Citing books and scores (Author date format)

Chicago Author-Date

The rules for the Chicago author-date system are similar to those of the Chicago notes and bibliography system. The main difference is the use of parenthetical in-text citations instead of referencing sources in footnotes or endnotes. In author-date style reference lists, the author is the first element and the year of publication comes second, hence the name, “author-date.” When in doubt, Chicago recommends following the rules of the notes and bibliography system, but with the date of publication listed after the authors. (CMOS 15.1, CMOS 15.2, CMOS 15.3)

Where to place your in-text citations

When using author-date in-text citations, the citation should be placed before a punctuation mark, such as a comma or period (CMOS 15.25).To include a citation after a quotation, the same rules of punctuation apply; include the in-text citation following the quoted material and before the punctuation mark (CMOS 15.26).

1. Books and scores (one author or composer)

(CMOS 15.9)

The standard in-text citation format for all sources using the author-date system consists of the author or composer’s last name in parentheses followed by the year of publication, with no punctuation between them. Page numbers should be added when quoting or paraphrasing part of a work by inserting a comma after the year, followed by the page number(s) (see examples below). Terms such as editor or translator are only included in the bibliography. If you are including more than one work in your citation, separate them by a semicolon (see CMOS 15.7)

In-text Citation:

Format:

• (Author Last Name Year Published) 
• (Author Last Name Year Published, Page number) 

Examples: 

• (Jenkins 2024) 
• (Jenkins 2024, 193) 

In Chicago Author-Date style, footnotes or endnotes may be used to elaborate on tangential points made in your main paragraphs. These notes should include the same in-text citation style as your body paragraphs (CMOS 15.31). An example of this is: "In his book, Jenkins highlights the lived experiences of BIPOC students in music (Jenkins 2024)."

Bibliography:

Reference list entries contain much more information than in-text citations. The basic format for books and scores with one author or composer includes their name, the title of the book or score, and publication information. The reference list entry is very similar to a bibliography entry. The main difference is that the year of publication is the second element in the entry.

Format:

• Author Last Name, First Name. Year Published. Title in Italics. City of Publication: Name of Publisher.

Examples:

• Jenkins, Christopher. Assimilation V. Integration in Music Education: Leading Change Toward Greater Equity. New York: Routledge, 2024. 

2. Two or more books or scores with the same author and date of publication

(CMOS 15.20)

If there are two or more sources with the same author and date of publication, a letter is added to the end of the year to differentiate the sources in the in-text citation.

In-text Citation:

Format:

• (Author Last Name Year Published+letter) 

Examples: 

• (Bohlman 2002a) and (Bohlman 2002b) 

Sample Sentences:
In World Music: A Very Short Introduction, Philip Bohlman considers world music in the context of globalization (Bohlman 2002b). In his article, “World Music at the ‘End of History’,” he looks closer at the “specific and special moments at which music undergoes an ontological shift,” often happening near the end of centuries (Bohlman 2002a, 2).

Bibliography:

If there are two or more sources with the same author and date of publication, a letter is added to the end of the year. The entries are ordered alphabetically by title in the reference list.

Format: 

• Author Last Name, First Name. Year Published+letter. “Article Title.” Journal Title in Italics Volume, Issue Number (Month/Season) Page range. 

Examples: 

• Bohlman, Philip V. 2002a. “World History at the ‘End of History’.” Ethnomusicology 46, no. 1 (Winter) 1-32. 
• Bohlman, Philip V. 2002b. World Music: A Very Short Introduction. New York: Oxford University Press. 

3.Books and scores with two or three authors

(CMOS 15.9)

For books and scores with multiple authors, the last name of each author is listed in the in-text citation followed by the year of publication and page numbers if required.

In-text Citation:

Format: 

• (1st Author Last Name and 2nd Author Last Name Year Published) 
• (1st Author Last Name, 2nd Author Last Name, and 3rd Author Last Name Year Published) 

Examples: 

• (Stephens and Helton 2023) 
• (Rodríguez-Ulloa, Quijano, and Greene 2021) 

Bibliography:

For books or scores with multiple authors, only the first author’s name is inverted in the bibliography (i.e. Last Name, First Name). The remaining authors are listed in order of their appearance on the book in the regular order (i.e. First Name Last Name). 

Format: 

• 1st Author Last Name, First Name, 2nd Author First Name Last Name, and 3rd Author First Name Last Name. Year Published. Title in Italics. City of Publication: Name of Publisher. 

Examples: 

• Stephens, Emery, and Caroline Helton. 2023. Singing Down the Barriers: A Guide to Centering African American Song for Concert Performers. Lanham: Rowman and Littlefield.
• Rodríguez-Ulloa, Olga, Rodrigo Quijano, and Shane Greene, eds. 2021. Punk! : Las Américas Edition. Bristol, UK ; Intellect.

