Q. I’m writing a paper in which I periodically have to repeat quotations, or parts of quotations, that I have already used earlier in the work. I’ve looked through CMOS but I still can’t work out how this should be done. I could just repeat the citation (I’m using author-date style), but this seems cumbersome.
A. Bingo! Repeating author-date citations is not pretty, but when you’re identifying quotations, whether previously quoted or not, it gets the job done. An alternative is to use abbreviations for the titles of works you cite frequently, in which case you should provide a list of abbreviations somewhere.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. I am writing a dissertation on a cartoon series that appeared in a magazine. The title of the magazine is in the title of the cartoon series. Do I italicize? Magazine title: The Etude Music Magazine (I will always italicize that). Cartoon series title: “The Etude Educational Cartoons” (I have put it in quotes in every instance, but my editor doesn’t know if The Etude should be italicized in this case).
A. A magazine title is always italic, even if it’s within a title in quotation marks. Please see CMOS 8.173 (“Italicized Terms and Titles within Titles”). Please note, too, that Chicago style for comic strips and cartoon series is also italics (8.200, “Cartoons”). Thus in Chicago style your title would be entirely in italics, with the magazine part quoted: “The Etude” Educational Cartoons.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. I want to refer as briefly as possible in the footnotes of my book to the two printings of the Japanese translation of a book, originally published in 1991 and reprinted with a new introduction in 2002. Can I refer as follows: C. L. R. James, Burakku jakoban (Tokyo: Omura-Shoten, 1991; 2002), or should I use a comma or a slash to distinguish the two printings?
A. Chicago style specifies the reprint date this way: (Tokyo: Omura-Shoten, 1991; repr. 2002).
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. What is the correct way to format a note citation from an edited book when the editor and the author happen to be the same person?
A. Cite it as a contribution to a multiauthor book and put the author’s name twice, where the author and editor names go. See CMOS 14.107.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. How do you cite a White Paper that was accessed online?
A. In general, such citations may follow the format for printed sources with the addition of a URL. The examples at CMOS 14.291 and 14.292 can serve as a guide. Access dates are recommended only for undated documents. Sources consulted through commercial databases such as Westlaw or LexisNexis are treated like print sources but with the addition of the database name and any identification number. Please see CMOS 14.6–18 for additional considerations in citing electronic sources.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. How would you create a footnote for an entry in the following specialized dictionary that has a single author?
Aune, David E. The Westminster Dictionary of New Testament and Early Christian Literature and Rhetoric. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2003.
Would the footnote be
1. David E. Aune, The Westminster Dictionary of New Testament and Early Christian Literature and Rhetoric, s.v. “Pathos,” Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2003.
A. That’s close! Please see the examples at CMOS 14.232. Chicago puts parentheses around the publication information and treats the sub verbo entry as a substitute for a page number, at the end of the citation:
1. David E. Aune, The Westminster Dictionary of New Testament and Early Christian Literature and Rhetoric (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2003), s.v. “pathos.”
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. I have a student who is using a letter from our archives. The letter is still under the ownership of the author, but the author is probably no longer living. How can my student use Chicago style to create a citation for a letter from the archives when the name of the author is being redacted by the student due to privacy laws?
A. Your student could cite the letter and write “[Redacted]” in place of the author name.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. I have a note for a summary of the countries that made airship purchases during a certain time frame, using a Jane’s publication to make this assessment. The relevant pages I referenced span the book—and as you can see below, I’m not just referencing a single page. Is there a better way to reference the fact that there are multiple pages, or is it better to leave all the pages listed, so people know exactly where the information came from?
1. Lord Ventry and Eugene Kolesnick, eds., Jane’s Pocket Book of Airships (New York: Collier Books, 1976), 16, 18, 23, 31, 38–45, 47, 49, 52–53, 56–57, 60–61, 80–82, 89–90, 96, 113, 117, 121, 146, 155, 159–161, 163, 167–168, 170.
A. Listing so many pages is not ideal. If the book has an index, you needn’t worry about citing only the book itself. If it doesn’t have an index, then for particular audiences or in certain contexts you might list all the page numbers. If you can organize the page numbers into smaller groups (perhaps by country), readers will be grateful.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. I am editing a work that refers many times to music recordings (albums). When using notes and bibliography style, I assume that the full citation to the album should be put in the first footnote, and in subsequent footnotes a short form is called for. What components are needed for a shortened citation for a record album?
A. CMOS is silent, so choose the elements that make the most sense to you. Performer and title, orchestra and title, composer and title, conductor and title—it needn’t be the same choice for every citation. Note that the first element in a short citation should be the element it’s listed under in your bibliography.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. In 14.181 (16th ed.) you only have “No volume number or date only,” but what about no issue number but volume only? What is the correct way of reference? Ecological Economics 82, 23-32 or Ecological Economics 82: 23-32?
A. A colon is more clear. In some cases the numbers in the citation would be confusing with a comma.
Ambiguous:
Journal Title 18, 23–32.
Journal Title 18, 6, 12.
Clear:
Journal Title 18:23–32.
Journal Title 18:6, 12.
[Update: CMOS 17 illustrates this scenario. See paragraph 15.48.]
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]