A manual for writers of research papers, theses, and dissertations, Ninth edition - Kate L. Turabian 2018

Older works and sacred works
Notes-bibliography style: citing specific types of sources
Source citation

17.8.1 Classical, Medieval, and Early English Literary Works

Literary works produced in classical Greece and Rome, medieval Europe, and Renaissance England are cited differently from modern literary works. These sources are often organized into numbered sections (books, lines, stanzas, and so forth) that are generally cited in place of page numbers. Because such works have been published in so many versions and translations over the centuries, the facts of publication for modern editions are generally less important than in other types of citations.

For this reason, classical, medieval, and early English literary works should usually be cited only in footnotes or, for frequently cited works, in parenthetical notes (see 16.4.3), as in the first example below. Include the author’s name, the title, and the section number (given in arabic numerals). See below regarding differences in punctuation, abbreviations, and numbers among different types of works.

The eighty days of inactivity reported by Thucydides (8.44.4) for the Peloponnesian fleet at Rhodes, terminating before the end of winter (8.60.2—3), suggests . . .

N:

1. 1. Ovid, Amores 1.7.27.

2. 2. Beowulf, lines 2401—7.

3. 3. Spenser, The Faerie Queene, bk. 2, canto 8, st. 14.

If your paper is in literary studies or another field concerned with close analysis of texts, or if differences in translations are relevant, include such works in your bibliography. Follow the rules for other translated and edited books in 17.1.1.1.

N:

1. 4. Propertius, Elegies, ed. and trans. G. P. Goold, Loeb Classical Library 18 (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1990), 45.

B:

✵ Aristotle. Complete Works of Aristotle: The Revised Oxford Translation. Edited by J. Barnes. 2 vols. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1983.

17.8.1.1 CLASSICAL WORKS. In addition to the general principles listed above, the following rules apply to citations of classical works.

Use no punctuation between the title of a work and a line or section number. Numerical divisions are separated by periods without spaces. Use arabic numerals (and lowercase letters, if needed) for section numbers. Put commas between two or more citations of the same source and semicolons between citations of different sources.

N:

1. 1. Aristophanes, Frogs 1019—30.

2. 2. Cicero, In Verrem 2.1.21, 2.3.120; Tacitus, Germania 10.2—3.

3. 3. Aristotle, Metaphysics 3.2.996b5—8; Plato, Republic 360e—361b.

You can abbreviate the names of authors, works, collections, and so forth. The most widely accepted abbreviations appear in the Oxford Classical Dictionary. Use these abbreviations rather than ibid. in succeeding references to the same work. In the first example, the author (Thucydides) stands in for the title so no comma is needed.

N:

1. 4. Thuc. 2.40.2—3.

2. 5. Pindar, Isthm. 7.43—45.

17.8.1.2 MEDIEVAL WORKS. The form for classical references works equally well for medieval works written in languages other than English.

N:

1. 1. Augustine, De civitate Dei 20.2.

2. 2. Abelard, Epistle 17 to Heloïse (Migne, PL 180.375c—378a).

17.8.1.3 EARLY ENGLISH WORKS. In addition to the general principles listed above, the following rules apply to citations of early English literary works.

Cite poems and plays by book, canto, and stanza; stanza and line; act, scene, and line; or similar divisions.

N:

1. 1. Chaucer, “Wife of Bath’s Prologue,” Canterbury Tales, lines 105—14.

2. 2. Milton, Paradise Lost, book 1, lines 83—86.

You may shorten numbered divisions by omitting words such as act and line, using a system similar to the one for classical references (see 17.8.1.1). Be sure to explain your system in the first note.

N:

1. 3. Milton, Paradise Lost 1.83—86 (references are to book and line numbers).

If editions differ in wording, line numbering, and even scene division—common in works of Shakespeare—include the work in your bibliography, with edition specified. If you do not have a bibliography, specify the edition in the first note.

B:

✵ Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Edited by Ann Thompson and Neil Taylor. Arden Shakespeare 3. London: Arden Shakespeare, 2006.

17.8.2 The Bible and Other Sacred Works

Cite the Bible and sacred works of other religious traditions in footnotes, endnotes, or parenthetical notes (see 16.4.3). You do not need to include these works in your bibliography.

For citations from the Bible, include the abbreviated name of the book, the chapter number, and the verse number—never a page number. Depending on the context, you may use either traditional or shorter abbreviations for the names of books (see 24.6); consult your instructor if you are unsure which form is appropriate. Use arabic numerals for chapter and verse numbers (with a colon between them) and for numbered books.

Traditional abbreviations:

N:

1. 1. 1 Thess. 4:11, 5:2—5, 5:14.

Shorter abbreviations:

N:

1. 2. 2 Sm 11:1—17, 11:26—27; 1 Chr 10:13—14.

Since books and numbering differ among versions of the scriptures, identify the version you are using in your first citation with either the spelled-out name or an accepted abbreviation (see 24.6.4).

N:

1. 3. 2 Kings 11:8 (New Revised Standard Version).

2. 4. 1 Cor. 6:1—10 (NAB).

For citations from the sacred works of other religious traditions, adapt the general pattern for biblical citations as appropriate (see 24.6.5).