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Referencing styles - a Practical Guide

Chicago

Chicago referencing style

Used by: English (also use MLA), History, History of Art, Music

(please note Music references should use single quotation marks in place of double)

Introduction to Chicago referencing style

This guide is based on the 18th edition of The Chicago Manual of Style

The Chicago style originates from the University of Chicago, and is used in humanities subjects. 

If you prefer to format your citations according to the styles set out in earlier editions of the manual please follow the links to the 17th edition of the Chicago Manual of Style, or our previous guide which sets out citation examples as per the guidance in the 16th edition.

 

In-text citations

Chicago uses a footnote citation system.

In the text, a number in superscript1 is added after the information:

Ferrer presents the awkwardness of conversations between different townspeople.1


The reference is then given in the footnote at the bottom of the page. Give full details of a source the first time it is cited, and a shortened version including the author and title for subsequent citations. If the title is more than five words long, it can be shortened in subsequent citations. 

First citation: 1. Ada Ferrer, Cuba: An American History (Scribner, 2021), 437.
Subsequent citations: 2. Ferrer, Cuba, 440–41.

 

Reference list

The reference list at the end of the document includes the full details of each source so the reader can find them themselves. The list is organised alphabetically by author surname. 

The information to include depends on the types of source - see the examples on this page.

 

Useful resources

Guidance for all source types

This guidance applies to all source types.

1 author

First and subsequent footnotes:
1. David Shields, The Very Last Interview (New York Review Books, 2022), 49.

2. Shields, Very Last Interview, 100–101.

Reference list/ bibliography:
Shields, David. The Very Last Interview. New York Review Books, 2022.

2 or more authors/editors

Two authors (or editors) of the same work are listed in the order in which they appear with the source. In a bibliography, only the first author’s name is inverted, and a comma must appear both before and after the first author’s given name or initials. Use the conjunction and (not an ampersand).

First and subsequent footnotes:
1. Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga, The Courage to Be Disliked: The Japanese Phenomenon That Shows You How to Change Your Life and Achieve Real Happiness (Atria Books, 2018), 257.

2. Kishimi and Koga, Courage to Be Disliked, 259.

Reference list/ bibliography:
Kishimi, Ichiro, and Fumitake Koga. The Courage to Be Disliked: The Japanese Phenomenon That Shows You How to Change Your Life and Achieve Real Happiness. Atria Books, 2018.

3-6 authors/editors

For works by or edited by three to six persons (in previous editions it was two to ten), all names are usually given in the bibliography. Word order and punctuation are the same as for two authors. In a note, only the name of the first author is included, followed by et al. with no intervening comma.

First and subsequent footnotes:
1. Beatriz Williams et al., All the Ways We Said Goodbye: A Novel of the Ritz Paris (William Morrow, 2021), 301–2.
2. Williams et al., All the Ways, 392.

Reference list/ bibliography:
Williams, Beatriz, Lauren Willig, and Karen White. All the Ways We Said Goodbye: A Novel of the Ritz Paris. William Morrow, 2021.

6+ authors/editors

For works with more than six authors Chicago recommends listing the first three in the bibliography, followed by et al. (in the notes, only the first would be listed).

‘Ibid.’, short for Ibidem, meaning ‘in the same place’ is used in the Chicago Style in certain circumstances where a source is cited on more than one occasion, in place of a shortened version of a source’s details. ‘Ibid.’ should only be used to refer again to the source directly preceding the footnote.

The word is used in place of all material on the source that is exactly identical. For example:

1. Emma Smith and Anne Jones. Surrealist Artists (Easel Books, 2007), 15.
2. Ibid., 17-18.


Ibid. should not be overused and so attention should be paid to how source material is included in the text and footnotes to ensure it remains clear to the reader what material is being cited.

Quotations of word-for-word copies of another person’s work included in your writing must be clearly distinguished from your own words and ideas. You must also include the page number(s) in the footnote.

Short quotations: less than three lines of text or two lines of poetry

For short quotations, include it as part of your sentence. Give a brief phrase to introduce it and enclose it within double quotation marks “ “. Include the page number within the footnote, but not in the reference list/ bibliography entry.
In-text:

As Neville states, “you should cite all sources and present full details of these in your list of references.”5

Footnote:

5. Colin Neville, The Complete Guide to Referencing and Avoiding Plagiarism, 2nd ed. (Open University Press, 2010), 37.

Long quotations: more than three lines of text or two lines of poetry

For long quotations, format these as an indented block quotation.

Short quotation (poetry/play scripts)

Give the line number(s) for lines of poetry or a play script, for example:

Coward creates a delicate image of nature in “To a Maidenhair Fern”, which begins “You pretty thing / each dainty frond unbending,”6

Footnote

6.    Noel Coward, “To a Maidenhair Fern,” in The Complete Verse of Noël Coward, ed. Barry Day (Methuen Drama, 2011), 72, lines 1-2.
Reference List/Bibliography:
Coward, Noel. “To a Maidenhair Fern.” In The Complete Verse of Noël Coward, edited by Barry Day, 72. Methuen Drama, 2011.

In the Coward example, the name of the poem is given in quotation marks, as it is the title of a poem within a collected edition. The page on which the poem appears in the edited collection is also given, followed by the line numbers of the quoted poem.

