Q. I see nothing in CMS about indicating the language a book is translated from, which seems shortsighted. Thanks.
A. In any context where readers might not be able to guess the original language of a title and would find the information helpful, the writer or editor can annotate the citation (e.g., “Translated from Incan”). Usually, however, in notes and bibliographies many or most of the translated works are either from familiar languages or from unfamiliar languages that have been discussed and identified throughout the text. In that case, it would be tiresome and patronizing to repeatedly point out the obvious.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. CMOS 15.20 says, “Two or more works by the same author in the same year must be differentiated by the addition of a, b, and so forth (regardless of whether they were authored, edited, compiled, or translated), and are listed alphabetically by title. Text citations consist of author and year plus letter.” “Conga Line” is a sequel to “Jazz Madness”—published separately but in the same year. My author insists the sequel appear second in the reference list rather than alphabetically. Nothing in the titles indicates that these are companion volumes, but the author is getting petulant. Advice, please!
A. Since the author feels strongly about the matter, if you have the power to show a little flexibility, it would be the gracious thing to do. I can’t think of any way in which this would confuse or inconvenience readers, although if in doubt, it would be easy enough to clarify by annotating the citation, e.g., “(sequel to ‘Jazz Madness’).”
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. A book in my bibliography is an extended interview with philosopher Jean-François Lyotard done by an editor, Jean-Loup Thébaud. The title page identifies the authors as Lyotard and Thébaud (in that order), but the Library of Congress CIP data lists only Lyotard on the main card. The book is translated from the French edition. According to WorldCat the first edition (1979) is titled Au Juste: Conversations, but a later (2006) edition is simply titled Au Juste, and WorldCat lists both Lyotard and Thébaud as authors for both French editions. How should I cite this work in my text and bibliography and why?
A. Cite whichever edition you consulted for your work, because documenting your sources is the primary purpose of providing citations. Or, if you are merely including the book as recommended reading, cite it in the form (or forms) your readers can locate most easily, because directing readers to sources is another purpose of citing. If the latter involves adding “Sometimes cataloged under both Lyotard and Thébaud” or “First published in French as . . .” to the end of the citation, there’s nothing wrong with that.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. I’m editing an entry in a list of references. We are asked to provide the date of access. The date the writer accessed the material was the very same day it was published; however, it was published in the Philippines, but it was accessed in the United States. So we have an access date that is one day before the date of publication. The publisher/client thinks this looks weird. Which option do you like best/dislike least:
(1) Keep the access date as is (one day before the publication date)
(2) Change the access date info to something like “Accessed on the date of publication”
(3) Change the access date to the date of publication
(4) Something else entirely
A. Your question is a new one for us! Answer 2 looks best, with the addition of the US date, in case it matters: accessed on the date of publication (May 6, 2012, in the US).
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. I have an author who wants to use a quote about the subject of his book by a famous, now deceased news anchor on the cover, but it turns out that the quote is something he heard at a speaking engagement. Do you think it would be OK to use a paraphrase on the book jacket? Would you recommend citing it in the copyright page as “overheard at a dinner speech”? I really want to tell him no, that it’s not appropriate to use something he heard for promotional copy, but I don’t know, and he’s not the easiest person to deal with. Thanks!
A. Although this kind of quote might be salvaged as an anecdote in the text of a book, we would not use it on a book jacket, since it can’t be reliably or succinctly sourced, and it might give potential buyers the impression that the book is gossipy and not carefully documented. (Of course, for some books that could be a plus.) It’s not usual to explain jacket sources inside the book, since jackets and covers can change with new printings and buyers often separate the jackets from the book in any case. So a thumbs-down from Chicago! Good luck with your author.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. How would I cite from a curator’s statement of an art exhibit and specifically note that the curator’s statement is included in the exhibit, and is not simply a statement made in an article or interview? Perhaps something like this? Ann MacDonald, curatorial statement, Souvenir involontaire, by Melanie Rocan (Saskatoon, SK: Kenderdine Art Gallery).
A. That’s a good start. Include the usual facts (person, place, date) and explain them clearly. As you have it, however, Souvenir involontaire might be the title of the statement. If MacDonald was commenting on an exhibit of Rocan’s art, rewrite for clarity: Ann MacDonald, curatorial statement displayed in Melanie Rocan’s Souvenir involontaire exhibit, Kenderdine Art Gallery, Saskatoon, SK. If possible, add a date.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. Dear Editors: I’m familiar with chapter 14 of the manual, but how can I format a citation to an entire issue of a journal: no editors, no special title?
A. Cite it as usual, but without an article title: Critical Inquiry 39, no. 1 (Autumn 2012).
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. If you are presenting a quotation that contains footnotes within the original passage, do you retain those footnotes in the quoted passage, or is it all right to drop them as long as you provide the usual attribution via your own paper’s citations?
A. It’s conventional to drop the notes from quoted text. If you want to refer to the content of a note, however, quote and cite it separately.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. I can’t seem to find any definitive answer on how to cite occasional papers. These are more than working papers and have a date and place of publication.
A. Any paper with a date and place of publication may follow the usual citation format: author (or organization), title, place, publisher, date. If CMOS doesn’t have an example of your specific type of paper, find something similar and model your citation on it (perhaps at paragraph 14.178 or 14.179). A published title of a stand-alone occasional paper is italicized; titles of unpublished papers are quoted. Don’t worry about a “definitive answer”—the main thing is to include the information that will document your source and help readers find it.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. When including a direct quote translated into English from a source written in a foreign language, how should this be indicated? Is it necessary to make it clear that the author of the work in which the source is cited, rather than the author of the source or a translator, has translated the quote from the original? If so, how?
A. Yes; in a scholarly publication this is required. You can write in parentheses “translated by the author” or “Smith’s translation” or whatever applies. If there are many such translations you can explain in a note: “All quotations of Petroski are Smith’s translations unless stated otherwise.”
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]