Visual Arts Subject Guide

Chicago referencing style has citations at the bottom of each page (or at the end of the work). This is different to the Harvard referencing style, which has brief citations in parentheses (brackets) in the body of the work. Check with your lecturer for the referencing style required.

All information and most examples in this section are from Chicago Manual of Style. The book is available in the Arts Reference area at Adelaide City campus, or visit the website.

There are three components when citing a source in your assignment:

1. In-text identifier
2. Notes
3. Bibliography

1.   In-text identifier

Insert a superscript numeral at the end of the sentence in which you have used any:

• direct quotations
• paraphrasing
• summaries
• information and ideas that are not common knowledge, or are not available in a standard reference work
• any borrowed information that might appear to be your own.

The superscript numeral is placed after any punctuation, and does not have any punctuation after it.

Example of an in-text identifier:

Rhodes states that graffiti are a strong influence on Picasso, Dubuffet and Grosz.¹  Works which …

The numerals increment throughout the whole work, i.e. continue the numbering throughout your essay or assignment rather than starting with a fresh number 1 on each page. If you want to cite more than one source to support your statement, use one identifier and separate the sources with a semi-colon (;) in the same note. See an example of this in section 2, Notes.

2.  Notes

Each note must have a matching in-text identifier/numeral. Notes are:

• separated from the text by a short horizontal line at the end of the page (for footnotes)
• the same number as the superscript numeral, but it is a normal level font
• indented 5 spaces from the left margin. Subsequent lines of same note are flush with left hand margin
• generally include page numbers, especially for direct quotations
• double spaced between notes
• usually hyperlinked for electronic works, websites etc. This includes the superscript numeral in the body of the work.

Endnotes are used when there are a large quantity of citations per page. They are placed on a separate Notes page at the end of the work. In a larger work, the Notes page may be at the end of each chapter.

Footnotes are used when there are only a few citations per page. They are separated from the body of the work by a horizontal line.

Example of a footnote citation:

-------------------------------

        1. Colin Rhodes, Primitivism and Modern Art, (London: Thames and Hudson, 1994), 51.

 

Example of a note citation with more than one source for the same information:

-------------------------------

        1. Colin Rhodes, Primitivism and Modern Art, (London: Thames and Hudson, 1994), 51; Charles Harrison and Paul Wood, eds., Art in Theory 1900-2000: An Anthology of Changing Ideas, 2nd ed (Malden, MA, USA: Blackwell, 2003), 158-9.

Note the order, formatting and punctuation of a notes citation.

• WHO: Given name Family name, comma
• WHAT: Title, in italics. Use upper case at the start of titles and subtitles and all major words comma
• WHERE: Publication details – any edition information start bracket (Place: colon Publisher, comma
• WHEN: Year of publication), end bracket comma
• Page numbers, especially if it is a direct quote. Finish with full stop.

3.   Bibliography

The bibliography is a separate page at the end of the paper. It has the following format:

• organised alphabetically according to the authors’ family name, with given name/s following the family name
• not numbered
• flush with margin, with following lines indented according to paragraphing in body of work
• single spaced, with double space between citations

Note the order, formatting and punctuation of a bibliographic citation.

• WHO: the author’s family name, comma given name/s. full stop
• WHAT: Title in italics. Use upper case at the start of title and subtitle/s, and for all major words. full stop
• WHERE: publication details. City: colon. Add state or country abbreviation if city unclear, separated from city with a comma. Publisher comma
• WHEN: Year of publication full stop
• No page numbers in a bibliography

Example of a bibliographic citation:

Rhodes, Colin. Primitivism and Modern Art. London: Thames and Hudson, 1994.

For more information and an example of a bibliography, click here.