Long quotation (poetry/play scripts)

For longer quotations, use block quotation, without quotation marks, but clearly indent the quote to indicate these words are not your own. The first line should not have an additional paragraph indent. If there is more than one paragraph within the extract, however, each new paragraph should begin with an additional first-line paragraph indent. Also include a full stop to close the quote before the footnote number. 

For poetry, either indent the full quotation and left align, or if appropriate, retain the unusual spacing. For example:

Coward creates an optimistic image of nature in “To a Maidenhair Fern”:
                You pretty thing,
        Each dainty frond unbending,
        Supple unending,
               Like pearls on a string –
        Your message in sending
               A promise of spring.1

Follow the advice above for information to include in the footnote and reference list.

It is important to give a page number in an intext citation in the following circumstances:

  • when quoting directly 
  • when referring to a specific detail in a text (for example, a specific theory or idea, an illustration, a table, a set of statistics)
  • when giving a paraphrase or summary from a text.

This might mean giving an individual page number or a small range of pages from which you have taken the information. Giving page numbers enables the reader to locate the specific item to which you refer.

Where no page or paragraph number can be given for a source, such as an online publication, ‘n.p.’ can be used to denote ‘no pagination’.

If you're synthesising a number of sources to support your argument, you can cite them in one footnote. For example:

Bedford and Holbeche, Kingsley, and Riley-Smith trace the origins of the Hospitallers to Jerusalem and 1099 if not earlier, though hospitals had been founded in the city before then.13

Footnote 

13.     W. K. R. Bedford and Richard Holbeche, The Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem (London: F. E. Robinson, 1902), 2; Rose G. Kingsley, The Order of St. John of Jerusalem (Past and Present) (London: Skeffington and Son, 1918), 14; Jonathan Riley-Smith, Hospitallers: The History of the Order of St John (London: The Hambledon Press), 19.

Sources should appear in the footnote in the order mentioned in the text or the order in which details from them were presented, with care not to cause confusion. Sources should then be listed alphabetically in the reference list/ bibliography.

Authors of multiple works should have their names given in full for each reference. Chicago no longer recommend using the 3-em dash approach when referring to a number of works by the same author.

For example:

Horowitz, Anthony. Necropolis. London: Walker, 2009.
Horowitz, Anthony. Oblivion. Walker, 2012.

Order the sources alphabetically by title when the author’s name is the same. 

No author name

It is important to use quality sources to support your arguments and so you should consider carefully the value of using any source when you cannot identify its author. For online sources, look carefully for named contributors, such as in the ‘about us’ sections. For printed material, try to locate authors in the publication/ copyright information which is often on the inside cover of a book or back page of a report.

If you can't find the author information, don't use ‘Anon.’ or ‘Anonymous’. Instead you could use:

  • The name of the organisation in place of the author – eg, BBC
  • The title of the work/ webpage in full or in short form, in such a way as to easily locate the source in the reference list/ bibliography – The Georgian Assembly Hall.

In the reference list/ bibliography, the work would then be listed alphabetically by the first major word of its title, that is, the above would be listed under G. For example:

The Georgian Assembly Hall. Wright’s Books, 1885.

No publication date

Knowing when a source was created, published, or last updated is important as this helps you to determine the relevance and reliability of the source. Sacred and classical works where dates are not given (precisely) are, however, also commonly used. For online sources, look carefully for created and/ or last updated dates on the page(s).

If the source doesn't give the date, but you can reasonably estimate it, put the date in [ ] to indicate this, adding a ? to emphasise any uncertainty, for example:

John, Jeremy. My Poems from the Trenches. Knight Books, [1919?].

Alternatively, use ‘n.d., ca. 1919’ for no date, circa 1919.

John, Jeremy. My Poems from the Trenches. Knight Books, n.d., ca. 1919.

If you can't find or estimate a publication date, use ‘n.d.’ for no date in place of the year.

A secondary reference is given when you are referring to a source which you have not read yourself, but have read about in another source. For example, referring to Jones’ work that you have read about in Smith. Avoid using secondary references wherever possible and locate the original source and reference that. Only give a secondary reference where this is not possible and you deem it essential to use the material. It is important to think carefully about using secondary references as the explanation or interpretation of that source by the author you have read may not be accurate.
If you must use them, use the following format: In author-date format, mention the original author and date in the text but cite the secondary source in the reference list.

Footnote:

1. Louis Zukofsky, “Sincerity and Objectification,” Poetry 37 (February 1931): 269, quoted in Bonnie Costello, Marianne Moore: Imaginary Possessions (Harvard University Press, 1981), 78.

Reference list/ bibliography:

Costello, Bonnie. 1981. Marianne Moore: Imaginary Possessions. Harvard University Press.

NB: The Department of English ask that both the secondary source and the source in which you read about it are included in the footnote and reference list.

The Department of History ask that the footnote includes details of both sources, but that only the source read is included in the reference list.

How footnotes are included in your word count varies depending on departmental practice.

  • English: all footnotes are included in the word count
  • History: footnotes that only contain a reference to source material are not included, but discursive footnotes (footnotes with explanations/extra information) are included in the word count
  • History of Art: for UG and PGT work, footnotes are not included in the word count. Research students must include all footnotes in their word count.

