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History Citation Guide
Footnotes document the sources of the information used in a history paper. Unlike the parenthetical author and page citations favored by many other disciplines (Smith, 92), footnotes cite the full bibliographical information at the “foot” of the page where the source is first used. Here’s an example: TEXT OF ESSAY According to Patrice Higonnet, the state of Massachusetts was a theocracy “of a peculiar and unstable kind.”^3 FOOTNOTE
Patrice Higonnet, Sister Republics: The Origins of French and American Republicanism (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard, 1988), 31. After the first time you use a source, abbreviate the citation with the author’s last name, a few key terms from the title, and the page number. SUBSEQUENT NOTE
Higonnet, Sister Republics , 88. Documentary Footnotes In history, the context of the source—its time, place, author, etc.—is often just as important as the content of the document. Including this information in the text of the essay, rather than saving it for the bibliography, helps the reader quickly access the original source of quotations, facts, and ideas. The Citation Models below provide examples of how to cite in many of the situations you will encounter. As a general rule, keep your citations consistent and provide your reader with whatever they need to find the original source. Discursive Footnotes Documentary footnotes also afford the writer the opportunity to add commentary that would be out of place in the body of the essay. Such “discursive” notes may be used to evaluate the credibility of a source, to acknowledge indebtedness for a colleague’s assistance, or to discuss questions related to, but not essential to, your main argument. Use discursive notes sparingly. EXAMPLES OF DISCURSIVE NOTES^1
Mably later urged Americans to ponder the advantages of “the same form of worship, of obedience to the same divine laws.” Letters to John Adams , 120. (^1) The first two examples are adapted from the endnotes to Patrice Higonnet’s Sister Republics: The Origins of French and American Republicanism (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1988), 286–
See Gary B. Nash, The Urban Crucible , 132–34. Nash presents these riots (inaccurately, to my mind) as proof of popular resentment against “aristocratic, wealthy, and ambitious men.”
I wish to express gratitude to my colleague Andrew Hernandez for pointing out the many subtle references to Machiavelli in this chapter of The Social Contract. When to Cite Cite to acknowledge the source of direct quotations, paraphrases, summaries, and information not considered common knowledge. You must also acknowledge ideas that originated with someone else, even if you don’t quote the author. You need not cite common knowledge, such as dates of prominent events or ideas that have become common currency (e.g. Freud’s idea of the “ego”). This exception for common knowledge applies even to information you didn’t know before you read about it. That the Seven Years’ War lasted from 1756-‐1763 is well-‐established knowledge. You need not cite the textbook where you read these dates, even if you weren’t familiar with them beforehand. By contrast, the claim that the loss of Native American allies in 1760 was the main cause of French defeat during the Seven Years’ War is an interpretation that could be questioned. You would need to cite the source for such an assertion. For more on citing and plagiarism, see the University of Oklahoma’s statement on Academic Integrity [http://integrity.ou.edu/students_guide.html] Where to Cite Cite at the end of the sentence where you used the author’s words or ideas— even if the quotation ends before the conclusion of the sentence. Yes: John Woolman described slaves as “innocent men capable to manage for themselves,” a remarkable stance for the eighteenth century.^5 No: John Woolman described slaves as “innocent men capable to manage for themselves,”^3 a remarkable stance for the eighteenth century. How to Create a Footnote In Microsoft Word, create a footnote following these steps:
Put your cursor at the end of the sentence you wish to footnote.
From the “Insert” menu, choose “Footnote”
Word will automatically create a numbered footnote at the bottom of the page. Type your footnote there. Bibliographies A bibliography is an alphabetized list of all the sources you consulted or cited while writing the essay. Begin your bibliography at the top of the first page after the conclusion of your paper. If you use more than one work by the same author, replace their name with six hyphens (-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐-‐) for entries after the first. Here is an example for a paper that used two books by historian Richard White:
BIB Richardson, Joe M., and Maxine D. Jones. Education for Liberation: The American Missionary Association and African Americans, 1890 to the Civil Rights Movement. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 2009. Translator or Editor in Addition to the Author FN 11. Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America , trans. Arthur Goldhammer (New York: Library of America, 2004), 99. SN 15. Tocqueville, Democracy , 12. BIB Tocqueville, Alexis de. Democracy in America. Translated by Arthur Goldhammer. New York: Library of America, 2004. Note: If a book has both an editor and translator, include both. Editor Instead of Author If you are citing the editor of a compilation or anthology, or referencing the entire edited work, begin your note with the editor’s name. If you are citing the author of a chapter in an edited anthology, see “Work in an Anthology” below. FN 2. Ralph F. Young, ed., Dissent in America: The Voices that Shaped a Nation (New York: Pearson, 2006), xxiii. SN 5. Young, Dissent , xxi. BIB Young, Ralph F., ed. Dissent in America: The Voices that Shaped a Nation. New York: Pearson,
Works Accessed on a Website Books and other sources consulted online follow the same citation format as their printed counterparts, except that you must also include an access date and a web address. Many websites and databases have begun using a DOI, or Digital Object Identifier, to create a short, stable link to books and articles. If no DOI is available for a work published on a website, then use the site’s URL (this can be copy-‐pasted from your browser’s address bar). If you are citing a book you accessed through a database like JSTOR or ProQuest, cite the website’s name instead of the URL (these URL’s are often very long!) unless a DOI is provided. Website (use DOI or URL) FN 3. Thomas Paine. Common Sense , in The Writings of Thomas Paine, Volume I, ed. Moncure Daniel Conway (New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1894; Project Gutenberg, 2008), 25 – 2 6, accessed February 18, 2013, http://gutenberg.org/ebooks/147. SN 9. Paine, Common Sense , 29.
