Q. When listing “several citations in a single note,” the example given in CMOS 14.57 shows an “and” before the last citation. However, in a CMOS Shop Talk post with an example of two citations in one note, there is no “and” after the semicolon. Please clarify if Chicago style is to use “and” before the last citation (1) when there are two citations and (2) when there are several citations.
A. The “and” is optional in either case. Think of a footnote as a sentence. It’s punctuated like one, though typically it’s presented in the form of a fragment. In other words, this:
1. Author Name, Title of Book (Facts of Publication), 33.
is equivalent to this:
1. See Author Name, Title of Book (Facts of Publication), 33.
That “See” in the second example, which is understood in the first, makes explicit the fact that a note is an imperative sentence. When additional sources are added, “and” may be similarly understood:
1. [See] Author Name, Title of Book (Facts of Publication), 33; [and (or “and see”)] Another Author, Another Title (Different Facts of Publication), 121–22.
Though it can save space and reduce repetition to omit these words, there’s no reason they can’t be included if desired—or expanded on as needed:
1. See Author Name, Title of Book (Facts of Publication), 33. For a different perspective, see Another Author, Another Title (Different Facts of Publication), 121–22.
Back to “and.” If in doubt, add it; the conjunction can help readers identify the end of one source and the beginning of another. But try to be consistent in your approach across any single document.