Comparing academic writing standards across universities in 2023

[LaylaQB]

I work in a specialized subfield of environmental chemistry where we often deal with legacy datasets that were compiled before modern digital archiving became standard. The sources I need to cite are almost never straightforward journal articles or books; they might be internal lab reports from the 1970s, handwritten field notes that were later scanned into PDFs, or Excel spreadsheets generated by government contractors who are no longer in business. The generic advice about following APA or MLA style guides assumes that everyone is citing peer-reviewed papers from the last ten years, but that advice simply does not apply to my situation.

I have tried adapting the guidelines for unpublished manuscripts and personal communications, but those categories feel wrong because these documents are semi-public and have institutional weight. I have also looked at how historians cite archival materials, but their citation formats are too loose for the expectations of my chemistry journal. The journal itself is not helpful; its style guide just says "cite the original source" with no further details on ephemeral or grey literature from an era before DOI numbers existed.

What is the correct way to format a citation for a dataset that consists of an unnumbered PDF of scanned field notes from 1972, stored on an academic department's internal server with no stable URL, where the original author is deceased and there is no formal publisher? I need a format that a peer reviewer or reader could actually use to locate the document, not a placeholder that looks correct on paper but is impossible to verify.

[ZacharyH]

Use a format similar to this: Author's Last Name, First Initial. (Year). Title of Document. Unpublished manuscript, Department Name, Institution Name, Location. Internal Archive Number if applicable. For example: Smith, J. (1972). Field notes from the lake study. Unpublished manuscript, Environmental Chemistry Department, University of X, City, State." This structure provides a mix of citation details necessary for identification while remaining professionally acceptable.

[EmmaET]

Ngl, I get it—citing these older documents is a pain. You might consider naming the internal archive where it resides, along with a brief note on its accessibility, even if it's limited. Something like: Scanned field notes, 1972. Internal Archive, Environmental Chemistry Department, University of X." That at least provides minimal guidance for anyone trying to locate the source.

[Kevin_L]

In my experience with similar archival stuff during grad school—had to dig through boxes of old data—conventional citations often fell short. I once cited a 1985 lab report with no author; I simply labeled it as: Laboratory Report: Title. (1985). Unpublished internal report, Department of Chemistry, University Y, available on request." As long as it offers a clear path for readers, it might work for your needs.