How to Cite a Plat Book

Plat book citations can be hard to pin down.

Local plat books are useful for showing how a county is growing and why. Compiled from information from the Public Land Survey System (PLSS), these materials are often published in book form by commercial publishers. Some counties and companies are beginning to keep plat information online, making them more accurate references as online materials are easier to update than static materials like books. Referencing a plat book is just like citing reference material, unless the book is loose. For a web reference, follow the reference format for web resources.

Instructions

1. To reference the book in Modern Language Association (MLA) guidelines, list the book title in italics, followed by a period. Then put the county name and abbreviation of the state in brackets, followed by a colon. Finally, list the publisher of the book, followed by a comma and the date the book was published. For example, Agri-land Ventura County Property Ownership Maps, Plat Book & Guide. [San Mateo, Calif.]: Echoe-Map Publishing Co., 2007.

2. To reference the book in American Psychological Association (APA) guidelines, type the publication date in italics and in parentheses, followed by the book title in italics, followed by a period. Then put the county name and state abbreviation in brackets, followed by a colon. List the name of the publishing company or county offices who published the book, followed by a period. For example, (2007). Agri-land Ventura County property ownership maps, plat book & guide. [San Mateo, Calif.]: Echoe-Map Publishing Co.

3. To reference a plat book page which is loose, type in the title followed by a comma, then type the date, followed by a semicolon. Type out the other references you find on the page. You are looking for information which would help someone else find the page again if need be. Separate these with commas, then end them with a semi-colon. Follow this with the record group title, the record group number and the repository, separated by commas. This example is provided by the Missouri Secretary of State Research Room: Plat of survey for 4700 arpents on Big Mucklemurry's Island in Mississippi River in district of Cape Girardeau, February 27, 1806; Decision #90, Bartholomew Cousin; Papers of Original Claimants, 1785-1857; Second Board of Land Commissioners (French and Spanish land grants); U.S. Recorder of Land Titles, Record Group 951; Missouri State Archives, Jefferson City.

4. Type in a web reference, much as you would the original record, except include, in brackets, the date accessed and the URL. For example, Plat of survey for 500 arpents on White Water in district of Cape Girardeau, February 27, 1806; Decision #219, Joseph Niswanger, Jr.; Papers of Original Claimants, 1777-1851; Second Board of Land Commissioners (French and Spanish land grants); U.S. Recorder of Land Titles, Record Group 951; Missouri State Archives, Jefferson City. [Online version on May 2, 2002, at http://www.sos.mo.gov/archives/education/teaching/modocs1.pdf].

Tips & Warnings

• Check with your instructor to see which format she would like the plat book references in. APA and MLA are standard formats for many college papers, but MLA format changed its requirements this year and no longer requires URLs in an electronic reference unless the instructor requests it.

References

• Wisconsin State Cartographer's Office: Plat Books
• Stanford University Libraries and Academic Information Resources: Agri-land Ventura County Property Ownership Maps, Plat Book & Guide
• Missouri Secretary of State: Research Room

Resources

• Purdue Online Writing Lab: MLA Works Cited: Electronic Sources (Web Publications)