If footnotes are included, this doesn't mean you should leave out citations where they are appropriate, as references to source material are an integral part of academic writing.

Include the full details of the source, concluding the footnote with the URL. Include a publication date or the date of the most recent update or revision if no such date can be determined, include an access date

Whole website

The society was founded in 1924 dedicated to promoting interest in the notorious king.11

Footnote

11.   The Richard III Society, 2013, http://www.richardiii.net/.

Reference

The Richard III Society. 2013. http://www.richardiii.net/.

Specific page of a website

Footnote

12.   “Ricardian Sites: Leicester,” The Richard III Society, 2013, http://www.richardiii.net/richards_world. php#leicester.

Reference

The Richard III Society. “Ricardian Sites: Leicester.” The Richard III Society. 2013.  http://www.richardiii.net/richards_world.php
 

The reference includes the sponsor or owner of the site, which is presented first. In the example above, The Richard III Society are both the owners of the website and the name of the site, though these could be different in other cases. Individual webpages are presented in quotation marks, but titles of whole websites are not.

You should capitalise the first word, the last word and any major word of a book, journal article, etc. Also, capitalise the first word following a colon in the title. For example:

Pride and Prejudice

Troy and Homer: Towards a Solution of an Old Mystery

Questions about referencing?

Contact your Faculty Librarians if you have any questions about referencing.

Commonly used sources

Examples of footnote and reference list entries for key source types.

Use these examples alongside the information given in the 'Guidance for all source types' box.

Footnotes

  • First footnote: First name Surname, Title of book (Publisher, year), page number if needed.
  • Subsequent footnotes: Surname, Title of book OR shortened title, page number if needed.
1. Ada Ferrer, Cuba: An American History (Scribner, 2021), 437.
2. Ferrer, Cuba, 440–41.

Reference list

Surname, First name. Title of book. Publisher, year.

Ferrer, Ada. Cuba: An American History. Scribner, 2021.

For a translated book or a book published in another language, see the examples below.

Chapter in an edited book

Footnotes

  • First footnote: Author First name Surname, "Chapter title," in Book title, ed. Editor First name Surname (Publisher, year), page number if needed.
  • Subsequent footnotes: Author Surname, "Chapter title," page number if needed.
1. John Marenbon, "The Medievals," in The Oxford Handbook of Causation, ed. Helen Beebee, Christopher Hitchcock, and Peter Menzies (Oxford University Press, 2009), 42.
2. Marenbon, "The Medievals," 43.


Reference list

Author Surname, First name. "Chapter title." In Book title, edited by Editor First name Surname, chapter page numbers. Publisher, year.

Marenbon, John. "The Medievals." In The Oxford Handbook of Causation, edited by Helen Beebee,
   Christopher Hitchcock and Peter Menzies, 40-54. Oxford University Press, 2009.

Edited book as a whole

Footnotes

  • First footnote: Editor First name Surname, ed., Book title (Publisher, year), page number if needed.
  • Subsequent footnotes: Editor Surname, Book title OR shortened title, page if needed.
1. Helen Beebee, Christopher Hitchcock, and Peter Menzies, ed., The Oxford Handbook of Causation (Oxford University Press, 2009), 90.
2. Beebee, Hitchcock, and Menzies, Handbook of Causation, 100.


Reference list

Editor Surname, First name, ed. Book title OR shortened title. Publisher, year.

Beebee, Helen, Christopher Hitchcock, and Peter Menzies, ed. The Oxford Handbook of
   Causation. Oxford University Press, 2009.

Journal article / paper (print copy)

Footnotes

  • First footnote: First name Surname, "Title of article / paper," Name of Journal volume, issue number (year): page number.
  • Subsequent footnotes: Surname, "Title of article / paper OR shortened title," page number.
1. Stephen Mossman, "Dorothea von Montau and the Masters of Prague," Oxford German Studies 39, no. 2 (2010): 106.
2. Mossman, "Dorothea von Montau," 112.


Reference list
Surname, First name, "Title of article / paper." Name of Journal volume, issue number (year): page numbers.

Mossman, Stephen. "Dorothea von Montau and the Masters of Prague." Oxford German Studies
   39, no. 2 (2010): 106-123.

Journal article / paper (electronic)

Authors should generally record a URL for sources consulted online. A URL based on a DOI (appended to https://doi-org.libproxy.york.ac.uk/), if it is available, is preferable to the URL that appears in a browser’s address bar when viewing the article (or the abstract). In the absence of a DOI, choose the form of the URL offered along with the article, if any. (If an article was consulted in print, there is no need to include a URL.)

Footnotes

  • First footnote: First name Surname, "Title of article / paper," Name of Journal volume, issue number (year): page number OR paragraph number, accessed month day, year, URL OR DOI
  • Subsequent footnotes: Surname, "Title of article / paper OR shortened title," page number OR paragraph number.
1. Frank P. Whitney, “The Six-Year High School in Cleveland,” School Review 37, no. 4 (1929): 268, https://www-jstor-org.libproxy.york.ac.uk/stable/1078814.
2. Whitney, "The Six-Year High School in Cleveland," 271.


