CSWR Resource Guide

A guide to the resources housed at the Center for Southwest Research and Special Collections

Chicago Style - notes/bibliography and author/date formats

The Chicago Manual of Style makes this general statement about the purpose of citations:

Regardless of the convention being followed, source citations must always provide sufficient information either to lead readers directly to the sources consulted or, for materials that may not be readily available, to enable readers to positively identify them, regardless of whether the sources are published or unpublished or in printed or electronic form. (14:1)

Chicago style includes two formats: the note/bibliography and the author/date formats. The differences between these two forms boil down to what information one includes in in-text citations, the order of elements in the resource list, and other small divergences of detail. 

The note/bibliography format is most frequently used in the study of history, while the author/date format is occasionally used in the physical sciences. Both formats are described on this page. 

Formatting Chicago style citations

The Chicago notes and bibliography style uses notes, either footnotes or endnotes, as well as a bibliography page at the end of the document. The advantage of this form of Chicago style is its flexibility, allowing not only for commentary on sources cited but also for the relatively straightforward integration of unusual types of sources. 

This tab offers specific guidance on citing materials potentially found in the CSWR's archival collections. For information on using Chicago style citations in general, including formatting notes, the use of "op. cit.," and other details consult Chapter 14 for the Chicago Manual of Style. 

The CSWR requests that patrons using collections include, at minimum, the following information in their citations: 

  1. Description and date of item (approximate dates ok)
  2. Box and folder, or item number
  3. Name and identifier (MSS-123-BC, PICT-000-653, etc.) of the collection
  4. Center for Southwest Research, University Libraries, University of New Mexico

 

Some examples:

Manuscript materials:

Bibliography format:

Richard H. Hanna Papers. Center for Southwest Research, University Libraries, University of New Mexico.  

Full note format:

1. W. B. Prince to Judge R. H. Hanna, 8 March 1940, Richard H. Hanna Papers (MSS 762 BC, box 8, folder 31), Center for Southwest Research, University Libraries, University of New Mexico.  

Shortened note format:

1. W. B. Prince to Judge R. H. Hanna. (include page # if applicable)

Note: individual items in a collection are not listed in the bibliography unless only one item is cited from that collection.  

 

UNM University Archives Materials

Bibliography format:

University of New Mexico Board of Regents Records (UNMA 011). Center for Southwest Research, University Libraries, University of New Mexico. 

Full note format:

1. “Minutes of the Meeting of the Regents of the University of New Mexico, June 13, 1989” (vol. 36), University of New Mexico Board of Regents Records (UNMA 011), Center for Southwest Research, University Libraries, University of New Mexico.  

Shortened note format:

1. “Minutes of the Meeting of the Regents of the University of New Mexico, June 13, 1989” (include page # if applicable)

 

Architectural Drawings

Bibliography format:

John Gaw Meem Architectural Details Collection (Job # 494A). Center for Southwest Research, University Libraries, University of New Mexico.

Full note format:

1. “Full size details, Ridgecrest Drug Store,” Meem, Zehner, Holien and Associates, Santa Fe, NM, 17 August 1950. John Gaw Meem Architectural Details Collection (Job # 494A), Center for Southwest Research, University Libraries, University of New Mexico.  

Shortened note format:

1. Meem and Associates, "Full size details"

 

(For more information on using shortened notes, see Chicago Manual of Style, 14.23)

Unlike the notes and bibliography system of Chicago-style citations, the author-date system uses parenthetical references and a corresponding reference list. Aside from this primary difference, the Chicago Manual of Style offers broadly similar guidance for citations in note and bibliography and author-date style. Note: placement of the year of a source's publication in the author-date style reference list differs from its placement in the notes and bibliography style bibliography. 

The author-date system is less flexible than the note and bibliography system, and is best used when the sources referred to consist of published materials like books or journal articles. The note and bibliography style is recommended for citing sources such as manuscript collections, but the author-date format is included in this guide as a reference. 

 

Examples of author-date reference list entry and in-text parenthetical citation:

  • Erisman, Fred. 1989. Tony Hillerman. Boise, Idaho: Boise State University.
  • (Erisman 1989, 12-17)

 

For more information on the author-date style, consult Chapter 15 of the Chicago Manual of Style