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.]
Q. If I am writing out foreign book titles followed by the English title in parentheses, should the English titles appear in italics or quotations?
A. Chicago style writes the translation in plain text, no italics or quotes, no headline caps. Please see CMOS 14.99:
Koniec sojuszu trzech cesarzy [The end of the Three Emperors’ League]
If the book was published under an English title, however, then put the English title in italics as you would any other published book:
Furet, François. Le passé d’une illusion. Paris: Éditions Robert Laffont, 1995. Translated by Deborah Furet as The Passing of an Illusion (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1999).
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. In a dissertation that includes a lengthy biographical chapter sourced almost entirely by personal interviews, complex ecclesiastical archives (including diocesan newsletters, Vatican documents), and various personal letters, I, as editor, have used in-text referencing throughout except for that one chapter, for which I have used footnotes. Within that chapter, published books are also documented in-text. Is that combination of two methods of referencing acceptable? Or should I simply have used footnotes throughout because the interviews and archival information couldn’t be documented in-text?
A. Usually, a college or university’s dissertation office decides what is acceptable. If they don’t mind your system, we don’t!
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. Dear CMOS: In making bibliographic entries, I am not finding a way to call attention to multilingual publications. It would be of great value to my international audience to know that the text of the publication is translated into two, three, or four languages. I worry that it is not clear which language is used in the text, or that the entirety of the text is presented in multiple languages. How could this be accomplished?
A. You could write after the citation something like “Includes translations into French, Spanish, and German.”
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]