Reference list

Surname, First name, "Title of article / paper." Name of Journal volume, issue number (year): page numbers OR paragraph numbers. URL OR DOI

Whitney, Frank P. "The Six-Year High School in Cleveland," School Review 37, no. 4 (1929): 268, https://www-jstor-org.libproxy.york.ac.uk/stable/1078814.

Articles such as ‘the’ are removed from the footnote and reference for newspaper titles. Where a newspaper’s location might be important to include, this can be given in ( ) after the name, for example Morning Herald (London).

Newspaper or magazine article (with author)

Footnote:

  • First footnote: First name Surname, "Title of article." Name of newspaper/magazine, Month day, year, page number.
  • Subsequent footnotes: Surname, "Title of article OR shortened title," page number.
1. R. W. Apple Jr., “Nixon Tapes Must Be Kept 3 Years for Use in Court,” New York Times, September 9, 1974, Late City Edition, p. 1, col. 7.
2. Apple, "Nixon Tapes," 3.


Reference list:

Surname, First name. "Title of article." Name of newspaper/magazine. Month day, year, page number.

Apple, R. W., Jr. “Nixon Tapes Must Be Kept 3 Years for Use in Court.” New York Times, September 9, 1974. Late City Edition.

 

Newspaper or magazine article (without named author)

Footnote:

For a source without an author it is acceptable to use the title, or a shortened version of it, in the in-text citation.

  • First footnote: "Title of article," editorial, Name of newspaper/magazine, Month day, year, page number.
  • Subsequent footnotes: "Title of article OR shortened title," page number.
1. "French Elections. Bitter-Sweet Victory for the Left," editorial, Guardian, April 23, 2012, 26.
2. "French Elections," 26.


Reference list:

 Name of newspaper/magazine. "Title of article." Editorial. Month day, year, page number.

Guardian. "French Elections. Bitter-Sweet Victory for the Left." Editorial. April 23, 2012, 26.

Website (with named author)

Footnote:

  • First footnote: First name Surname, "Title of specific webpage," Name of website, Month day, year, updated/accessed Month day, year, URL
  • Subsequent footnotes: Surname, "Title of specific webpage."
1. Stephen Fry, "A London Secret Shared," The New Adventures of Stephen Fry, December 5, 2011, accessed Aug 8, 2023, http://www.stephenfry.com/2011/12/05/londonlibrary/.
2. Fry, "A London Secret Shared."

Reference list/ bibliography:

Surname, First name. "Title of specific webpage." Name of website. Month day, year. Updated/accessed Month day, year. URL

Fry, Stephen. "A London Secret Shared." The New Adventures of Stephen Fry. Dec 5, 2011.
   Accessed Aug 8, 2023. http://www.stephenfry.com/2011/12/05/londonlibrary/

Website (without named author)

Footnote:

  • First footnote: "Title of specific webpage," Name of website, Month day, year, updated/accessed Month day, year, URL
  • Subsequent footnotes: "Title of specific webpage."
1. “Microsoft Privacy Statement,” Microsoft, updated February 2023, https://privacy.microsoft.com/en-us/privacystatement.
2. Microsoft, "Privacy."

Reference list/ bibliography:

Name of organisation. "Title of specific webpage." Accessed/updated Month day, year, URL

Microsoft Corporation. “Microsoft Privacy Statement.” Updated February 2023. https://privacy.microsoft.com/en-us/privacystatement.

Further sources

The following examples give footnote and reference list entries for other common source types.

 

If you cannot find the specific source type that you are looking for please consult the official Chicago Manual of Style Online - 18th edition. You will find multiple examples of all source types detailed in Chapter 14.

Footnote
Enacted pre-1963 – include the regnal-year (year of the monarch’s reign)

1. The Poor Relief Act, 1601, 43 Eliz. 1, c. 2.
2. The Poor Relief Act, 1601.

Enacted post-1963

1. Social Security Act, 1998, c. 14 (UK): para. 2.1(a).
2. Social Security Act, 1998, 3.1.

Reference list/ bibliography:
When included in full in a footnote the first time the legislation is cited, no additional reference entry is required.

The ‘c. 2’/ ‘c. 14’ refers to the chapter, the number of the Act according to those passed during the year of the monarch’s reign/ parliamentary session. If it might be unclear as to which jurisdiction the legislation applies, this can be given in ( ).

Archival material can include a broad range of different types of sources, such as photographs, letters, manuscripts, maps. The following advice is intended as a guide and should be adapted where necessary to include key information about your source. Consult examples given elsewhere in this guide for other format types which constitute archival materials to help you construct your reference.

Footnote:

1. James Oglethorpe to the Trustees, 13 January 1733, Phillipps Collection of Egmont Manuscripts, 14200:13, University of Georgia Library (hereafter cited as Egmont MSS).
2. Burton to Merriam, telegram, 26 January 1923, box 26, folder 17, Charles E. Merriam Papers, Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library.
3. Minutes of the Committee for Improving the Condition of the Free Blacks, Pennsylvania Abolition Society, 1790–1803, Papers of the Pennsylvania Society for the Abolition of Slavery, Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia (hereafter cited as Minutes, Pennsylvania Society).

Reference list/ bibliography:

The style of the first three examples below is appropriate if more than one item from a collection is cited in the text or notes. Entries are usually listed under the name of the collection or under the author(s) of the items contained therein.

