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Legal, Public and Unpublished Materials
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General Guidelines for Public and Unpublished Materials
Notes and bibliographic entries for public documents, like other documents, should include the elements needed to locate the items. These essential elements often include the following:
- Country, city, state, province, county, etc.
- Legislative body, executive department, court, bureau, board commission or committee, etc.
- Subsidiary divisions
- Title, if any, of the document or collection
- Individual author (editor or compiler), if given
- Report number or any other identification necessary or useful in finding the specific document
- Publisher, if different from issuing body
Footnote or Endnote (N):
1. Firstname Lastname, “Title of Document” (source type identifier, Place of Publication, year of publication), page number(s).
Corresponding Bibliographic Entry (B):
Legal Materials and Government Documents
Legal materials and other government documents should be cited using footnotes, endnotes, and/or citation sentences (with clauses including the same information required in a footnote). Print copies of the sources tend to be preferred to digital, though verified digital sources are acceptable.
When writing for law journals or other legal publications, these sources are not usually required to be cited in a bibliography or on a references page. Citation sentences alone are an acceptable form of citation, so long as the document has only a few legal citations (for more information, see The Chicago Manual of Style, 17th ed., sections 14.269-305 and 15.58.)
Court Decisions and Cases
Notes for court cases should include case name, number, volume number, abbreviated name(s) of reporter, and, in parentheses, the abbreviated name of the court and the date. Case names written in full are typeset in roman, while in subsequent shortened citations the short form of the case name is italicized. Citations are assumed to refer to decisions as a whole unless a particular page is cited using “at” (see example 3 below). The CMOS offers the following note examples in section 14.276:
United States v. Christmas, 222 F.3d 141, 145 (4th Cir. 2000).
Profit Sharing Plan v. Mbank Dallas, N.A., 683 F. Supp. 592 (N.D. Tex. 1988).
Christmas, 222 F.3d at 145. The court also noted that under United States v. Sokolow, 490 U.S. 1, 7 (1989), police may briefly detain a person without probable cause if the officer believes criminal activity “may be afoot.” Christmas, 222 F.3d at 143; see also Terry v. Ohio, 392 U.S. 1 (1968).
Theses and Dissertations
Thesis and dissertation titles appear in quotation marks, not in italics, but are cited in all other ways like books. Include name, title, type of document, academic institution, and date, in that order. If the item was found online, include a URL or DOI (see guidelines for citing online sources ).
1. Tara Hostetler, “Bodies at War: Bacteriology and the Carrier Narratives of ‘Typhoid Mary’” (master’s thesis, Florida State University, 2007), 15-16.
Hostetler, Tara. "Bodies at War: Bacteriology and the Carrier Narratives of ‘Typhoid Mary.’” Master’s thesis, Florida State University, 2007.
Letters and Unpublished Manuscripts
Letters and unpublished materials that have not been archived may be cited like other unpublished material, with information on location replaced by wording such as “private collection of Trinity Overmyer” or “in the author’s possession.” The location is not mentioned.
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Citation Help: Dissertations & Theses
- Getting Started
- Audio/Visual
- Business Reports and Gray Literature
- Dissertations & Theses
- Conference Sessions & Presentations
- Web Pages and Social Media
- Data Sets, Software & Tests
- In-text Citation
- Audio / Video
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A quick note:
The following examples follow the Notes-Bibliography style. For Author-Date style, please consult The Chicago Manual of Style 17th Edition.
Chicago AND Turabian Citation Examples: Dissertations & Theses
Chicago and Turabian use the exact same format for citing dissertations and theses.
Important Elements:
- Author
- Title of Dissertation or Thesis
- Type of Document (Dissertation or Thesis)
- Name of Degree Granting Institution
Thesis or dissertation
1. Author First Last, "Title of Dissertation or Theis" (Doctoral diss. or Master's Thesis, Name of Institution, Year), pp.-pp.
1. Dana S. Levin, "Let's Talk about Sex . . . Education: Exploring Youth Perspectives, Implicit Messages, and Unexamined Implications of Sex Education in Schools" (PhD diss., University of Michigan, 2010), 101-2.
Shortened note
2. Author Last, "Shortened Title," pp.
2. Levin, "Let's Talk about Sex," 98.
Bibliography Entry
Author Last, First. "Title of Dissertation or Thesis." Doctoral diss. or Master's Thesis, Name of Institution, Year.
Levin, Dana S. "Let's Talk about Sex . . . Education: Exploring Youth Perspectives, Implicit Messages, and Unexamined Implications of Sex Education in Schools." PhD diss., University of Michigan, 2010.
Examples courtesy of The Turabian 8th edition .
Chicago/Turabian Examples by Source
- Articles
- Audio & Video
- Books
- Dictionaries & Encyclopedias
- Dissertations & Theses
- Websites, Including Social Media
- Other Source Types
Ask a Librarian
Librarians are available to help you with your questions. Please don't hesitate to contact us with any questions you might have regarding citation styles, citation management, etc.
Ask a question below or contact your subject specialist librarian for more help!
Useful Resources for Chicago/Turabian
Check out the Chicago Manual of Style's Shop Talk website for more great information about using the Chicago Manual of Style through the links below!
- Shop Talk for Students
- Formatting a paper in Chicago Style
- What's the difference between Chicago and Turabian?!?
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- Last Updated: Sep 9, 2024 1:13 PM
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- MyExperience
Chicago Citation Style, 18th Edition
- Bibliography
- One Author or Editor
- Multiple Authors or Editors
- Author and Editor
- Author and Translator
- Organization as Author
- Anonymous Work
- Chapter from an Edited Work
- Multivolume Work
- Edition Other than the First
- Dictionary or Encyclopedia
- Journal Article
- Magazine Article
- Newspaper Article
- Book Review
- Basic Webpage
- Blogs and Social Media
- Government Website
- Audio/Video Recording
- Online Multimedia
- Interview or Personal Communication
- Lecture or Presentation
- Primary Source Published in an Edited Collection
- Thesis or Dissertation
- Pamphlet or Brochure
- Sacred Text
- Indirect Source
- Government Document
- Paintings, Illustrations, Tables
- AI Generated Content
- Plagiarism This link opens in a new window
Thesis or Dissertation (Section 14.113 )
Titles of theses and dissertations appear in quotation marks, not italics.
Help & Guide Contents
Home General Guidelines Notes Bibliography Books One Author or Editor Multiple Authors or Editors Author and Editor Author and Translator Organization as Author Anonymous Work Chapter from an Edited Work Multivolume Work Edition Other than the First Dictionary or Encyclopedia E-Book Articles Journal Article Magazine Article Newspaper Article Book Review Websites Basic Webpage Blogs and Social Media Government Website Audiovisual Media Audio/Video Recording Online Multimedia Other Sources Interview or Personal Communication Lecture or Presentation Primary Source Published in an Edited Collection Thesis or Dissertation Pamphlet or Brochure Sacred Text Indirect Source Government Document Paintings, Illustrations, Tables Plagiarism
- Last Updated: Dec 2, 2024 3:07 PM
- URL: https://library.ulethbridge.ca/chicagostyle