Citing Sources Using the Chicago/Turabian Style: In-Text Parenthetical Method (Author-Date)
Scope: This guide is designed to help researchers learn how to cite sources using the Chicago/Turabian in-text parenthetical method which they call the author-date system. Chicago's suggests the use of the author-date system for citation of sources in papers in the physical, natural, and social sciences. This guide is not a comprehensive list of all the types of materials that can be cited; for more information, refer to:
|
Gibaldi, Joseph. The Chicago Manual of Style. 15th ed.
Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2003. McKeldin Library Reference Desk Z253 .U69 2003 |
|
Turabian, Kate L. A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations. 6th ed.
Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996. McKeldin Library Reference Desk LB 2369. T8 1996 |
Turabian's manual translates Chicago style into a more concise form for students. However, it is based on the 14th edition of Chicago so is not as current as the Chicago Manual (the most recent is the 15th edition.) So, at least for electronic sources, it is recommended that you use the 15th ed. of Chicago. All the citations below are based on the Chicago 15th edition.
Chicago's Web site also contains a Q & A section.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Overview of Chicago/Turabian Documentation Systems
- How to Construct an In-Text Parenthetical Reference
- Documenting Specific Types of Sources in the Reference List Using the Author-Date System
Overview of Chicago/Turabian Documentation Systems
Chicago/Turabian allows for 2 different systems of documentation: an in-text parenthetical system called the author-date system, suggested for use in the physical, natural, and social sciences, and a notes system which is suggested for use in the humanities, art, and history.This guide outlines the author-date system. For more information on using the notes system, which Chicago/Turabian recommends for papers in the humanities, art, and history, see Citing Sources Using the Chicago/Turabian Style: Notes System.
What distinguishes the author-date system from the notes system is that the author-date system inserts some source information directly into the text itself, surrounded by parentheses, and follows up with the rest of the source information in a Referenes list at the end of the paper. For example, you're writing a paper on the "ideal" politician and are quoting a particular author's idea about what qualities are desirable in a politician. An exerpt from a sentence containing the parenthetical reference using the author-date system would look like this:
While some assert that the essential qualities a politician must possess are, "passion, a feeling of responsibility, and a sense of proportion" (Weber 1946, 33), others think that...
while the entry in the list of References (see sample paper) would look like this:
Weber, Max. 1946. Politics as a Vocation. In Essays in Sociology, ed. H.H. Garth and C. W. Mills, 26-45. New York: Macmillian.
How to Construct an In-Text Parenthetical Reference
| Source | Citation |
|---|---|
| Basic Form: Author's last name and year of publication | (Cox 1997) |
| 2 authors with the same name: Add an initial | (M. Cox 1997) |
| Specific page or section is cited: Insert comma after the date and then page number. Always include page number for quotes. | (Cox 1997, 21) |
| Two publications by the same author in the same year: Use a and b | (Cox 1997a) and (Cox 1997b) |
| Citing 2-3 authors: Include all names | (Cox, Cunningham, and Hatleberg 1997) |
| More than 3 authors | (Cox et al. 1997) |
| Multiple references in the same citation: Separate with semicolons | (Cox 1997; Cunningham 1996; Hatleberg 1996) |
Documenting Specific Types of Sources Using the Author-Date System
| Book | Citation |
|---|---|
| 1 Author: Use form of name given on title page | Bagby, J.W. 2003. The cyberlaw handbook for e-commerce.New York: Harcourt Brace. |
| 3 Editors | Baumer, David L., Julius Poindexter, and Janice Brown, eds. 2002. Cyberlaw and e-commerce. Boston: McGraw Hill. |
| 4-10 Authors/2nd Edition: List all names | Smith, John, Janice Brown, Chris W. Enkunde, and Lois Denmark. 2004. The history of the world wide web. 2nd ed. Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Press. |
| Chapter in an edited multiauthor book: | Heller, Chris, and Andrea Gottlieb. 2001. Gender roles in Ethiopian culture. In Gender in cross-cultural perspective, ed. Sherry Collier, 45-56. Louisville, KY: Pilgrim Press. |
| Letter to the Editor | Citation |
|---|---|
| Print Source | More common to cite newspapers using parenthetical references. For example: "In her letter to the editor (Baltimore Sun, May 20, 2003), Melissa Jones stated that..." In this case, no citation would be needed. Otherwise, the citation in the reference list would be: Jones, Melissa. 2003. Letter to the editor. Baltimore Sun, May 20, 2003. |
| On the Web-found using a library database | Jones, Melissa. 2003. Letter to the editor. Baltimore Sun, May 20, 2003. http://www.epnet.com/(accessed June 23, 2004). |
| Newspaper Article | Citation |
|---|---|
| In print-author known | Epstein, Edward. 2005. It's that time again: Lawmakers revisit daylight saving. San Francisco Chronicle, April 9, 2005, final edition. |
| In print-author unknown | New York Times. 1995. Corporations adopt on site nurseries. April 19. |
| Online-found using a library database | Epstein, Edward. 2005. It's that time again: Lawmakers revisit daylight saving. San Francisco Chronicle, April 9, 2005, final edition. http://www.lexis-nexis.com/ (accessed May 16, 2005). |
| Online news service/site | Sahadi, Jeanna. 2005. Bankruptcy bill passes in House. CNN.com, April 14, 2005. http://www.cnn.com/2005/Polit/house/bankr.html (accessed May 24, 2005). |
| Web site | Citation |
|---|---|
| Web sites (Not online news sites) | Sullivan, Danny. Boolean searching. Search Engine Watch. http://www.searchenginewatch.com/boolean/how to.html |
| Web sites, no author known: Owner of site may be used in place of author | Buddhist Instruction Retreat. Fundamental Buddhism explained. http://www.fundamentalbuddhism.com/buddhism.html |
| Sample Research Paper Using Chicago's Author-Date System* |
|---|
 |
| *Not necessarily relevant subject content for Chicago/Turabian author-date style. Sample paper is only presented to illustrate the formatting conventions of the style. |
