Citing Dictionaries and Encyclopedias

On this page:

  1. An article from a print dictionary or encyclopedia
  2. An article from an online dictionary or encyclopedia

1. An article from a print dictionary or encyclopedia

Citations to well-known dictionaries, encyclopedias, and other major reference works, are normally cited in notes rather than in bibliographies (CMS 14.232). For reference works with substantial, authored entries it is appropriate to cite the entries by their author, much like contributions to a multi-author book. (See CMS 14.234 and CMS 14.107).

Footnote/Endnote:

Format:

  1. Author First Name, Last Name, “Section Title.” in Volume Title in Italics, Volume number of Series Title, Editor(s) First Name Last Name (Place of publication: Name of publisher, Year published), Page number

Examples:

  1. Colin Fallows, "Art and Art Schools," in Media, Industry and Society, vol. 1 of Continuum Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World, ed. John Shepherd et al. (London: Continuum, 2003), 154.
  2. Marita P. McClymonds and Daniel Heartz, "Opera Seria," in Nisard to Palestrina, vol. 18 of The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, ed. Stanley Sadie (New York: Grove's Dictionaries, 2001), 487.
  3. Stephen Walsh, "Stravinsky, Igor (Fyodorovich)," in Grove Music Online, ed. Deanne Root et al. (Oxford University Press, 2007-), accessed September 16, 2017, http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/.

Bibliography:

Format:

Author Last Name, First Name. "Article Title." In Title in Italics, edited by First Name Last Name, Page numbers. Place of publication: Name of publisher, Year. 

Examples:

  • Fallows, Colin. "Art and Art Schools." In Continuum Encyclopedia of Popular Music of the World vol. 1, edited by John Shepherd et al., 152-57. London: Continuum, 2003.
  •  
  • McClymonds, Marita P., and Daniel Heartz. "Opera Seria." In Nisard in Palestrina, 485-93. Vol.18 of The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, edited by Stanley Sadie. New York: Grove's Dictionaries, 2001.

2. An article from an online dictionary or encyclopedia

Note that in some cases, as with well-known sources like Grove Music Online, it may be appropriate to shorten particularly unwieldy URLs to after the first forward slash (i.e. the slash that follows a domain extension such as .com). (See CMS 14.10). 

Footnote/Endnote:

Format:

1 Author First Name Last Name. “Section Title.” In Title of dictionary or encyclopedia. Name of Publisher, Year Published-. Access Date. URL or shortened URL. 

Example:

  1. Stephen Walsh, "Stravinsky, Igor (Fyodorovich)," In Grove Music Online, Oxford University Press, 2007-, Accessed September 16, 2015, http://https://www-oxfordmusiconline-com.myaccess.library.utoronto.ca/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000052818?_start=1&pos=1&q=stravinsky&search=quick&source=omo_gmo#firsthit.  
  2. Stephen Walsh, "Stravinsky, Igor (Fyodorovich)," In Grove Music Online, Oxford University Press, 2007-, Accessed September 16, 2015, http://www.oxfordmusiconlin.com/.  

Bibliography:

Format:

Author Last Name, First Name. “Entry Title.” In Name of Dictionary/Encyclopedia in Italics. Name of Publisher, Year published-. Access Date. URL or shortened URL. 

Example: