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  How do I cite the sources for the data I have entered?
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Answer by Ryan Walker and Seth Hinshaw

Citing the sources of the data you enter is essential and critical to the integrity of Our Campaigns if it is to be a premier source of historical election data. We recommend the following citation strategies:

1. When citing a website, please indicate the nature of the information.
a) Election returns. Please indicate whether the information is the certified / official return, complete but unofficial, or incomplete returns. For example: “Certified returns at [link]” or “Incomplete returns posted at [link].” Please see [Link] for a sample of this.
b) Biographies. It may be helpful to state why the website included biographical information on the candidate. For example, is the source a local historical society website?

2. When citing a book, using the name of the author and title – and then the page number – is usually sufficient.
a) Some titles may be abbreviated for brevity; e.g., “Michael J. Dubin, United States Congressional Elections 1788-1997, page 223” is sufficient, although half of the title has been left off. A good sample may be found at [Link]
b) In some cases, a particularly helpful book might be entered as a book on the site and then linked, as on the page [Link] . Note, however, that a book may not be cited with an anchor in the “Data Sources” field – this must be done in the “Description” field.

3. When citing a newspaper/website, indicating Author, "Article," Magazine, page xx is generally sufficient.
ContributorMonsieur 
Last ModifiedMonsieur  - September 11, 2006 06:43pm


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