Chicago Manual of Style

What is it?

Chicago Manual of Style. 15th ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2003.

Where can I find a copy?

• Perkins Reference Desk Z253 .C53
• Lilly Ready Reference Z253 .C53
• Biological & Environmental Sciences
• Marine
• Music
• Divinity, Ford, Law, Medical Center
• Earlier editions in Special Collections
• Copies are available for purchase in campus bookstores

Who should use it?

• Students whose professors require Chicago
• Scholars in the humanities, literature and the arts should use the 'notes-bibliography' style, and scholars in the social, physical, or natural sciences should use the 'author-date' system.
• Note: Turabian is designed to complement the Chicago Manual of Style but be simpler and easier for undergraduates to use.

How to cite sources within the text of your paper using Chicago style:

Consult the guide directly for information about citing sources within your paper. Documentation methods differ according to subject discipline: the humanities, literature and the arts use notes, whether footnotes or endnotes, generally but not always with a bibliography following the text of the paper. The social, physical, or natural sciences use in-text parenthetical citations of the author, date, and page number, with a reference list at the end of the paper. There are a number of variations and customizations possible.

How to cite works in the bibliography or reference list at the end of your paper using Chicago:

Chicago style usually includes a complete list of all works cited at the end of the paper. Each reference in the text should refer to a work in the list of works cited. The 'notes-bibliography' style used in the humanities, literature and the arts calls the list of works cited a bibliography, and arranges it according to Documentation One in the Examples. The 'author-date' style used in the social, physical and natural sciences calls the list of works cited a reference list, and arranges it according to Documentation Two in the Examples. Each kind of work is cited in its own way; for details for both documentation styles see the Examples.

Have more questions?

For citing electronic sources try the Online Guide. For other areas not covered by these 'how to' pages, try Chicago Manual of Style itself, available at the Perkins and Lilly Reference Desks. If you have further questions, consult the Reference Desks at Perkins or Lilly Libraries.