Egmont Manuscripts. Phillipps Collection. University of Georgia Library.
Merriam, Charles E. Papers. Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library.
Pennsylvania Society for the Abolition of Slavery. Papers. Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.

If only one item from a collection has been mentioned in text or in a note and is considered important enough to include in a bibliography, the entry will begin with the item.

Dinkel, Joseph. Description of Louis Agassiz written at the request of Elizabeth Cary Agassiz, n.d. Louis Agassiz Papers. Houghton Library, Harvard University.

Note: Date is the year or date range of the creation of the material. If the archival material is undated use n.d. in your reference to indicate no date.

If an older manuscript is numbered by signatures or by folios (fol. or fols.), these should be used in place of page numbers, after the item title. If you use page numbers, the abbreviations p. and pp. should be used to avoid ambiguity. If a manuscript collection has identifying series or file numbers, these may be included in a citation.

Footnote:

1. William Germano, “Futurist Shock,” Lingua Franca (blog), Chronicle of Higher Education, February 15, 2017, https://www.chronicle.com/blogs/linguafranca/2017/02/15/futurist-shock/.
2. Germano, "Futurist Shock."

Reference list/ bibliography:

Germano, William. “Futurist Shock.” Lingua Franca (blog). Chronicle of Higher Education, February 15, 2017. https://www.chronicle.com/blogs/linguafranca/2017/02/15/futurist-shock/.

Use this format if including illustrations, for example in writing about children’s literature

Illustration caption (below image):

Mr Toad driving away in the stolen car. Illustrated by Martin Aitchison, in The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame, retold by Joan Collins (Ladybird, 1983), 12.


Reference list/ bibliography:

Grahame, Kenneth. The Wind in the Willows. Retold by Joan Collins. Ladybird,
   1983.

If citing named or numbered illustrations or tables from within a book please use the following:

Footnote:

1. Rasmus Grønfeldt Winther, When Maps Become the World (University of Chicago Press, 2020), 76, table 3.1. 2. Winther, Maps, 228, fig. 8.3.


Reference list/ bibliography:

Winther, Rasmus Grønfeldt. When Maps Become the World.  University of Chicago Press, 2020.

If you are reading an English language version of a book originally published in another language follow this example

Footnote:

1. Gabriel García Márquez, Love in the Time of Cholera, trans. Edith Grossman (Alfred A. Knopf, 1988), 242–55.
2. García Márquez, Cholera, 33.

Reference list/ bibliography:

García Márquez, Gabriel. Love in the Time of Cholera. Translated by Edith Grossman. Alfred A. Knopf, 1988.

‘Trans.’ is used in the footnote, but ‘translated by’ is used in the reference.

Follow this example if you want to refer to a book you read in another language

Footnote:

1. Jacques Le Goff and Pierre Nora, Faire de l’Histoire: Nouveaux Problèmes [Constructing History] (Gallimard, 1974), 5.
2. Le Goff and Nora, Faire de l’Histoire, 6.

Reference list/ bibliography:

Le Goff, Jacques, and Nora Pierre. Faire de l’Histoire: Nouveaux Problèmes [Constructing History]. Gallimard, 1974.

If shortening the title of a non-English work, care must be taken not to omit words that govern the case ending of a word in the shortened title.

Conference paper (unpublished)

Footnote:

1. Amy Burge. "A Very English Place: The Intimate Relationship Between Britain and Arabia in the Contemporary Sheikh Romance," (conference paper, EUPOP 2012: Inaugural Conference of the European Popular Culture Association, University of the Arts, July 11-13, 2012).
2. Burge, "Very English Place."

Reference list/ bibliography:

Burge, Amy. "A Very English Place: The Intimate Relationship Between Britain and Arabia
   in the Contemporary Sheikh Romance." Paper presented at EUPOP 2012: Inaugural
   Conference of the European Popular Culture Association. University of the Arts,
   July 11-13, 2012.

 

Conference proceedings (full)

Footnote:

1. Sabrina J. Billings, John P. Boyle, and Aaron M. Griffith, ed., CLS 35 Part 1: Papers from the Main Session (Chicago Linguistic Society, 1999).
2. Billings, Boyle, and Griffith, CLS 35.

Reference list/ bibliography:

Billings, Sabrina J., John P. Boyle, and Aaron M. Griffith, ed. CLS 35 Part 1: Papers from the Main
   Session. Chicago Linguistic Society, 1999.

Live performances, unlike recordings, cannot be consulted as such by readers. For that reason, it is generally sufficient to mention details in the text or in the notes rather than in a bibliography. In addition to specifying the name and location of the venue and the date of the performance, include as much information as needed to identify the performance. If you are citing a recording of a performance then follow the guidance for citing the recording type.

Footnote:

1. A Midsummer’s Night Dream, chor.David Nixon, Northern Ballet, West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds. Sep 6, 2023.
2. A Midsummer’s Night Dream.

 

Online database (specific content)

Footnote:

1. Anne Jane Walker Shepperd, Diary of Anne Jane Walker Shepperd, August 1940, (Alexander Street Press, 2022), 1. British and Irish Women’s Letters and Diaries 1500 to 1950, updated June 6, 2023. http://solomon.bwld.alexanderstreet.com/cgibin/asp/philo/bwld/getdoc.pl?S12403-D001.
2. Shepperd, Diary, 2.

