The Chicago Manual of Style provides two primary citation systems: the Notes and Bibliography system and the Author-Date system. The latter is particularly useful in the sciences and social sciences, where the currency of information is paramount. This format emphasizes the author’s name and publication date, making it easy for readers to locate sources in the reference list. Below are three practical examples of how to correctly cite sources using the Chicago Style Author-Date system.
Context: When writing a research paper in the humanities, you may need to reference a scholarly book. This example illustrates how to cite a book by a single author.
In the text, you would include the author’s last name and the year of publication: (Smith 2020). In the reference list at the end of your paper, the format should be as follows:
Smith, John. 2020. Understanding Modern Literature. New York: Academic Press.
Notes: Make sure to italicize the book title and use a period after the publication year. If the book has multiple authors, format it as follows:
Smith, John, and Jane Doe. 2020. Understanding Modern Literature. New York: Academic Press.
Context: In scientific research, you often need to reference journal articles. This example shows how to cite an article from an academic journal, which is vital for supporting your research findings.
In the text, you can cite it as follows: (Johnson 2019). The reference entry should look like this:
Johnson, Emily. 2019. “The Impact of Climate Change on Urban Development.” Journal of Environmental Studies 45 (2): 123-145. https://doi.org/10.1234/jes.2019.4567.
Notes: Include the DOI if available, and ensure that the journal title is italicized. If the article has multiple authors, list them all in the reference entry:
Johnson, Emily, and Michael Brown. 2019. “The Impact of Climate Change on Urban Development.” Journal of Environmental Studies 45 (2): 123-145. https://doi.org/10.1234/jes.2019.4567.
Context: With the rise of digital information, it is increasingly common to cite web sources. This example illustrates how to cite an online article from a website, a crucial skill in today’s research environment.
In the text, you would reference the author and year: (Davis 2021). The reference should appear as follows:
Davis, Linda. 2021. “The Future of Online Education.” EdTech Insights. Last modified March 15, 2021. https://www.edtechinsights.com/future-of-online-education.
Notes: When citing a webpage, include the last modified date if available. If the article does not have an author, you can begin with the title of the article:
“The Future of Online Education.” 2021. EdTech Insights. Last modified March 15, 2021. https://www.edtechinsights.com/future-of-online-education.
These examples of the Chicago Style Author-Date System demonstrate how to properly cite various types of sources, enhancing the credibility and reliability of your research papers.