Q. How should I index the name Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo?
A. In the absence of other information or advice (such as from the author), index unfamiliar unhyphenated names in the usual way, under the last name listed—in this case, Mbasogo. CMOS 16.71–74 and 16.75–87 cover rules for indexing special types of personal names.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. The way sports writers and fans write the hortatory phrase “Go Giants!” (my home
team, and no reflection on them) drives me nuts. Shouldn’t it be “Go, Giants”?
It’s direct address, after all, and there is a vast difference between the two commands “Kill
Bill!” and “Kill, Bill!” The athletic directors whose columns
I’ve edited just scoff that it’s accepted “sports English”
to write “Go Bears/Giants/Frogs!” but I just “go bananas.”
A. Ah, sports English. Yes, that’s what it is, and there’s probably no fighting
it, although as an editor you are justified in inserting the comma.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. How do I cite CD liner notes in a bibliography?
Q. I am having a disagreement with an author regarding her quoting of newspaper articles in her paper. I think that all the
details of the article quoted should be provided, including the title. She thinks it’s enough to just
give the name of the publication and date. Which of us is right?
A. Although Chicago-style citations of newspaper articles include the titles, such titles are not always stable—they
can change from one edition to the next and can be different in print and online—so there might be reason
to omit them. Citations that back up quotations, however, should always serve to (1) verify the writer’s
assertions and (2) help the reader find the source of the quotation. If omitting the title gets in the way of either purpose,
it’s not a good idea.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. On so many levels it seems true journalism is dead, but what required reporters to take out the English language with them?
I refer to the constant phrasing similar to the following: “The defendant PLEADED not guilty at the
arraignment.” Have these people never seen or heard the word “pled,”
or did I miss a memo?
A. Sorry—you missed the memo. (You can also check usages like this in a good dictionary.)
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. If I use an author’s name or a book title in a sentence, does that change the amount of information
I must include in the footnote?
A. Yes. When notes are handy at the bottom of the page, there’s little value in repeating the information
already given in the text. When notes appear at the back of the book, however, publication data make little sense without
an author or title.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. In running text, is it necessary to include a website’s domain extension? “The
video on YouTube.com showed a cat,” for example, looks incredibly stilted. The publication I’m
working on is scholarly—but not intended specifically for grandmothers. Can I get rid of the “.com”
if it’s clear that a website is being referred to?
A. Hey, there are grandmas who could tell you that you should be careful about shortening your references, because not all sites
end in .com. If the exact site (like YouTube) can be located reliably in an online search, fine, but if you’re
referring to a more commonly used name like Best Foods, there could be any number of websites with the same name that end
in .net, .org, .biz, or other extension.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. I am writing a research paper about a school. How do I cite written histories by individuals that are not published or dated?
Thank you.
A. Give the information that you have and indicate where information is not available. Model your citation on the usual form:
author, title, kind of document (manuscript, letter, etc.), place, date, and where you found it. “N.p.”
can stand in for “no place,” “no publisher,”
and “no page number”; “n.d.” for “no
date.” For example, Deborah Dorman, “Psychoanalyzing the Penguin,”
manuscript, Misc. Papers File, Chicago College Library, n.d.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. I often have difficulty deciding how to cite translations with critical commentaries of ancient texts. What if I’m
citing a critical comment or note made by the translator/Loeb editor? The bibliography entry is
Aristotle. Nicomachean Ethics. Rev. ed. Loeb Classical Library. 1934.
But how do I refer to something the editor/translator says in that edition? If it’s like “Rackham
in Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics , p. xxx,” then do I need some separate bib entry that mentions Rackham?
A. Yes, that’s right. Your bibliography entry should include the name of the editor, like this:
Aristotle. Nicomachean Ethics. Rev. ed. Edited by H. Rackham. Loeb Classical Library. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1934.
If the editor is more central to your discussion than the author, you may put the bibliography entry under the name of the
editor instead. A cross-reference will aid the reader.
Aristotle. See Rackham, H.
Rackham, H., ed. Nicomachean Ethics, by Aristotle. Rev. ed. Loeb Classical Library. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1934.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. Per CMOS, in author-date documentation style, the citation can be placed immediately after the name in the text. If you have multiple
such references in a single paragraph, does it become awkward? E.g., Chuck (1990, 3n8) indicates his disagreement with the
theory outlined by Gregg and Harris (1990, 383, 387). However, Sherry and Lang (1991, 77–81) criticize
both arguments, as do Brown and Brown (1992, 93–98).
A. Yes, it’s awkward. Author-date style is awkward any way you slice it, although I’m
told that scholars are used to it and don’t mind. I don’t see any way around the
ugliness except to use notes and bibliography instead.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]