Reference list/ bibliography:

Shepperd, Anne Jane Walker. Diary of Anne Jane Walker Shepperd, August 1940. Alexander Street Press, 2022. British and Irish Women’s Letters and Diaries 1500 to 1950. Updated June 6, 2023. http://solomon.bwld.alexanderstreet.com/cgi-bin/asp/philo/bwld/getdoc.pl?S12403-D001. 

The first footnote records the page cited after the ( ). In this example, it would also be appropriate to make reference in the text to specific details cited, for example, the date of the diary entry or paragraph number as presented in the online version.

Online database (not referring to specific content)

Footnote:

1.Eighteenth Century Collections Online, accessed June 5, 2023, http://gale.cengage.co.uk/product-highlights/history/eighteenth-century-collections-online.aspx.
2. Eighteenth Century Collections Online.

Reference list/ bibliography:

Eighteenth Century Collections Online. Accessed June 5, 2023. http://gale.cengage.co.uk/
   product-highlights/history/eighteenth-century-collections-online.aspx.

Footnote:

1. Thomas Larkham, The Diary of Thomas Larkham, 1647-1669, ed. Susan Hardman Moore (Boydell, 2011), 13.
2. Larkham, Diary, 14.

Reference list/ bibliography:

Larkham, Thomas. The Diary of Thomas Larkham, 1647-1669. Edited by Susan Hardman Moore. Boydell, 2011.

Footnote:

1. The Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy, ed. Simon Blackburn (Oxford University Press, 1996), under "norm."
2. Dictionary of Philosophy, under "aesthetics."

Reference list/ bibliography:

The Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy. Edited by Simon Blackburn. Oxford University Press,1996.

E-book (online)

If page markers are not available on the e-book version you are using cite the chapter for specific references to the source.

Footnote:

1. Jessica N. Berry, Nietzsche and the Ancient Skeptical Tradition (Oxford University Press, 2011), ch.3, accessed June 5, 2023, http://www.oxfordscholarship.com/view/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195368420.001.0001/acprof-9780195368420.
2. Berry, Nietzsche, chap. 5.

Reference list/ bibliography:

Berry, Jessica N. Nietzsche and the Ancient Skeptical Tradition. Oxford University Press,
   2011. Accessed June 5, 2024. http://www.oxfordscholarship.com/view/10.1093/acprof:oso/
   9780195368420.001.0001/acprof-9780195368420.

 

E-book (using e-reader)

If viewing an e-book using an e-book reader it is important to reference the specific version of the publication for this reader. If page markers are not available on the e-book version you are using cite the chapter for specific references to the source.

Footnote:

1. Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games (New York: Scholastic Fiction, 2011), Kindle edition, chap. 6.
2. Collins, The Hunger Games, chap. 7.

Reference list/ bibliography:

Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games. New York: Scholastic Fiction, 2011. Kindle edition.

Personal communications do not need to be included in the reference list/ bibliography, but should be clearly cited in the text, either in the sentence or by including a footnote. Change 'email' to the relevant communication type.

In-text:

In an email to the author dated June 3, 2023, Irene Johnson suggested…

OR
Footnote: 

1. Irene Johnson, email message to the author, June 3, 2023.

Encyclopedia as a whole

Footnote:

1. William P. Banks, ed., Encyclopedia of Consciousness, 2 vols, (Elsevier, 2009).
2. Banks, Encyclopedia of Consciousness.

Reference list/ bibliography:

Banks, William P., ed. Encyclopedia of Consciousness. 2 vols. Elsevier, 2009.

Encyclopedia (specific entry)

Footnote:

1. John Cannon, R. H. C. Davis, William Doyle, and Jack P. Greene, ed., The Blackwell Dictionary of Historians (Oxford: Blackwell, 1988), under "Ariès, Philippe."

Reference list/ bibliography:

Cannon, John, R. H. C. Davis, William Doyle, and Jack P. Greene, ed. The Blackwell Dictionary of
   Historians. Blackwell, 1988.

Video and film recordings are cited according to the nature of the material (television show, movie, etc.). Any facts relevant to identifying the item should be included. Indexed scenes are treated as chapters and cited by title or by number (as in example note 2 below). Ancillary material, such as critical commentary and interviews, is usually cited in terms of the related content.

Footnote:

1. American Crime Story: The People v. O. J. Simpson, episode 6, “Marcia, Marcia, Marcia,” written by D. V. DeVincentis, directed by Ryan Murphy, featuring Sterling K. Brown, Kenneth Choi, and Sarah Paulson, aired March 8, 2016, on FX, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01ARVPCOA/.
2. “Crop Duster Attack,” North by Northwest, directed by Alfred Hitchcock (1959; Warner Home Video, 2000), DVD.

Reference list/ bibliography:

North by Northwest. Directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Warner Home Video, 2000. DVD.

If referring to an interview conducted by someone else that has been published in such as a newspaper or journal you can reference in the following way.

Footnote:

1. Lydia Davis, “The Art of Fiction No. 227,” interview by Andrea Aguilar and Johanne Fronth-Nygren, Paris Review, no. 212 (Spring 2015): 172, EBSCOhost.
2. Davis, interview, 174.

