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Citations

A resource for citations in various formats, covering when, why and how to cite.

Two Options for Citations

The Chicago Manual of Style offers writers two ways to cite others in your projects:

  1. Author-Date System: Author-Date uses parenthetical (Author Last Name, year) citations in the text to reference the source's author's last name and the year of publication. The full citation is in the "References" section at the end of the work.

  2. Notes-Bibliography (NB) System: By contrast, NB uses numbered footnotes in the text to direct the reader to a shortened citation at the bottom of the page. This corresponds to a fuller citation on a Bibliography page that concludes the document. Though the general principles of citation are the same here, the citations themselves are formatted differently from the way they appear in Author-Date.

If you are not sure which format to use, check with your professor or the organization/journal.

Basic Formatting of Your Paper

Title Page:

  • The title should be centered a third of the way down the page.
  • Your name, class information, and the date should follow several lines later.
  • For subtitles, end the title line with a colon and place the subtitle on the line below the title.
  • Double-space each line of the title page.

Main Body:

  • Use 1' margins throughout your document
  • On the header of the first page (not title page, begin adding page numbers at "1".

Font:

  • Always use double-spaced, except for block quotations, notes, bibliography entries, table titles, and figure captions.
  • A readable accessible font is recommended (times new roman, 
  • Use 12pt. font throughout the entire work.

References/Bibliography:

  • Label the first page of your back matter, your comprehensive list of sources, “Bibliography” (for Notes and Bibliography style) or “References” (for Author-Date style).
  • Leave two blank lines between “Bibliography” or “References” and your first entry.
  • Leave one blank line between remaining entries.
  • List entries in letter-by-letter alphabetical order according to the first word in each entry, be that the author's name or the title of the piece..
  • Use “and,” not an ampersand, “&,” for multi-author entries.
    • For two to three authors, write out all names.
    • For four to ten authors, write out all names in the bibliography but only the first author’s name plus “et al.” in notes and parenthetical citations.
    • When a source has no identifiable author, cite it by its title, both on the references page and in shortened form (up to four keywords from that title) in parenthetical citations throughout the text.
    • Write out publishers’ names in full.
    • Do not use access dates unless publication dates are unavailable.
    • If you cannot ascertain the publication date of a printed work, use the abbreviation “n.d.”
    • Provide DOIs instead of URLs whenever possible.
    • If no DOI is available, provide a URL.
    • If you cannot name a specific page number when called for, you have other options: section (sec.), equation (eq.), volume (vol.), or note (n.).

The Chicago Manual of Style

While The Chicago Manual of Style does not include a prescribed system for formatting headings and subheads, it makes several recommendations.

  • Maintain consistency and parallel structure in headings and subheads.
  • Use headline-style for purposes of capitalization.
  • Subheadings should begin on a new line.
  • Subheadings can be distinguished by font-size.
  • Ensure that each level of hierarchy is clear and consistent.
  • Levels of subheads can be differentiated by type style, use of boldface or italics, and placement on the page, usually either centered or flush left.
  • Use no more than three levels of hierarchy.
  • Avoid ending subheadings with periods.

Chicago Headings

Level

Format

1

Centered, Boldface or Italic Type, Headline-style Capitalization

2

Centered, Regular Type, Headline-style Capitalization

3

Flush Left, Boldface or Italic Type, Headline-style Capitalization

4

Flush left, roman type, sentence-style capitalization

5

Run in at beginning of paragraph (no blank line after), boldface or italic type, sentence-style capitalization, terminal period.

Block Quotes/Extract: 

  • When you use a quote that is 5 or more lines (100 words) you will use a block quote.
  • CMOS recommends blocking two or more lines of poetry.
  • A blocked quotation does not get enclosed in quotation marks.
  • A blocked quotation must always begin a new line.
  • Use indent/tab (1/2 inch) to indent each line of the block quote/

Font:

  • Always use double-spaced, except for block quotations, notes, bibliography entries, table titles, and figure captions.
  • A readable accessible font is recommended (times new roman, 
  • Use 12pt. font throughout the entire work.

Margins:

  • Use 1' margins throughout your document

Page Numbers:

  • On the header of the first page (not title page, begin adding page numbers at "1".