." Global Conservation Forum (ConsDistList), Foundation for Advancement in Conservation, October 21, 2025, 4:00pm. Accessed October 22, 2025. https://www.culturalheritage.org/discussion/ask-a-conserbator-day-is-in-two-weeks.

AIC Meeting Year, Number, and Location List (link to https://www.conservation-wiki.com/wiki/AIC_Institutional_History)