Q. In citations and references, what is the preferred format for codes and standards issued by scientific organizations? As an example, “RASB Standard 531: Antigravity and what to do when it fails” (one of many standards published by the Rebel Alliance Scientific Branch, each on a different topic and with a different number) would be set differently by each of our several editing groups here, and we are trying to find common ground. Would you suggest we treat it along the lines of (1) a book title, (2) a multivolume work, (3) an article in a periodical, or (4) something else entirely?
A. To style documents that don’t fit neatly into one of Chicago’s categories, pick out the main elements and list them in the familiar order: author or organization, title, place of publication, publisher, date. Your standards look like a series of reports, so you could write something like this: Rebel Alliance Scientific Branch, Antigravity and What to Do When It Fails, RASB Standard 531 (City: RASB, 2009).