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Citation & Reference Guide

A research guide that contains information on different citation styles and examples on how to use them.

Footnotes & Quotations

Every time you use another person's ideas in your assignment, whether you present them in quotations or write them in your own words, you must cite and reference. This page demonstrates how to create citations using the Notes and Bibliography system of the Chicago Citation Style, and how to add quotations to your text. If you are interested in learning about creating references for your bibliography, please consult the Bibliography page. 

For more information on citing in the Notes and Bibliography system, and quoting, please consult chapter 14 of The Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition, 2017).

Footnotes (to go to the Quotations section, click here)

General Information 

Formatting

The Chicago Notes and Bibliography Citation Style uses footnotes for the citation of sources in the text:

  • Insert a superscript number after the clause or sentence you wish to cite in your assignment. This number refers the reader to a note starting with the same number at the bottom of the same page, also known as a footnote. A footnote offers information on the source being cited, such as the author's name, the title of the work, the year and place of publication, and the page(s) from which a specific piece of information originated. 

  • In the Chicago Notes and Bibliography style, it is also possible to use endnotes instead of footnotes. They are distinguished by their location. Footnotes can be found at the bottom of the relevant page, whereas endnotes are located at the end of a chapter or a document. Since footnotes are most commonly used by students at Saint Paul University, this guide focuses on that particular note style.

  • When a superscript number is found at the end of a sentence, it is placed after the final punctuation mark. When a superscript number is found at the end of a quote, it is placed after the final quotation mark.

  • Place an indent of 5 spaces (1 cm) on the first line of every footnote. Do not indent subsequent lines.

  • Separate the different components of a footnote (author's name, title of the work, date of publication, etc.) by commas.

  • Single space footnotes internally. Put double spaces between footnotes.

For example:

In the body of your text:

Studies demonstrate that team building activities are essential to having a harmonious workplace.1 Polish researchers, in particular, recommend “reserving an afternoon for employees during which they are able to enjoy and collaborate on an activity, whether it is playing board games or taking part in sports.”2 This is a strategy (which is explained in great detail by Johnson)3 that was very popular in the 1970s.

At the bottom of the same page:

_______________________________________

 1. Jill E. Cumberland, An Introduction to Team Management (New York: MBA Press, 2005), 22.

       2.  Lara Bobienski and Anatol Kaczka, "Building Stronger Teams in the Corporate World," Management Monthly 34, no. 2 (2014): 134, doi:10.1045/rmh0000009.

           3.  Harold Johnson, "Team Building Games," in Increasing Team Spirit in the Workplace, eds. Juliet L. Burns and Cara Watson (Sudbury, ON: White Water, 2005), 334-50.

Full and Short Form of Footnotes

The first time you cite a source in your work, the full form of the footnote must be given, which includes the author's full name, the title of the work, and the publication information.  A short form is presented in subsequent citations. In this case, the family name, a shortened version of the title (if longer than four words), and the page number(s) are given. Omit the initial A or The, and only include the significant words of the short form of the title.

Here's an example for an online journal article:

Full Form

     1. Trevor Devine, "Relations Between Europe and the Middle East During the Middle Ages: The Case of the Holy Roman Empire," World History and Archaeology Journal 118, no, 3 (2010): 364-65, http://www.whaj.com/issues/index.

Short Form

     14. Devine, "Relations Between Europe,"  370.

In the case above, Devine's work was cited at the beginning of the research paper and, again, a few pages later.

Footnote Types

For footnote types, see the Chicago Citations and References page. 

 
Quotations (to go to the Footnotes section, click here)
Quotations and paraphrases are two different ways in which to present another person's ideas in your assignment. When you use the exact words a person used in another source, you are directly quoting them (direct quotation). When you explain another person's ideas in your own words, you are paraphrasing them. This section specifically shows you how integrate direct quotations into your assignment. See chapter 13 of the Chicago Manual of Style, 17th Edition for full information on quotations. 
 
Short Direct Quotations
  • Short direct quotations are quotes that are less than 100 words. You need to put short quotations in quotation marks, and indicate the quote by using a subscript number. You will then include a citation in your footnotes section for the quote. You will also need to create a full reference in your bibliography. 

Mitchell investigates “possible causal pathways connecting genetic replicators and social behaviors.”1

(taken from https://getproofed.com)

 
Long Direct Quotations
  • Long direct quotations are quotes that are more than 100 words. You need to start a new paragraph for a long direct quotation, and you do not use quotation marks. The quote is indented 0.5 from the margin and is a freestanding block of text. You will also need to include a footnote and a full reference in your bibliography. 

Discussing genetics and behavior, Mitchell writes that:

In order to evaluate the legitimacy of such explanations it is, thus, necessary to explicate the variety of possible causal pathways connecting genetic replicators and social behaviors. If phenotypic variation is the direct object of natural selection, one must understand the underlying relationship between the phenotypic expression and genetic replicators to argue that any such phenotypic trait is, or can be, an adaptation.¹

This suggests the relationship between genetics and behavior in animals is…

(taken from https://getproofed.com)

Sample Citations in Chicago

To find out what citations (footnotes) done in the Chicago Citation Style look like, consult the following link:

Chicago Style: Sample Notes & Bibliography Paper

This is an entire research paper in the Chicago Notes & Bibliography Citation Style created by Purdue University. It includes examples of footnotes and of a bibliography. 

Abbreviations

Certain words may be abbreviated in your footnotes.

Here is a list of commonly used abbreviations that are accepted in the Chicago Style. For full information on abbreviations, consult chapter 10 of the The Chicago Manual of Style, 17th Edition, 2017.

ed.            editor, edition, edited by
eds.          editors
et al.         and others
n.d.           no date of publication
no.            number
nos.          numbers
n.p.           no place of publication
par.           paragraph
rev.            revised
trans.        translator, translated by
vol.            volume

Place Names

Here are guidelines for writing place names in your footnotes. A place name is normally found before the name of a publisher to indicate where a specific work was published. The guidelines for place names can be found in sections 8.44-8.59 (pp. 478-485) of The Chicago Manual of Style:

If the city of publication of a work is not well known or may be confused with another city of the same name, include the abbreviation for the state, province, or country in which that city is located. Use the two-letter postal codes for Canadian provinces and territories, and American states. The capital of the United States, Washington, is always followed by the abbreviation "DC". For example:

London, ON: Shooting Star Books
Belleville, NY: Scholars Press
Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press
Washington, DC: Academica

If the city of publication is well known, an abbreviation for the state, province, or country is not required. For example:

Paris: Éditions Jeunesse
New York: HarperCollins
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

Always write the English names for foreign cities. For example: Florence (not Firenze), Mexico City (not México), Lisbon (not  Lisboa).

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

A digital object identifier, or DOI, is a unique alphanumeric code assigned to an online article. This code helps you quickly identify and locate that article on the web. Some electronic books can also have DOIs.

A DOI is typically found on the first page of an article/book or in the article/book's record in a database. If you are unable to find it, use the free DOI lookup by crossref.org. Please note that not all online articles and e-books are assigned a DOI.

If a DOI is listed with an electronic article or an e-book, make sure to include it in your footnote. This piece of information will make it easier for readers of your research paper to find that article/book.

Here is an example of a DOI:

     doi:10.1037/0278-6133.24.2.225

If you have a DOI number and want to find the article or book that it is associated with, simply enter it in the search box on crossref.org.

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