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The Chicago Manual of Style
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The notes (footnotes, endnotes or both) allow space for unusual types of sources as well as for commentary on the sources cited. When notes and bibliography are paired it allows for greater flexibility. The flexibility of this system is preferred by many writers in literature, history and the arts. The notes, whether footnotes or endnotes, are usually numbered and correspond to superscript note references numbers in the text; in electronic formats, notes and note numbers are usually linked.¹
A footnote or and endnote generally lists the author, title, and facts of publication, in that order. Elements are separated by commas; the facts of publications are enclosed in parentheses. Author's names are presented first name first. Titles are capitalized headline-style, unless they are in another language. Titles of larger works (books, and journals) are italicized; titles of smaller works (chapters, articles) or unpublished works are presented in roman and enclosed in quotation marks. Terms such as editor / edited by, translator / translated by, volume, and edition are abbreviated.²
In the Notes and Bibliography system, citations are generally provided in the main text through the use of footnotes or endnotes each time you use a source, whether through a direct quote, paraphrase, or summary. Footnotes are added at the end of the page on which the source is referenced, while endnotes are compiled at the end of each chapter or at the end of the entire document. In either case, a superscript number corresponding to a note, along with the bibliographic information for that source, should be placed in the text following the end of the sentence or clause in which the source is referenced. In addition, a bibliography provides complete information on the works cited and may also refer to other works consulted. In works with no bibliography or only a selected list, full details must be given in a note at first mention of any work cited; subsequent citations need only include a short form.³
If a work includes a bibliography, which is typically preferred, then it is not necessary to provide full publication details in notes. However, if a bibliography is not included with a work, the first note for each source should include all relevant information about the source: author’s full name, source title, and facts of publication. If you cite the same source again, or if a bibliography is included in the work, the note only needs to include the surname of the author, a shortened form of the title (if more than four words), and the page number(s). However, in a work that does not include a bibliography, it is recommended that the full citation be repeated when it is first used in a new chapter. If you cite the same source two or more times consecutively, CMOS recommends using shortened citations.
In a bibliography entry the elements are separated by periods rather than by commas; the facts of publication are not enclosed in parentheses; and the first-listed author's name, according to which the entry is alphabetized in the bibliography, is usually inverted (last name first). Titles are capitalized headline-style, unless they are in a language other than English (8.159, 11.6); Titles of larger works such as books and journals are italicized; and titles of smaller works such as journal articles are presented in roman and enclosed in quotation marks. Noun forms such as editor, translator, volume and edition are abbreviated, and verb forms such as edited by and translated by are spelled out.⁴
1. The Chicago Manual of Style 17th Edition. (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2017), 743.
2. Chicago Manual of Style, 751-2.
3. Chicago Manual of Style, 751.
4. Chicago Manual of Style, 752.