Incident records and research Guide 20
How to cite crossing data in news and reports
Cite crossing data with the agency, record title, crossing ID, source date and the version you used. Add the retrieval date and link so another reader can check the same evidence.
For reporters, grant writers and researchers publishing crossing facts.
The record version keeps a citation meaningful.
Crossing records change. A link to today's page may not show the warning devices or counts you used in an earlier article.
Keep the record's date, the Atlas source date and the date you retrieved it as separate fields. For traffic, include the count year as well as the inventory date.
Sources: FRA: crossing inventory reporting.
Use a format that preserves the same facts.
The following patterns are working formats, not completed citations. Replace every bracketed item with information from the record and adapt punctuation to your publication's style.
APA-style: Federal Railroad Administration. ([Record year]). [Record title], crossing [ID] [Record version]. [Source URL]. Retrieved [day month year].
Chicago-style: Federal Railroad Administration. “[Record title], crossing [ID].” [Record date or version]. Accessed [day month year]. [Source URL].
Newsroom style: FRA records for crossing [ID], [record date], retrieved [day month year]; [incident window or count year]. Link the relevant record beside the claim.
Use the dated link when a version is available.
When the crossing page offers a revision link, preserve the whole link, including its revision parameter. Do not construct a revision identifier or shorten it to an undated current page.
Keep the original source link as well. If a retained version is unavailable later, your citation should still identify what was read and when.
An embed needs its source and context.
If you use an available crossing embed, retain the source link to its crossing page. Check whether the view follows current data or the version selected when it was made.
Write the population, units and reporting period next to any statistic in your article. A small embedded figure does not remove the need to explain what its number counts.
Correct the claim as well as the link.
If a source changes, determine whether it changes your conclusion. Record the old and new source dates and update any affected figure or description.
For a suspected record error, identify the crossing, field and supporting source. Contact the responsible reporting organization; a correction to an Atlas citation does not change the federal inventory.
Sources: FRA: crossing inventory reporting.
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