The Chicago Manual of Style, 17th Edition

by The University of Chicago Press Editorial Staff

University of Chicago Press, 2017
Cloth: 978-0-226-28705-8
DOI: 10.7208/cmos17

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ABOUT THIS BOOKREVIEWSTABLE OF CONTENTS

ABOUT THIS BOOK

Technologies may change, but the need for clear and accurate communication never goes out of style. That is why for more than one hundred years The Chicago Manual of Style has remained the definitive guide for anyone who works with words.

In the seven years since the previous edition debuted, we have seen an extraordinary evolution in the way we create and share knowledge. This seventeenth edition of The Chicago Manual of Style has been prepared with an eye toward how we find, create, and cite information that readers are as likely to access from their pockets as from a bookshelf. It offers updated guidelines on electronic workflows and publication formats, tools for PDF annotation and citation management, web accessibility standards, and effective use of metadata, abstracts, and keywords. It recognizes the needs of those who are self-publishing or following open access or Creative Commons publishing models. The citation chapters reflect the ever-expanding universe of electronic sources—including social media posts and comments, private messages, and app content—and also offer updated guidelines on such issues as DOIs, time stamps, and e-book locators.

Other improvements are independent of technological change. The chapter on grammar and usage includes an expanded glossary of problematic words and phrases and a new section on syntax as well as updated guidance on gender-neutral pronouns and bias-free language. Key sections on punctuation and basic citation style have been reorganized and clarified. To facilitate navigation, headings and paragraph titles have been revised and clarified throughout. And the bibliography has been updated and expanded to include the latest and best resources available.

This edition continues to reflect expert insights gathered from Chicago’s own staff and from an advisory board of publishing experts from across the profession. It also includes suggestions inspired by emails, calls, and even tweets from readers. No matter how much the means of communication change, The Chicago Manual of Style remains the ultimate resource for those who care about getting the details right.

REVIEWS

“This manual stands as an indispensable and thoughtfully constructed English language and style resource for those compelled, by enthusiasm or responsibility, to attend to the minutiae of written expression.”

— Publishers Weekly

“‘Chicago' is the rule of reason made flesh. It is belief in sensible authority and reasonable application thereof. . . . Everything is changing, but some truths remain steadfast, and they should be not merely online but at your fingertips.”

— Washington Post

“As it incorporates contemporary examples (e.g., NOOK, Lady Gaga), CMS, as expected, offers sensible, clear advice on matters great and small for authors’ guidance—such as the treatment of names of ships and spaceships, use of the en dash, how to edit electronic manuscripts, and the ins and outs of documenting and citing works of many kinds. Just as the seventeenth edition reflects publishing changes since the 2010 sixteenth edition, the online counterpart, an inherently continuously evolving work, will be the version of choice for those whose libraries license it.”

— A Top Ten Reference Book, Booklist

“A magnificent piece of work."

— Indexer

“The revolution continues. With the manual’s 17th edition . . . both the online and hard copy editions address all kinds of issues not pertinent a decade or even seven years ago. . . . However the University of Chicago Press has not forgotten its roots. The 1013-page book (not including a 129-page index) still has all the traditional information that writers, editors and publishers expect from what is often called the ‘Bible’ of the publishing world.”

— Publishing Research Quarterly

“The Chicago Manual of Style is the essential tool—significantly larger and much more broadly based compared to particular discipline-centric styles—that has (since 1906) guided editors, publishers, copy editors, and proofreaders, and continues to support the scholarship and writing of serious researchers in all fields of study."

— Essential rating, Choice

“For those looking to learn or reference the Chicago formatting and citation styles, The Chicago Manual of Style will always be the go-to resource. Despite each new edition’s growth in length and changes in content, the volume remains the same: the definitive—and only—guide to Chicago style. Given the print volume’s size and weight, the online version, with its additional features—many of which are freely available—is a good alternative for both brief and dedicated users who want portable access to the manual or want to move beyond the content to engage with The Chicago Manual of Style community.”

