General
Q: I’ve tried searching The Chicago Manual of Style but am unable to find the answer to my question about a style matter. Are your technical support agents able to answer my inquiry?
A: Unfortunately, no. If you cannot find the information that you are looking for in The Chicago Manual of Style, please submit it to the CMOS Online Q&A. Please note that we are unable to answer every question we receive. Subscribers may also post questions on the CMOS Online Users Forum, where readers discuss style matters.
Q: I signed up for a 30-day free trial. Will I be signed up for a subscription automatically when the trial expires?
A: No. We do not request credit card information from free-trial users and will not automatically begin paid subscriptions for them. You will receive a notification that the trial is ending and can opt in to a paid subscription at that time.
Q: I just signed up for a 30-day free trial but I'm unable to login. Why?
A: Before you can log in, you must respond to the activation email sent to you. It may be in your spam folder, as frequently reported by Gmail users.
Q: When can I renew my subscription?
A: Individual and group subscriptions can be renewed beginning 90 days before expiration. You will receive an email notification when your account qualifies for renewal. Renewal links are located on the home page and in Account Management.
For information about institutional renewals, please contact cmos@uchicago.edu.
Q: Are there any plans to provide a “style-check” tool?
A: Yes! We have partnered with Intelligent Editing, and are now offering an official Chicago style check as a part of the PerfectIt software. Subscribers to CMOS Online and to PerfectIt can access the tool. For more information, visit the CMOS for PerfectIt page.
Q: When will the content of The Chicago Manual of Style Online be updated?
A: The editorial guidelines presented in the 18th edition of The Chicago Manual of Style will remain consistent throughout the life of the edition and in all formats in which the Manual is published. In other words, no changes in styles or rules will be made to the current edition, either in print or online.
Moreover, the content of the Manual online is intended to be identical to the content of the printed book. Occasionally, however, a typographical correction or other minor clarification is needed. Such errors will be corrected online as soon as they are discovered and will also be corrected in subsequent impressions of the printed book. See our Editorial Policy for more information.
Technical Support Questions
Q: I can’t log in. Why not?
A: If you are a paid subscriber with an individual account, please make sure that you are entering your username and password correctly and that the Caps Lock keyboard function is off. If the problem persists, email cmos@uchicago.edu with a description of your problem.
If you have subscribed as part of a group, the Account Management area located in the page footer is available only to the group administrator, who may use this portion of the site to renew and update group information. All other group members should click on their username or use the “Log In” link, which is located at the top right-hand corner of each page, to access the contents of The Chicago Manual of Style.
Institutional patrons and free-trial users are unable to access Account Management.
Q: I'm trying to log in to my individual or group subscription, but get a message that says "you are accessing CMOS via an institutional subscription." What should I do?
A: This happens when an individual subscriber accesses the internet via a subscribing institution, such as a university campus or a company VPN. Everyone logged in to the network is automatically granted access to the institution's subscription. To access an individual account from within an institutional IP range, one must log out of the institution's network and then use individual credentials to log in.
Q: Why do I have access to Account Management but not the protected content of the website?
A: If you are a group administrator, please note that the administrator log-in information is used only to log in to the Account Management page. All users, including the group administrator, must use the group log-in information to access the content of The Chicago Manual of Style. If your group uses the My Manual personalization features, the administrator must occupy a spot on the member list and create an individual username and password to access the contents of the Manual.
Q: Some of the pages on this site do not seem to be displaying correctly for me. Why and how can I fix it?
A: The supported browsers for this website are listed on the Recommended Browsers page. If you are using a different browser or an earlier version of a browser listed, the site may not display properly. Try using a recommended browser.
Q: How do I delete my cookies?
A: The procedure for deleting cookies depends on your browser type and version. Here are some general instructions for managing cookies on three browser types.
Payment Questions
Q: Do you provide discounts for nonprofit, academic, or government organizations?
A: CMOS Online rates are tiered to offer affordable rates for a wide range of organization types. Rates are based on an organization's number of full-time employees/members/students/users, annual revenue, industry classification, and business or corporation type. Institutions in Higher Education are ranked by Basic Carnegie Classification. Please email cmos@uchicago.edu for details.
Q: My organization is tax-exempt. To not be charged tax for this product, what do I need to provide?
A: Because CMOS Online is an electronic product, no tax is charged for subscription purchases within the United States with the exception of WA. If you have a VAT exemption number (Europe), please privide it when purchasing or renewing your subscription. For queries on tax issues outside the United States (or in the state of Washington), please contact cmos@uchicago.edu, as each country has its own regulations.
Q: Can you invoice my organization for my individual subscription?
A: Yes. To establish an individual subscription and have an invoice sent to your organization, please email cmos@uchicago.edu.
Q: Can I pay for my individual subscription with a personal check?
A: Yes. Visit the Payment Options Page for details. Email cmos@uchicago.edu to set up your account.
Q: Do you take American Express?
A: Yes, we accept MasterCard, Visa, American Express, and Discover credit cards. We are unable to accept debit cards or check cards.
Q: Where can I send a purchase order?
A: Purchase orders may be sent by email to cmos@uchicago.edu. They may also be sent to our postal address:
The University of Chicago Press
Subscription Fulfillment
1427 E. 60th Street
Chicago, IL 60637 USA
Group Subscription Questions
Q: How many members do we need to get a discounted price as a group?
A: You will need six or more members to qualify for a discount. Members 1–5 pay the individual subscription rate.
Q: Is it possible to increase the number of members in a group subscription?
A: Yes. Your group administrator can increase the number of members in your group in Account Management.
Q: Can I change my member list if an employee no longer needs to use the Manual?
A: Yes. The group administrator can log in to Account Management and edit the list of group members under Create or Update Group Member Information. From the Group Account screen, the administrator can also change the billing address on the account, update administrator contact information, or renew the subscription.
Q: Can the group administrator also be a group member?
A: Yes. An additional seat must be purchased, as the group administrator role is for admin purposes only. You'll also need a different username and password for the group member account.
Institutional Subscription Questions
Q: Can we provide off-campus access for library users though our proxy server?
A: Yes, so long as only authorized users have access to your server.
Q: How can subscribing libraries track usage statistics?
A: Monthly usage reports are available upon request. Please send requests to cmos@uchicago.edu.
Q: Do you provide free trials for institutions?
A: Yes, we offer institutional free trials. Please contact us at cmos@uchicago.edu for more information.