The CMOS Author-Date citation style is predominantly used in the sciences, such as biology, anthropology, sociology, etc.
The main difference from Note-Biographical style? Author-Date style:
Please always check your course materials and/or ask your professor which CMS citation style to use.
The below examples can be used for guidance when creating bibliographic entries for your paper's bibliography. While similar to the Notes used in the text, there are some differences. Please contact a Lone Star College librarian if you have any questions.
| Source | Example | Key |
| Book, one author |
Jones, Julia. 2011. A History of Birds. Chicago: ALA Press. |
Author Last Name, First Name. Publication Year. Book Title in Italics. City of Publication: Publisher. |
| Book, two or more authors | Jones, Julia, Matt O'Connor, and Will Beene. 2014. Amazing Birds and Where to Find Them. New York: ABC Publishers. | Author Last Name, First Name, First Name Last Name additional author, and First Name Last Name additional author. Publication Year. Book Title in Italics. City of Publication: Publisher. |
| Organization as Author | USFWS (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service). 2018. Endangered Birds of Texas. Austin: USFWS. |
*Abbreviated organization name (Full organization name). Publication Year. Book Title in Italics. City of Publication: **Abbreviated organization name. *If there is no abbreviated term for organization name, just use full name. **This assumes organization as publisher. |
| Chapter from a book with an editor |
O'Connor, Matt. 2005. "Tuxedos." In Favorite Fancy Birds, edited by Julia Jones, 117-25. New York: Dragon Queen Press. |
Author Last Name, First Name. Publication Year. "Chapter title." In Book Title in Italics, edited by Editor First Name Last Name, page numbers. City of Publication: Publisher. |
| eBook online |
Jones, Julia.2011. A History of Birds. Chicago: ALA Press. http://www.books.com-history-of-birds.html. |
Author Last Name, First Name. Publication Year. Book Title in Italics. City of Publication: Publisher. Web address of book location. |
| eBook found in library database | Beene, Will. 2018. Climate Change and Birds. London: Crown Publishing. EBSCOhost. | Author Last Name, First Name. Publication Year. Book Title in Italics. City of Publication: Publisher. Database name. |
| eBook for a device | King, Marcus. 2012. Avian Migrations in North American. Houston: Bayou Publishing. Kindle. | Author Last Name, First Name. Publication Year. Book Title in Italics. City of Publication: Publisher. Device. |
| Source | Example | Key |
| Journal Article |
Jones, Julia. 2018. "Teaching Iambic Pentameter." Journal of Poetry 114, no. 3 (August): 21-36. |
Author Last Name, First Name. Publication Year. "Title of Article." Journal Title in Italics, Volume number, issue number: page numbers. |
| Journal Article with a DOI (library database or website) | Hodges, Kevin. 2017. "Modern Use of Literary Terms." American Literature Journal 5, no. 2 (March): 17-21. https://doi.org/10.233/505511. | Author Last Name, First Name. Publication Year. "Title of Article." Journal Title in Italics, Volume number, issue number (Publication Month or Season): page numbers. doi number. |
| Journal Article with Stable URL | Westin, Nicole. 2012. "Great American Literature." The Literary Student 12, no. 1 (Spring): 5-12. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3456879. | Author Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article." Journal Title in Italics, Volume number, issue number (Publication Month or Season): page numbers. Stable URL. |
| Journal article without a DOI (library database or website) | Westin, Nicole, Kevin Hodges, and Julia Jones. 2014. "Teaching Poetry to Middle School Students." Poetry Education 8, no. 1: 27-34. Academic Search Complete. | Author Last Name, First Name. Publication Year. "Title of Article." Journal Title in Italics, Volume number, issue number: page numbers. Database name. |
| Source | Example | Key |
| Found in Print |
O'Connor, Matt. 1972. "Damone Rocks." Rolling Stone, October 14, 1972. |