— Journal of Electronic Publishing

“With publication of its seventeenth edition, the venerable Chicago Manual of Style adapts to changes in technology and editorial preferences while retaining its long-established principles.”

— Technical Communication

“(A) guiding light for almost all published writing in America today.”

— Boston Globe

5. Grammar and Usage, by Bryan A. Garner

Preface

Acknowledgments

Part I · The Publishing Process

1. Books and Journals

The Parts of a Book

The Parts of a Journal

Considerations for Electronic Formats

2. Manuscript Preparation, Manuscript Editing, and Proofreading

Overview and Process Outline

Manuscript Preparation Guidelines for Authors

Manuscript Editing

Proofreading

3. Illustrations and Tables

Illustrations

Tables

4. Rights, Permissions, and Copyright Administration, by William S. Strong

Copyright Law and the Licensing of Rights

The Publishing Agreement

Subsidiary Rights and Permissions

The Author’s Responsibilities

Part II · Style and Usage

Grammar

Syntax

Word Usage

6. Punctuation

Punctuation in Relation to Surrounding Text

Periods

Commas

Semicolons

Colons

Question Marks

Exclamation Points

Hyphens and Dashes

Parentheses

Brackets and Braces

Slashes

Quotation Marks

Spaces

Multiple Punctuation Marks

Lists and Outline Style

7. Spelling, Distinctive Treatment of Words, and Compounds

Overview

Plurals

Possessives

“A” and “An”

Ligatures

Word Division

Italics, Capitals, and Quotation Marks

Compounds and Hyphenation

8. Names, Terms, and Titles of Works

Personal Names

Titles and Offices

Epithets, Kinship Names, and Personifications

Ethnic, Socioeconomic, and Other Groups

Names of Places

Words Derived from Proper Names

Names of Organizations

Historical and Cultural Terms

Calendar and Time Designations

Religious Names and Terms

Military Terms

Names of Ships and Other Vehicles

Scientific Terminology

Brand Names and Trademarks

Titles of Works

9. Numbers

Numerals versus Words

Plurals and Punctuation of Numbers

Inclusive Numbers

Roman Numerals

10. Abbreviations

Overview

Names and Titles

Geographical Terms

Designations of Time

Scholarly Abbreviations

Biblical Abbreviations

Technology and Science

Business and Commerce

11. Languages Other than English

General Principles

Languages Using the Latin Alphabet

Languages Usually Transliterated (or Romanized)

Classical Greek

Old English and Middle English

American Sign Language (ASL)

12. Mathematics in Type

Style of Mathematical Expressions

Preparation and Editing of Paper Manuscripts

13. Quotations and Dialogue

Overview

Permissible Changes to Quotations

Quotations in Relation to Text

Quotation Marks

Speech, Dialogue, and Conversation

Drama, Discussions and Interviews, and Field Notes

Ellipses

Interpolations and Clarifications

Attributing Quotations in Text

Part III · Source Citations and Indexes

14. Notes and Bibliography

Source Citations: An Overview

Basic Format, with Examples and Variations

Notes

Bibliographies

Author’s Name

Title of Work

Books

Periodicals

Websites, Blogs, and Social Media

Interviews and Personal Communications

Papers, Contracts, and Reports

Manuscript Collections

Special Types of References

Audiovisual Recordings and Other Multimedia

Legal and Public Documents

15. Author-Date References

Overview

Basic Format, with Examples and Variations

Reference Lists and Text Citations

Author-Date References: Special Cases

16. Indexes

Overview

Components of an Index

General Principles of Indexing

Indexing Proper Names and Variants

Indexing Titles of Publications and Other Works

Alphabetizing

Punctuating Indexes: A Summary

The Mechanics of Indexing

Editing an Index Compiled by Someone Else

Typographical Considerations for Indexes

Examples of Indexes

Glossary

Bibliography

Index