At The UCWbL, tutors work with writers who use many different genres and citation styles, and we tend to be the most comfortable with those we use ourselves. So, for those of you who are unfamiliar with Chicago Style, here are some answers to questions I’ve had about the style that I sought to answer!
What are Chicago Style citations?
Chicago Style citations come in two forms: Notes & Bibliography (NB) and author-date. NB uses numbered notes super-scripted within the text that correspond to either footnotes or endnotes with the source attached. A bibliography also lists the sources at the end of the paper. The author-date form is the way of citing a source using the author’s name and publication year in parentheses within the text. Despite these differences, the two forms have a shared purpose in serving to point a reader to a source.
“Turabian” style is an almost identical spin-off of these two forms but is slightly altered for students, whose papers may not be intended for publication.
What Do Chicago Style Citations Look Like?
Here’s an example of a source cited in the NB form:
Footnote or Endnote (N):
- Alain de Botton, The Architecture of Happiness (New York: Vintage Books, 2006), page number.
Corresponding bibliographical entry (B):
de Botton, Alain. The Architecture of Happiness. New York: Vintage Books, 2006.
Who Uses Them & Why?
Many people who work in the humanities prefer the NB system of Chicago Style citations because it establishes credibility and demonstrates accountability to the sources referenced. The author-date form, on the other hand, is more commonly used in scientific fields. In both cases, the main purpose of these citations is to confidently point a reader directly to a source, whether it’s published or not.
What are the Advantages of Using the Notes System in Chicago Style?
This form is incredibly flexible since it allows space for commentary on sources and it also makes room for sources that are out of the ordinary. Due to its flexibility, the Notes system is preferred by many writers, especially those in fields like history & the arts.
Sources Referenced/For More Information:
“Chicago Manual of Style 17th Edition.” Purdue Owl. 2018. https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/717/01/.
“Source Citations: An Overview: Notes and Bibliography.” The Chicago Manual of Style Online. University of Chicago. 2017. http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/book/ed17/part3/ch14/psec001.html.
“Turabian Quick Guide.” University of Chicago Press. Accessed April 14, 2018. http://www.press.uchicago.edu/books/turabian/turabian_citationguide.html.