Reference list/ bibliography:

Davis, Lydia. "The Art of Fiction No. 227," Interview by Andrea Aguilar and Johanne Fronth-Nygren.Paris Review. Spring, 2015 172.

Footnote:

1. Nick Jones, "The Self and how to Know it," (lecture, Know Thyself Open Course, University of York, Nov 3, 2021).
2. Jones, "The Self", lecture.

Reference list/ bibliography:

Jones, Nick. "The Self and how to Know it." Lecture for Know Thyself Open Course, University of
   York, Nov 3, 2021.

Footnote:

1. Nick Jones, "The Self and how to Know it." Know Thyself Open Course, lecture notes (University of York, 2021), 1.
2. Jones, "The Self," lecture notes, 2.

Reference list/ bibliography:

Jones, Nick. "The Self and how to Know it." Know Thyself Open Course. Lecture notes. University of York, 2021. 1-3.

You should cite a publication viewed in microform as per the type of source (book, newspaper, etc.) or you can refer to the actual microfiche record number and where it is stored. This is an example of a historical periodical.

Footnote: 

1. J. Brown, Freemason’s Magazine (London: J. W. Bunney, 1794), microform, The Eighteenth Century, reel 16298, Raymond Burton Library, University of York, 2.
2. Brown, Freemason’s Magazine, 4.

Reference list/ bibliography:

Brown, J. Freemason’s Magazine. London: J. W. Bunney, 1794. Microform. The Eighteenth
   Century. Reel 16298. Raymond Burton Library, University of York.

Live performances, unlike recordings, cannot be consulted as such by readers. For that reason, it is generally sufficient to mention details in the text or in the notes rather than in a bibliography. In addition to specifying the name and location of the venue and the date of the performance, include as much information as needed to identify the performance. If you are citing a recording of a performance then follow the guidance for citing the recording type.

Footnote:

1. Vitebsk, by Aaron Copland, performed by Sasaki Trio, Sir Jack Lyons Concert Hall, York, Jan 18, 2022.
2. Vitebsk.

Footnote:

1. Giacomo Puccini, Tosca (Ricardi, 2012).
2. Puccini, Tosca.

Reference list/ bibliography:

Puccini, Giacomo. Tosca. Ricardi, 2012.

Information about paintings, photographs, sculpture, and other works of art is usually presented in the text. If a more formal citation is needed (as in a footnote or a bibliography—or a separate section of a bibliography devoted to images), list the name of the artist, a title (in italics) or a description, and a date of creation or completion, followed by information about the medium and the location of the work. To help readers locate the item, a museum accession number may be included; for works consulted online, add a URL.

Footnote:

1. Claud Monet, The Water-Lily Pond, 1899, oil on canvas, 88.3 x 93.1 cm, National Gallery, London. https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/claude-monet-the-water-lily-pond
2. Monet, "The Water-Lily Pond."

Reference list/ bibliography:

Monet, Claude. The Water-Lily Pond. 1899. Oil on canvas, 88.3 x 93.1 cm. National Gallery, London. https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/claude-monet-the-water-lily-pond.

Pamphlets, corporate reports, brochures, and other freestanding publications are treated similarly to books. Data on author and publisher may not fit the normal pattern, but sufficient information should be given to identify the document.

Footnote:

1. Graduate Students' Association, Graduate Guide 2013 (Graduate Students' Association, University of York, 2023), 5.
2. Graduate Students' Association, Graduate Guide 2023, 7.

Reference list/ bibliography:

Graduate Students' Association. Graduate Guide 2023. Graduate Students' Association, University of York, 2023.

Footnote:

1. Energy Bill (H.L.), 2013-14, 48: para. 5(4).
2. Energy Bill, para. 9(1).

Reference list/ bibliography:
When included in full in a footnote the first time the legislation is cited, no additional reference entry is required.

The (H.L.) stands for House of Lords, for a Bill originating there. House of Commons Bills are denoted by (H.C.). The date represents the parliamentary session and the number is the number of the Bill.

Titles of Bills are not italicised in text or in the footnote.

To cite and reference the programme for a performance such as a play, dance or concert, use the following example:

Footnote:

1. Nikolai Foster, "A Beautiful Re-discovery," theatre programme, Beautiful Thing, West Yorkshire Playhouse, June 3-8, 2013.

Reference list/ bibliography:

Foster, Nikolai. "A Beautiful Re-discovery." Theatre programme. Beautiful Thing. West Yorkshire Playhouse. June 3-8, 2013. 

Footnote:

1. J. Jarche, Miner with Pit Pony, photograph, National Media Museum, 1931.
2. Jarche, Miner with Pit Pony.

Reference list/ bibliography:

Jarche, J. Miner with Pit Pony. Photograph. National Media Museum,1931.

Live performances, unlike recordings, cannot be consulted as such by readers. For that reason, it is generally sufficient to mention details in the text or in the notes rather than in a bibliography. In addition to specifying the name and location of the venue and the date of the performance, include as much information as needed to identify the performance. If you are citing a recording of a performance then follow the guidance for citing the recording type.

Footnote:

1. Yes, Prime Minister, by Jonathan Lynn, directed by Jonathan Lynn, Theatre Royal, York. Apr 16, 2022.
2. Yes, Prime Minister.

