chicago-formatting

# Chicago / Turabian Formatting for Qualitative Work The *Chicago Manual of Style* offers two citation systems: **notes-bibliography** (NB) and **author-date** (AD). Many humanities dissertations use NB; many social sciences accept AD. Pick one system and **stay consistent**. ## Notes-bibliography system Citations appear as **footnotes or endnotes** with superscript numbers in text. Notes include full or shortened source forms depending on whether it is the first citation. A **bibliography** lists all sources alphabetically at the end. Typical use: history, some education and religious studies, legal-adjacent writing, narrative-heavy qualitative theses. ## Author-date system Citations appear parenthetically in text: (Smith 2020, 45–46). Reference list entries resemble APA-like author-date entries but follow Chicago punctuation and capitalization rules. Typical use: anthropology, parts of sociology when Chicago is required. ## When to use each Use NB when: - Discursive footnotes carry substantive commentary. - Advisors expect classical humanities form. Use AD when: - You want in-text compactness similar to APA. - You write for social-science journals using author-date Chicago. ## Formatting differences from APA (high level) - Title capitalization in notes/bibliography follows **headline-style** for sources in Chicago (contrast with APA sentence-style for article titles). - Publication locations appear for some book entries in NB (check current Chicago for rules on omitting cities). - Quotation integration and punctuation with quotes differ—follow Chicago’s “American style” quote rules unless instructed otherwise. ## Bibliography vs reference list NB ends with **Bibliography** (often alphabetical by author). AD ends with **Reference list** (alphabetical). Do not mix NB footnotes with an APA-style reference list without explicit guidance. ## Common source types (patterns to verify in CMOS) - **Book:** Author. *Title*. Place: Publisher, Year. - **Chapter:** Author. “Chapter Title.” In *Book Title*, edited by Editor, pages. Place: Publisher, Year. - **Journal:** Author. “Article Title.” *Journal* volume, no. issue (Year): pages. URL/DOI if applicable. Always confirm italics/quotation marks for titles against the current edition. ## Chicago-specific rules (selected reminders) - **Ibid.** usage has evolved across editions—verify for your CMOS version. - **Shortened notes** after first full citation reduce clutter. - **Access dates** for unstable URLs may be required—follow department style. ## Qualitative writing notes Long ethnographic excerpts may require **block indentation** per Chicago. If you reproduce participant dialogue, ensure consent and anonymization align with ethics; Chicago cares about **accuracy** and **ellipsis** ethics too. ## Turabian *A Manual for Writers* aligns with Chicago but streamlines student work. Use Turabian when assigned; otherwise CMOS is authoritative. ## Checklist - [ ] NB vs AD chosen; not mixed. - [ ] First full note/reference correct; shortened forms consistent. - [ ] Bibliography/reference list alphabetized and complete. - [ ] Title capitalization and italics match Chicago. - [ ] Block quotes and ellipses follow Chicago mechanics. ## References (starting points) - *The Chicago Manual of Style* (17th ed.). - Turabian, K. L. *A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations* (9th ed.).