BIB Paine, Thomas. Common Sense. In The Writings of Thomas Paine, Volume I. Edited by Moncure Daniel Conway. New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1894; Project Gutenberg, 2008. Accessed February 18, 2013. http://gutenberg.org/ebooks/147. NOTE : For a website with no page numbers, use section or chapter headings to orient your reader to the location of the cited passage. Place them where the page number would go. Database (Use DOI or Database Name) FN 8. John Filson, The Discovery, Settlement, and Present State of Kentucky: and an introduction to the topography and natural history of that rich and important country: also Colonel Daniel Boon’s narrative of the wars of Kentucky , (London: Stockdale, 1793), 5, accessed March 12, 2012, Sabin Americana. SN 9. Filson, Kentucky , 7. BIB Filson, John. The Discovery, Settlement, and Present State of Kentucky: and an introduction to the topography and natural history of that rich and important country: also Colonel Daniel Boon’s narrative of the wars of Kentucky. London: Stockdale, 1793. Accessed March 12, 2012. Sabin Americana.
Sections in Books
Work in an Anthology (including primary sources in edited collections). When citing a contribution to an anthology, start with the name of the author of the chapter or section you’re referencing. For primary sources, note the original date of publication after the title. FN 4. John Woolman, “Considerations on Keeping Negroes, Part Second” (1762), in Dissent in America: The Voices that Shaped a Nation , ed. Ralph F. Young (New York: Pearson, 2006), 55 – 56. SN 9. Woolman, “Keeping Negroes,” 58. BIB Woolman, John. “Considerations on Keeping Negroes, Part Second.” 1762. In Dissent in America: The Voices that Shaped a Nation , edited by Ralph F. Young, 53-‐58. New York: Pearson,
Letter from a Collection. FN 8. Tecumseh to Governor William Henry Harrison, 1810, in The Library of Oratory , ed. C.M. Depew (New York: Globe, 1902), 4: 363–64. SN 9. Tecumseh to Harrison, 364.
FN 1. John F. Burns, “Taming the Elephant: An Introduction to California’s Statehood and Constitutional Era,” California History 81, no. 3-‐4 (2003): 2, accessed May 14, 2012, http://www.jstor.org/stable/i25161694. SN 2. Burns, “Taming the Elephant,” 5. BIB Burns, John F. “Taming the Elephant: An Introduction to California’s Statehood and Constitutional Era.” California History 81, no. 3-‐ 4 (2003): 1-‐26. Accessed May 14,
- http://www.jstor.org/stable/i25161694. Newspaper or Magazine Article When using a newspaper or popular magazine article as a secondary source , you may cite it in the body of your text rather than in a note. For example: “In a August 7, 2013 article in the New York Times , Charlie Savage reported that... .” When citing a newspaper as a primary source , provide a footnote and a bibliographic entry. You will access most of the historical newspapers you use through a database, so be sure to add date of access and the name of the database. Start with the author’s name if it’s provided; otherwise, begin with the title of the article. FN 8. “Tented City for Refugees: Government Making Preparations to Care for Mexican Prisoners at Fort Bliss,” Tulsa World , January 16, 1914, accessed January 29, 2012, America’s Historical Newspapers. SN 10. “Tented City” BIB “Tented City for Refugees: Government Making Preparations to Care for Mexican Prisoners at Fort Bliss.” Tulsa World , January 16, 1914. Accessed January 29,
- America’s Historical Newspapers. Book Review FN 12. Phillip Hamilton, review of Accommodating Revolutions: Virginia’s Northern Neck in an Era of Transformations, 1760 – 1810 , by Albert H. Tillson, Jr., American Historical Review 116, no. 1 (2011): 171. SN 13. Hamilton, review of Accommodating Revolutions , 171. BIB Hamilton, Phillip. Review of Accommodating Revolutions: Virginia’s Northern Neck in an Era of Transformations, 1760 – 1810 , by Albert H. Tillson. Jr. American Historical Review 116, no. 1 (2011): 171–172.
