Q. I am using Bible passages in an essay and I cannot seem to understand how to properly cite. What do I do about page numbers,
as the professor will not likely use the same edition as me?
A. That’s right: in Bibles, the book, chapter, and verse numbers are for the most part the same in all
editions, whereas the page numbers are not. It’s a good idea to note somewhere in your essay which version
of the Bible you are using, and then simply cite book, chapter, and verse. In Chicago style, for example, that would be Genesis
3:1.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. I am assisting with the editing of a book. Several sources have been used, and the author would like to include others as
suggested reading. For the sake of space, he would like to have just one bibliographic list. Is that acceptable? If so, should
any type of notation be made indicating which books were actually used for research?
A. It’s conventional to have one list. Bibliographies often consist of works consulted plus other sources,
so there is no need to explain this or identify which books were used.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. Hi! I am working on a white paper using results from a company survey that has not been published. We generally footnote
statistics and data (including citations from internal reports to show that we are not making the information up) in white
papers. But do I even need a footnote since this thing isn’t published and it’s
owned by my company? Is it enough to describe the survey in the body copy?
A. If by “describe” you mean to cite the source fully in the text, then no, there
is no need to add a note, regardless of the nature of the source.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. When using foreign-language archival sources, what parts of the citation should be translated into English and what parts
should be left in the original language? The name of the organization where the archive is kept (Indonesian Ministry of Culture)?
The name of the archive (Dutch East India Company Archive) or the section of the archive (Police Reports)? The descriptive
title of the document (“report on the reorganization of the regional police force by Chief of Police
S. L. Scheepmaker, chapter 2”)? In all these cases, the original language can make it easier for other
researchers to find the document if they wish. But including the translation makes it easier for readers to understand the
nature of the source.
A. Exactly—so you have to decide what your readers need and provide it. In other words, it’s
something for the writer and editor to work out. (It almost goes without saying that you should not attempt translation unless
you’re certain you’re doing it correctly.)
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Note: Recently we have been swamped with questions like the following.
Q. I am summarizing a book as part of a research paper. Am I required to cite ideas at the end of every paragraph or can one
citation serve for the whole book?
Q. I am writing a history paper using three articles. If I am talking about one and source it, and then in the next sentence
talk about it again, do I just keep re-sourcing it again and again?
Q. If I have multiple citations from the same author on the same page, how do I write the footnote? Do I list each separately?
Abbreviate them?
Q. I am a history minor, and in my paper I put citations at the end of paragraphs, unless otherwise needed. A professor wants
me to cite virtually every paragraph. He even wants me to cite information that is general knowledge, saying that not citing
these things would be plagiarism. What is generally accepted when citing in a scholarly paper?
A. So let’s review the basic ideas behind citing sources. You should cite a source (including a page number
or page range) for every idea or quotation you borrow. You don’t have to cite a source in full every
time—the author’s surname and a page number will do after the first time. You
can use a single citation (with all the relevant page numbers) at the end of a paragraph if two or more quotations or statements
from that source aren’t separated by information from another source. You can cite in a single note
all the sources you used in a single paragraph; cite them in the order you used them. If you want to be more precise, you
can use a separate note at the end of each relevant statement. Don’t ever put two note callouts side
by side; instead, use one note and put both sources in it. General knowledge is not cited in scholarly work—it
would be absurd and even at times dishonest to attribute it to a specific source—but since people may
disagree on what is general knowledge, err on the side of generosity in your documentation.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. I recently wrote an essay and used some information that my adult son gave me, and when I told him I was using it, he said
I had to cite him. In my view, if you give birth to a source and he’s still living under your roof,
you don’t have to cite him. What’s your view?
A. I’m sorry, but I’m afraid you do owe him something for the material. If you don’t
want to credit him in a citation, you might try to cast this as a work-for-hire arrangement. Tell him you’ll
negotiate the payment the next time you’re negotiating his rent.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. Is there a proper way to cite a classic such as Tacitus when I am using a web version without page or line numbers?
A. Tacitus’s texts are properly cited by book and section: Annales 13.32 or Historiae 5.24. If your web version doesn’t include those labels, it’s probably not a source
you want to be using. More generally, however, CMOS suggests that in citing unnumbered web pages it’s sometimes possible to reference a nearby subhead,
a chapter or paragraph number, or a descriptive phrase that can be searched.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. I am currently copyediting a business-advice book that has a very casual, conversational tone. The book includes a bibliography,
but so far, none of the quoted works mentioned in the text are in the bibliography. There are many sound bites from famous
actors and writers. These one-liners are not necessarily well-known quotes, but considering that the people quoted are public
figures and the quotes themselves are (in most cases) only a short sentence, is a source really needed? And then a bibliographic
entry? It seems a bit excessive, but I don’t know how else to do this. Unfortunately, this book does
not have notes. Any ideas?
A. Quotations from famous people must be attributed (to newspaper or magazine articles, blogs, online news sites, television
or radio appearances, or whatever), but you needn’t include such sources in the bibliography.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. In the citation of the following newspaper showing various issues and page numbers, would it be written like this?
Southern Patriot, 20 January 1835, 3, 27 January 1835, 3, 30 January 1835, 3, 2 February 1835, 3, 3 February 1835, 3, 3 March 1835, 3, and 19 March 1835, 3.
A. No. I’m afraid my vision began to blur when I came to “1835, 3, 27.” This calls for the deployment of what Lynne Truss calls “a kind of Special Policeman in the event of comma fights,” that is, the semicolon (Eats, Shoots & Leaves [New York: Gotham Books, 2004], 125):
Southern Patriot, 20 January 1835, 3; 27 January 1835, 3; 30 January 1835, 3; 2 February 1835, 3; 3 February 1835, 3; 3 March 1835, 3; and 19 March 1835, 3.
An alternative is to omit the page numbers, as is often done in newspaper citations, since articles may migrate from one page to another in different editions of the same paper.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. Should footnotes and bibliographic entries for foreign publications be written in the foreign language or in English?
A. Use the original language for the book title. You may transliterate languages that have non-Latin alphabets, and you may also provide an English translation of the title in brackets [Like this: Sentence-capped and roman], if you think it will be helpful to readers. The place of publication should be given in English, and if you are certain of the correct translation, you may render terms like vol. and ser. in English. Please see CMOS 14.99 and 14.202.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]