If you are citing from a prose play, give the page number(s) for the quotation.

If you are citing from a verse play, give the act, scene and line(s) quoted and separated by a full stop.

Prose play footnote:

1. Samuel Beckett, Happy Days (Faber and Faber, 1961), 27.

Verse play footnote: 

2. William Shakespeare, Othello, ed. Jane Coles (Cambridge UP, 1992), 1.3.390-93.

Reference list/ bibliography:

Beckett, Samuel. Happy Days. Faber and Faber, 1961.
Shakespeare, William. Othello. Edited by Jane Coles. Cambridge University Press,
   1992.

Footnote:

1. M. Bairstow, "The Storm," English Folk Poetry: Structure and Meaning, ed. Roger deV Renwick (University of Pennsylvania Press, 1980), 163, lines 3-4.
2. Bairstow, "The Storm," lines 5-6.

Reference list/ bibliography:

Bairstow, M. "The Storm." English Folk Poetry: Structure and Meaning, edited by Roger de
    Renwick, 163. University of Pennsylvania Press, 1980.

These include the Bible, Talmud, Koran, Upanishads, and major classical works, such as the ancient Greek and Roman works. If you are quoting a verse or extract, you should include the detail in the text of the edition of the work you are using the first time you cite from it, with the book, and specific details. It is acceptable to use standard abbreviations for works, such as books of the Bible. It is not necessary to include a reference in your reference list/ bibliography for sacred works.

Footnote:

1. 1 Corinthians 5:2-3.
2. 1 Cor. 6:1-5.

The first footnote is for the book 1 Corinthians, chapter 5, verses 2-3.

This format is for when you read a more recent version of an older work, or a paperback version of a previously published hardback. In the reference list/ bibliography you give the information for the edition you are citing followed by the original publication details.

Footnote:

1. Charles Dickens, Oliver Twist (Bradbury and Evans, 1846; Broadview Press, 2005), 24. Citations refer to the Broadview Press edition.
2. Dickens, Oliver Twist, 34.

Reference list/ bibliography:

Dickens, Charles. Oliver Twist. Broadview Press, 2005. First published 1846 by
   Bradbury and Evans.

Footnote:

1. Mark Warner, "Travelling Text," review of The Arabian Nights: Tales of 1001 Nights, trans. Malcolm Chasteen, London Review of Books 30.24 (2008): 15.
2. Warner, "Travelling Text," 16.

Reference list/ bibliography:

Warner, Mark. "Travelling Text". Review of The Arabian Nights: Tales of 1001 Nights. Translated by
   Chasteen, Malcolm. London Review of Books 30.24 (2008): 15-16.

Footnote:

1. Richard Strauss, Don Quixote, with Emanuel Feuermann (violoncello) and the Philadelphia Orchestra, conducted by Eugene Ormandy, recorded February 24, 1940, Biddulph LAB 042, 1991, compact disc.
2. Richard Strauss, Don Quixote.

Reference list/ bibliography:

Musical recordings are usually listed in a separate discography rather than in a bibliography. If included in a bibliography, they are best grouped under an appropriate subhead

When an edition other than the first is used or cited, the number or description of the edition follows the title in the listing. Wording such as ‘Second Edition’, ‘Revised Edition’ is abbreviated as ‘2nd ed.’, ‘rev. ed.’

Footnotes

1. R. J. Hollingdale, Nietzsche: The Man and His Philosophy,  rev. ed. (Cambridge University Press, 1999), 20.
2. Hollingdale, Nietzsche, 25.

Reference list/ bibliography:

Hollingdale, R. J. Nietzsche: The Man and His Philosophy. rev. ed. Cambridge University Press, 1999.

The programme title is given in italics and the title of the episode in quotation marks.

Any facts relevant to identifying the item, such as episode number and director, should be included.

Footnote:

1. Panorama, "Britain’s Crimes of Honour," aired March 19, 2012, on BBC.
2. "Britain’s Crimes of Honour."

Reference list/ bibliography:

Panorama. "Britain’s Crimes of Honour." aired March 19, 2012, on BBC. 

Footnote: 

1. Laura E. Rice, "Medieval Mysteries in the Modern World: Contemporary Stagings of the York Mystery Plays," (master's dissertation, University of York, 2024), 30.
2. Rice, "Medieval Mysteries," 35.

Reference list/ bibliography:

Rice, Laura E. "Medieval Mysteries in the Modern World: Contemporary Stagings of the York Mystery Plays." Master's diss., University of York, 2024

Footnote:

1. Olivia Else, and Kirsty Whitehead, "Searching for Academic Sources Tutorial - Library Skills for 3rd Year Humanities Students". Blackboard, University of York, n.d., accessed May 19, 2025, https://xerte.york.ac.uk/play.php?template_id=4690
2. Else and Whitehead, "Searching for Academic Sources Tutorial."

Reference list/ bibliography:

Else, Olivia and Whitehead, Kirsty. "Searching for Academic Sources Tutorial - Library Skills for 3rd Year Humanities Students" Blackboard, University of York, n.d. Accessed May 19, 2025. https://xerte.york.ac.uk/play.php?template_id=4690

‘n.d.’ denotes that the particular page is undated

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