How Do You Cite A Dissertation Chicago
🤯 Citing a Dissertation in Chicago Style: Don't Sweat the Small Stuff (But Actually, Totally Do)
Alright, listen up, academic superstars! You've just unearthed the most epic piece of research—a doctoral dissertation, a literal mountain of knowledge—and now you need to cite it in your paper using the Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS). Maybe your professor is a stickler for the rules, maybe you just want your bibliography to look fly. Either way, you're staring at this behemoth of a citation style, and you're thinking, "Is this gonna be more complex than the research itself?"
Fear not, my scholarly pal. We're about to break down this Chicago-style dissertation citation like a master chef deconstructs a fancy meal. It's a two-parter, notes-and-bibliography style (the go-to for humanities folks), and we're going to nail both the Footnote/Endnote (N) and the Bibliography Entry (B). Get ready to feel like a total citation wizard. This is gonna be a long ride, so buckle up!
Step 1: Gotta Get Your Ducks in a Row—The Info You Need
Before you can even think about commas and parentheses, you need the cold, hard facts. Think of this as gathering the ingredients for your citation smoothie. Don't skip this part—it's the foundation of your entire academic street cred. Seriously, this is the most crucial step, so pay attention!
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| How Do You Cite A Dissertation Chicago |
1.1 The Author and the Title
First things first: who wrote the thing, and what did they call their magnum opus?
Author's Full Name: You need the whole enchilada: First Name, Middle Initial (if available), and Last Name.
Title of Dissertation: This is the big kahuna. Make sure you get the full title, including any super-long subtitle.
1.2 The Deets on the Document
A dissertation is a special kind of beast. It's not a published book (usually), so you need to clarify what it actually is and where it came from.
The Type of Document: Is it a PhD dissertation (most common) or a master's thesis? You need to specify this. It's like telling the difference between a Big Mac and a Quarter Pounder.
The University: Which institution allowed this scholarly wonder to see the light of day? You need the full name of the university.
The Year: When was it officially approved or published? The year is your time stamp.
1.3 The Access Point (Where'd You Find This Gem?)
QuickTip: Repetition reinforces learning.
Did you pull it from a dusty library shelf, or did you snag it from the digital frontier?
Database/Repository: If you found it on a platform like ProQuest Dissertations & Theses or an institutional repository, you'll want to include that name. If it's ProQuest, you might even have an identifying number (AAT number)—score!
URL/DOI: If it's freely accessible online, grab the direct URL or, even better, the DOI (Digital Object Identifier). DOIs are the VIP passes of the internet.
Step 2: Crafting the Footnote/Endnote (The In-Text Shoutout)
Okay, now you're dropping a sweet, sweet fact from the dissertation into your text. Chicago style uses a superscript number¹ to signal a note. This note (either at the bottom of the page—a footnote—or at the end of the document—an endnote) is your first citation of the source.
2.1 The Full Note (N) – The Grand Introduction
The first time you cite the dissertation, you gotta go full-throttle. The format uses commas to separate elements, and it wraps the publication info in parentheses. Don't forget the specific page number(s) where you found the info!
Formula for the First Full Note (N):
N: Author First Name Last Name, “Title of Dissertation” (Type of diss., University Name, Year), Page Number(s).
Example of Full Note (N):
Jane A. Doe, “The Secret Life of Squirrels: An Ethnographic Study of Acorn-Hoarding Behaviors” (PhD diss., University of Chicago, 2023), 42-43.
If you found it online, you add the URL/DOI or Database Info at the end:
Example with Database:
Jane A. Doe, “The Secret Life of Squirrels: An Ethnographic Study of Acorn-Hoarding Behaviors” (PhD diss., University of Chicago, 2023), 42-43, ProQuest (AAT 12345678).
Tip: Read slowly to catch the finer details.
2.2 The Short Note (N) – The Quick Handoff
After that glorious first full note, you can relax a little. For every subsequent time you cite the same dissertation, you use the shorter, cooler version. It keeps your footnotes from looking like a rambling essay.
Formula for the Subsequent Short Note (N):
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N: Author Last Name, Shortened Title (if the title is long), Page Number(s).
Example of Short Note (N):
Doe, Secret Life of Squirrels, 101.
Note: If the title is super short (less than four words), you can usually just use the full title, but a good rule of thumb is to shorten it!
Step 3: Conquering the Bibliography (The Alphabetical Party)
The Bibliography is the alphabetical master list at the end of your paper. This is where you put the full, comprehensive entry for every source you cited. The vibe here is different: you invert the author's name, use periods instead of commas to separate the main elements, and you do not include page numbers for specific references—you're citing the entire work.
3.1 The Bibliography Entry (B) – The Full Breakdown
The bibliography entry is less about the page-specific quote and more about identifying the whole darn document. Note the inverted author name (Last Name, First Name) and how the title is still in quotation marks. The document type is not in parentheses here.
Formula for the Bibliography Entry (B):
Tip: Reading in short bursts can keep focus high.
B: Last Name, First Name. “Title of Dissertation.” Type of diss., University Name, Year.
Example of Bibliography Entry (B):
Doe, Jane A. “The Secret Life of Squirrels: An Ethnographic Study of Acorn-Hoarding Behaviors.” PhD diss., University of Chicago, 2023.
If you found it online, the URL/DOI or Database Info goes at the very end:
Example with URL:
Doe, Jane A. “The Secret Life of Squirrels: An Ethnographic Study of Acorn-Hoarding Behaviors.” PhD diss., University of Chicago, 2023.
. https://www.chicagouniversityrepository.edu/diss/squirrels42
3.2 Key Differences: Notes vs. Bibliography
Let's do a quick comparison—this is where people usually mess up!
Remember: You're aiming for consistency, clarity, and total domination over that Bibliography page. It’s not just about passing; it’s about making your paper look pro! You got this! Seriously, it’s not rocket science, just a lot of punctuation.
FAQ Questions and Answers
Tip: Break down complex paragraphs step by step.
How do you cite a master's thesis instead of a PhD dissertation?
A: You simply swap out the degree type! Where you would write "PhD diss.," you should instead write "master's thesis" in both the full note and the bibliography entry. All other formatting rules—like commas, periods, and capitalization—stay the same.
Is it necessary to include a URL or database name if the dissertation is published in ProQuest?
A: Totally necessary. In the Chicago Notes-Bibliography system (CMOS 17th edition), you must include the source's access point. For ProQuest, include the name of the database and, ideally, the identifying AAT number right before the period in the bibliography entry and in the note. If it's a university's open-access repository, use the URL.
How do you cite an unpublished dissertation in Chicago style?
A: An unpublished dissertation is cited almost identically to a published one, but you need to clarify its status. After the title, you would write: Unpublished PhD diss. or Unpublished master's thesis before the University Name and Year. This indicates that it was never officially published or widely distributed through a commercial service.
What is the difference between a full note and a short note, and when do I use each one?
A: The full note is your first citation of a specific source; it includes all the essential publication details (Author, Title, Document Type, University, Year). The short note is used for subsequent citations of the same source. It only includes the Author's Last Name, a Shortened Title, and the specific Page Number(s). It keeps your notes concise and clean!
Where does the superscript number go in my paper's main text?
A: The superscript number should be placed at the end of the clause or sentence to which it refers, and after all punctuation marks, except for the dash. For example: "The study suggested a correlation,¹ which was a total shock—² at least to the researchers."
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