How Do You Do In Text Citations For Chicago Style

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Alright, buckle up buttercups, because we're diving headfirst into the thrilling, glamorous world of Chicago-style text citations! Yes, you heard right. Citations. Get ready to have your mind blown... or at least mildly inconvenienced, depending on your caffeine intake.

The Dreaded Footnote: A Tiny Tyrant in Your Document

Let's be honest, when you hear "Chicago style," you probably picture a smoky jazz club, Al Capone, and maybe a deep-dish pizza. What you don't picture is a tiny number popping up in your meticulously crafted sentence, like a microscopic gremlin demanding attention. That, my friends, is the footnote.

• The Footnote's Existential Crisis:
  • "Why am I so small?" it whispers, "Why must I live at the bottom of the page?" These are the profound questions you'll ponder as you struggle to remember if you put a comma or a period after the page number.
  • Don't worry, the footnote isn't alone. It has a whole gang of siblings, all lined up in numerical order, ready to clutter your document like a digital stampede.

The Short Form: When You're Feeling Lazy (But Still Academic)

Now, if you're citing the same source multiple times, you don't have to write out the whole shebang every time. That's where the short form comes in, your academic cheat code.

• "Ibid." The Mysterious Word:

  • Ah, "Ibid."! It's Latin, which automatically makes you sound smarter. It basically means "the same place." Use it when you're citing the same source as the immediately preceding footnote. It's like saying, "Yeah, that thing I just told you? It's from there too."
  • But be careful! If you accidentally insert a different source between two "Ibid."s, you'll create a citation paradox, and the universe might implode. Or, you know, your professor might just give you a stern look.

• Author, Short Title, and Page Number: The Trifecta:

  • For subsequent citations of the same source, but not immediately following, you can use a shortened version. This usually involves the author's last name, a shortened title, and the page number. It's like giving your source a nickname.
  • <u>Remember to be consistent!</u> If you use "Smith, History" once, you can't suddenly switch to "Smythe, Hist." later. The citation gods are watching.

The Bibliography: Where All Your Sources Go to Party

At the end of your paper, you'll need a bibliography, a list of all the sources you cited. It's like a guest list for your academic party, and every source is invited.

• Alphabetical Order: The Great Sorting Ritual:

  • Your bibliography must be in alphabetical order by the author's last name. It's like a digital line-up, ensuring everyone gets their fair share of recognition.
  • <u>Pay close attention to punctuation!</u> Commas, periods, colons, and italics all have their designated places. Mess them up, and your bibliography will look like a grammar crime scene.

• The Full Citation: The VIP Treatment:

  • In the bibliography, you'll give each source the VIP treatment, with all the details: author's full name, title, publication information, and page numbers. It's like writing a source's biography.
  • Bold book titles, and put article titles in "Quotation marks". These are some of the most common mistakes people make.

The Online Source: The Wild West of Citations

Citing online sources can feel like navigating the Wild West. Websites change, URLs disappear, and dates vanish into the digital ether.

• Date of Access: The Time Stamp:

  • Always include the date you accessed an online source. It's like a time stamp, proving you weren't making things up.
  • It is also very important to include the URL. If it is a long URL, then use the perma link if available.

• DOI: The Digital Superhero:

  • If your online source has a DOI (Digital Object Identifier), use it! It's like a permanent address for your source, ensuring it can always be found.

FAQ: How To...

1. How to insert a footnote in Microsoft Word?

   • Go to the "References" tab, click "Insert Footnote," and Word will automatically insert a footnote number and take you to the bottom of the page.

2. How to use "Ibid." correctly?

   • Use "Ibid." only when the immediately preceding footnote cites the same source. If any other source intervenes, you must use the short form.

3. How to format a bibliography entry for a book?

   • Author's Last Name, First Name. Title of Book. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication.

4. How to cite a website in Chicago style?

   • Author (if available). "Title of Web Page." Website Name. URL. Accessed Date.

5. How to shorten a book title in a short-form citation?

   • Use a shortened version of the title, typically the first few significant words. For example, The History of the Roman Empire could be shortened to History of the Roman Empire.

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