4.Books and scores with four or more authors

(CMOS 15.9 and CMOS 15.29)

For books or scores with four or more authors, the in-text citation includes the last name of only the first author, followed by et al. to indicate that there are more authors. The year of publication follows and page numbers if required.

In-text Citation:

Format:

• (Author Last Name et al. Year Published)

Example:

• (Erwin et al. 2002)

Sample Sentence: Prelude to Music Education is an informative resource for students considering the profession of music education (Erwin et al. 2002).

Bibliography:

The reference list entry for books with four or more authors follows the same format as books with one to three authors: include all authors’ full names.

Format: 

• 1st Author Last Name, First Name, 2nd Author First Name Last Name, 3rd Author First Name Last Name, and 4th Author First Name Last Name. Year Published. Title in Italics. City of Publication: Name of Publisher. 

Example: 

• Erwin, Joanne, Kay Edwards, Jody Kerchner, and John Knight. 2002. Prelude to Music Education. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. 

5. Books and scores with an author and translator(s) or editor(s)

(CMOS 15.9)

For books with a translator or editor in addition to an author, only the last name of the author appears in the in-text citation.

In-text Citation:

Format: 

• (Author Last Name Year Published) 

Example: 

• (Martin du Gard 2000) 

Sample Sentence: Now available in translation, Lieutenant-Colonel de Maumort provides an insightful commentary on humanity, in the form of the fictional character Bertrand de Maumort’s memoire (Martin du Gard 2000).

Bibliography:

For books with a translator or editor in addition to an author, the statement, “Translated by [author name]” or “Edited by [author name]” appears following the title of the book.

Format: 

• Author Last Name, First Name. Year Published. Title in Italics. Translated by Name of translator(s). Place of Publication: Name of Publisher. 

Example: 

• Martin du Gard, Roger. 2000. Lieutenant-Colonel de Maumort. Translated by Luc Brébion and Timothy Crouse. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. 

6. Books and scores with an editor(s)

(CMOS 15.9 and CMOS 15.36)

For books with an editor(s) in place of an author, only the last name of the editor(s) appears in the in-text citation.

In-text Citation:

Format: 

• (1st Author Last Name, 2nd Author Last Name, and 3rd Author Last Name Year Published) 

Example: 

• (Grimes, Donovan, and Mars 2013) 

Sample sentence:
The collected essays in Rethinking Hanslick consider Hanslick and his aesthetics through a wide variety of critical lenses and in varying contexts (Grimes, Donovan, and Mars 2013).

Bibliography:

For books with an editor(s) in place of an author, the name of the editor(s) is treated the same way as an author. If there is one editor, the reference list entry begins with the name of the editor inverted followed by a comma and “ed.” If there are multiple editors, only the first editor’s name is inverted (i.e. Last Name, First Name). The remaining editors are listed in order of their appearance on the book in the regular order (i.e. First Name Last Name). After the names of editors, insert a comma followed by “eds.” 

Format: 

• 1st Editor Last Name, First name, 2nd Editor First Name Last Name, and 3rd Editor First Name Last Name. Year Published. Title in Italics. Place of Publication: Name of Publisher. 

Example: 

• Grimes, Nicole, Siobhan Donovan, and Wolfgang Mars, eds. 2013. Rethinking Hanslick: Music, Formalism, and Expression. Suffolk: Boydell and Brewer. 

7. Chapter or composition in an edited book or anthology

(CMOS 15.9)

For a chapter or composition in an edited book or anthology, the in-text citation contains the last name of the author/composer of the chapter/composition followed by the year of publication and pages numbers if required.

In-text Citation:

Format: 

• (Author of Chapter Last Name Year Published) 

Example: 

• (Weelkes 2010) 

Bibliography:

For a chapter or composition in an edited book or anthology, the reference list item should include both the title and author/composer of the specific chapter, and the title and editor of the collection or anthology. The chapter title is given in quotation marks followed by “In [title of the book or anthology]”. The title of the book or anthology is followed by a comma and a statement identifying the editor of the anthology or collection. The page range of the chapter is provided after the name of the editor.

Format: 

• Author of Chapter Last Name, First name. Year Published. “Chapter or Composition Title.” In Anthology or Book Title in Italics. Edition, volume number, edited by Names of Editor(s), Page Range. Place of Publication: Name of Publisher. 

Examples: 

• Weelkes, Thomas. 2010. “As Vesta Was.” In Norton Anthology of Western Music. 6th ed., vol. 1, edited by J. Peter Burkholder and Claude V. Palisca, 342-51. New York: W. W. Norton. 
• Botstein, Leon. 2010. “Alban Berg and the Memory of Modernism.” In Alban Berg and His World. Edited by Chrisopher Hailey, 299-343. Princeton: Princeton University Press. 

Sample Sentence:
“As Vesta was,” contains many examples of word painting. For example, the words “descending” and “ascending” in the text of the madrigal are frequently paired with descending and ascending musical figures respectively, such as in mm. 7-8 and 12-22 (Weelkes 2010, 342-343).