Chicago (notes-bibliography) quoting and paraphrasing
This page describes what to do when quoting or paraphrasing using the Chicago note-bibliography system:
In this section
- Several citations in a single footnote
- Quotations and block quotations
- Quotation within a footnote
- Multiple titles by the same author
New to referencing? See the introduction to referencing.
Several citations in a single footnote
When several sources have been used to inform your paraphrase, or several sources are cited within a single paragraph or sentence, you can put all the sources in a single footnote in order to reduce the number of footnotes. Each citations is separated by a semi-colon and are formatted as they would appear in a regular footnote (either full or short form). They are ordered according to the order they appear in your text.
If several sources are used to substantiate the same claim, then alphabetise the sources within the same footnote, separating each with a semi-colon. Note, each source has its own entry in the bibliography.
.....which provides justification for the theoretical framework1.
1Paul Fussell, "Whitman's Curious Warble: Reminiscence and Reconciliation," in The Presence of Walt Whitman, ed. R. W. B. Lewis (New York: Columbia University Press, 1962), 28-51; William Sutton, "The Analysis of Free Verse Form, Illustrated by a Reading of Whitman," Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism 18, no. 2 (December, 1959): 241-54.
Quotations and block quotations
Direct quotations are usually put inside quotation marks (" "), followed by the reference. The page number is only given in the footnote, and not in the bibliography:
When gathering data it is important to remember that "only relevant types of demographic information should be requested"1
1Jonathon Lazar, Web Usability: A User-Centered Design Approach (Boston Pearson Addison Wesley, 2006), 35.
Lazar, Jonathon. Web Usability: A User-Centered Design Approach. Boston, MA: Pearson Addison Wesley, 2006.
If a quotation is longer than a paragraph or 100 words, or a list, or correspondence, no quotation marks are used, and the quotation is indented instead. Note the full stop closing the quote and before the footnote number:
Lazar describes the delicate balance of survey design:
Only relevant types of demographic information should be requested. Asking inappropriate questions in a survey, interview, or focus group lessens the likelihood that users will respond. Also, if too many questions are asked, users are less likely to respond.1
1Jonathon Lazar, Web Usability: A User-Centered Design Approach (Boston Pearson Addison Wesley, 2006), 35.
Quotations should be identical to the original source, but some small changes can be made. See quoting for details.
Quotation within a footnote
When a footnote includes a quote, the source follows the final punctuation mark of the quote. The source of the quote in the footnote is included in the bibliography.
1Crouchman highlights the tension between causation and correlation: "If two variables are significantly correlated, this does not imply that one must be the cause of the other. Association is not sufficient to establish a casual relationship." John Crouchman, Introductory Mathematics and Statistics, 6th ed. (Sydney: McGraw-Hill Education, 2016), 509.
Multiple titles by the same author
In a bibliography, multiple titles by the same author are listed alphabetically rather than chronologically. After the first citation, an em dash is used to replace the author's name.
Judt, Tony. A Grand Illusion? An Essay on Europe. New York: Hill and Wang. 1996.
—. Reappraisals: Reflections on the Forgotten Twentieth Century. New York: Penguin Press, 2008.
—, ed. Resistance and Revolution in Mediterranean Europe, 1939-1948. New York: Routledge, 1989.
References and further reading
Chicago Manual of Style. 17th ed. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2017. [Massey Library link] [E-book link]
Chicago Manual of Style Online. http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/home.html
Disclaimer
These pages are provided as a guide to proper referencing. Your course, department, school, or institute may prescribe specific conventions, and their recommendations supersede these instructions. If you have questions not covered here, check in the style guide listed above, ask your course coordinator, or ask at Academic Q+A.