Provenance research guide · how-to
How to cite auction catalogues and museum collection records
Create durable, precise citations for lots, object records, catalogue pages, images, and changing online metadata.
Cite the record you actually inspected
Include institution or sale house, catalogue or database title, sale and lot number when applicable, object title, record identifier, page, stable URL, and access date. Preserve original punctuation when it affects identification.
Include institution or sale house, catalogue or database title, sale and lot number when applicable, object title, record identifier, page, stable URL, and access date. Preserve original punctuation when it affects identification. Use a source ledger and claim identifiers so another researcher can reproduce the decision, challenge an assumption, and distinguish evidence from interpretation.
Quote narrowly and preserve context
Capture the exact passage supporting the claim plus enough surrounding text to interpret abbreviations, ditto marks, annotations, and column structure. Distinguish printed content from later handwriting.
Capture the exact passage supporting the claim plus enough surrounding text to interpret abbreviations, ditto marks, annotations, and column structure. Distinguish printed content from later handwriting. Use a source ledger and claim identifiers so another researcher can reproduce the decision, challenge an assumption, and distinguish evidence from interpretation.
Create a retrieval receipt
When permitted, retain a local copy or screenshot with a hash and retrieval timestamp. Note dynamic fields and later changes rather than silently replacing an earlier observation.
When permitted, retain a local copy or screenshot with a hash and retrieval timestamp. Note dynamic fields and later changes rather than silently replacing an earlier observation. Use a source ledger and claim identifiers so another researcher can reproduce the decision, challenge an assumption, and distinguish evidence from interpretation.
Record the boundary of the evidence
End the research record by separating documented facts, supported interpretations, unresolved questions, and disconfirmed leads. A gap is not proof of wrongdoing, and a repeated statement is not independent corroboration when every repetition traces back to the same source.
Retain the source URL or call number, access date, quoted passage, page or image reference, and a file hash when a stable local copy is permitted. This makes the conclusion reproducible and makes later correction possible without rewriting the history of the research.