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Chicago 17th (B) Author-Date

Sacred and ancient sources

In-text citation

Format

(Author Full Name, Title of Source Book.Section.Line)

Example

(Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics 6.11.20)

Tips

  • Rather than using page numbers, these sources are commonly separated into sections that remain consistent throughout different editions and translations. Cite classical sources by using book, section, and line to refer to specific passages.
  • If your assessment requires sub-headings in your reference list, then list these sources in alphabetical order by ancient author under a separate heading labelled 'Ancient Sources'. Include the name of the translator and the date of the publication of the translation

In-text citation

Format

(Author Surname Year, Pages)

Example

(Lichtheim 1973, 130)

Reference list

Format

Author Surname, First Name, ed. Year of publication. Title of Book: Subtitle. Location: Publisher.

Example

Lichtheim, Miriam, ed. Ancient Egyptian Literature: Volume 1: The Old and Middle Kingdoms. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1973.

Tips

  • There is no universally accepted system of standardised citation for these sources, so refer to the ancient writer or the name of the text in your sentence and cite the modern edition or translation you are using.
  • List the edition, and/or the translator, and the publication details following the patterns outlined in the Books section of this guide.
  • If your assessment requires sub-headings in your reference list, put these sources with the modern sources.

In-text citation

Format

(Title of Source Book:Verse)

(Abbreviated title of Book Chapter:Verse)

Examples

(Koran 19:17–21)

(Gen. 1:27)

Tips

  • Cite sacred sources by using variations of book, chapter, and verse to refer to specific passages.
  • Abbreviate the titles of books of the Bible following advice from Chapter 10 of the Seventeenth Edition of The Chicago Manual of Style.
  • Sacred sources are not listed in reference lists or bibliography.
  • Citations of transliterated texts should indicate the name of the version or translator. The Koran (or Qur’an) is set in roman, and citations of its sections use Arabic numerals and colons (e.g., Koran 19:17–21).

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