Example of primary sources citations for a research paper comparing the novel Les Miserables by Victor Hugo with the 2013 film version (Les Miserables) of the1989 musical stage production and a 2007 Japanese anime version (Re Mizeraburu: Shōjo Kozetto). Remember that in this category your main objective is to give enough information that the reader can track down your source! So for example, several versions of the title for the anime are provided, including the original Japanese title, the literal English translation, and the title used for the fansubbed version, as well as the original airdates.

Primary Sources:

Behr, Edward. The Complete Book of Les Miserables. New York: Arcade Publishing, 1989.

A complete history of Victor Hugo's Les Miserables, from novel to popular musical. The creation and production of the award-winning musical are described in detail. There are interviews with cast, directors, and producers; production notes; design and costuming concerns; and a complete libretto. There are also extensive illustrations and photographs of various productions. (Summarized from School Library Journal review on Amazon.com)

This source is included here because it contains the full libretto of the first English language production of the 1980s musical. I will use the libretto to help identify how the 2007 anime and the 2013 film were adapted from the stage play.

Les Miserables. Dir. Tom Hooper. Perf. Hugh Jackman, Russel Crowe, Anne Hathaway. Universal Pictures Home Entertainment, 2013. DVD.

This is a film adaptation by Tom Hooper in 2012. My paper will compare it to its immediate source material (the libretto of Les Miserables, the musical) as well as the original source material (the Hugo novel) to understand how the novel was adapted for a film audience from a different period and cultural context.

Hugo, Victor. Les Miserables. Trans. Charles E. Wilbour. New York: Modern Library, 1992

This is one of the earliest translations of Victor Hugo’s novel into English. It is also one of the most readily available translations of the novel. It will serve as my primary source.

Re Mizeraburu: Shōjo Kozetto (trans. Les Miserables: Little Girl Cosette, AKA Shōjo Cosette). Dir. Hiroaki Sakurai. Nippon Animation, originally aired January-December 2007 on Fuji Television.

This is an anime adaptation of Victor Hugo’s original novel for Japanese television, geared primarily toward an audience of children. As of June 6, 2015, it has not been officially translated into English, (though there are dubs into Italian, Arabic, and Tagalog), so this paper will necessarily have to depend on a fansubbed version (subbing done by non-professionals), which must therefore be treated cautiously.