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Chicago Manual of Style in the Context of Art History

This guide provides guidance in using the Chicago Manual of Style in the context of Art History papers and projects

Basics

The Chicago Manual of Style ~ Notes & Bibliography

CMOS has two options for formatting citations : Notes & Bibliography or Author / Date. For Art History at Grinnell you will use the Notes & Bibliography option. 

Overview

The Notes & Bibliography option combines Footnotes within the paper and a Bibliography of Works Cited at the end of the paper.   This may seem confusing at 1st.  You need to learn 3 different formatting styles.

  • First Note ~ Format 1:  This format is used for the 1st footnote that refers to a source.
  • Subsequent Notes ~ Format 2 : This format is used for the 2nd & any subsequent footnotes that refer to a source.  
  • Works Cited ~ Format 3 : This format is used for the reference to the source in the works cited

General Characteristics for the 1st Note  

  • Complete information on the source
  • Uses commas and parentheses instead of formal punctuation like periods.
  • Names in direct order, First name first.
  • 1st line Indented, subsequent lines not indented.

Example :

1. Meredith Jones, Art History : A Handbook (Berkeley: University of California Press,

2021), 87-92.

General Characteristics for 2nd and Subsequent Notes

  • Brief information on the source
  • Still Uses commas instead of formal punctuation like periods.
  • Just uses last names

Example :

2. JonesArt History, 89.

General Characteristics for the Works Cited Reference

  • Complete information on the source
  • Uses formal punctuation like periods & colons, no parentheses
  • Full Names in reverse order, Last name 1st, First name & Initial.
  • Hanging Indent - subsequent lines indented.
  • Refers to entire source instead of just a segment or page.

Example :

JonesMeredith.  Art History : A Handbook.  Berkeley: University of California

Press, 2021.