Author Last Name, First Name. Publication Year. "Article title in quotes." Magazine name in italics, Publication Date. |
| Found on Website |
Neil, Vince. 2019. "History of Football." Texas Monthly, July 22, 2019. http://www.texasmonthly.com/history-of-football. |
Author Last Name, First Name. Publication Year. "Article title in quotes." Magazine name in italics, Publication Date. Web address of article location. |
| Found in Database |
Lee, Tom. 1999. "Drumming for a Cause." Modern Drummer Magazine, February 1999. Project MUSE. |
Author Last Name, First Name. Publication Year. "Article title in quotes." Magazine name in italics, Publication Date. Database name. |
| Source | Example | Key |
| Found in Print |
Hohler, Bob. 2004. "Red Sox Win World Series for First Time in 86 Years." Boston Globe, October 28, 2004. |
Author Last Name, First Name. Publication Year. "Article title in quotes." Newspaper name in italics, Publication Date. |
| Found on Website |
Norgren, Shay. 1979. "The Men on the Moon." Houston Chronicle, July 20, 1979. http://www.houstonchronicle/history-men-walked-on-moon. |
Author Last Name, First Name. Publication Year. "Article title in quotes." Newspaper name in italics, Publication Date. Web address of article location. |
| Found in Database |
Lopez, Jen. "Dance as Art." Los Angeles Times, April 15, 2005. Credo Reference. |
Author Last Name, First Name. Publication Year. "Article title in quotes." Newspaper name in italics, Publication Date. Database name. |
| Source Type |
In-Text Citation |
Parenthetical Citation |
| One author |
Jones (2017) argues that the spotted flyer shore bird is the first species to circle the globe. |
(Jones 2017) |
| Two authors |
Jones and O'Connor (2018, 12) state "the blue-billed peacock gets its name from the bright blue spots along it's beak." |
(Jones and O'Connor 2018, 12) |
| Three authors | Jones, O'Connor, and Hodges (2007) state suitable habitat as the deciding factor for species migration and settlement. | (Jones, O'Connor, and Hodges 2007) |
| Four or more authors |
Jones et al. (1995) describe the sloth as "a kind-eyed, slow moving mammal for which locating and languidly grazing is the sole focus" (115). |
(Jones et al. 1995, 115) |
| Chapter/Article in Edited Book |
The "tuxedo" birds discussed by O'Connor are known for their black and white markings that are not only decorative but help to camouflage the species from predators (O'Connor, 2005). |
(O'Connor 2005) |
| e-book |
Julia Jones, A History of Birds (Chicago: ALA Press, 2011), 100-107, http://www.books.com-history-of-birds.html. Author First and Last Name, Book Title in Italics (Publication city: Publisher name, Publication year), pages, URL or database name. |
Jones, History of Birds, 112. |
| Source Type |
In-Text Citation |
Parenthetical Citation |
| One author |
Jones (2018) stresses purchases of carbon offsets will not be enough to counteract the ever-increasing aviation carbon footprint. |
(Jones 2018) |
| Two authors |
Hodges and Jones (2017, 18) state "the loggerhead sea turtle is enjoying a resurgence in the warm waters of the Gulf due to the steps taken by a consortium of government agencies and private corporations." |
(Hodges and Jones 2018, 18) |
| Three authors | Jones, O'Connor, and Hodges (2007) state suitable habitat as the deciding factor for species migration and settlement. | (Jones, O'Connor, and Hodges 2007) |
| Four or more authors |
Jones et al. (1995) describe the sloth as "a kind-eyed, slow moving mammal for which locating and languidly grazing is the sole focus" (115). |
(Jones et al. 1995, 115) |
| Organization as author | According to the Sea Turtle Conservancy (2015), the Atlantic Hawksbill sea turtle "is the most tropical of all sea turtles enjoying the waters of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans" (33). | (Sea Turtle Conservancy 2015, 33) |
Note: for journal article in-text citations, add just the page number for the quoted material in the citation. In the full bibliography/works cited entry you will add the entire page range for the article.
| Source Type |
In-Text Citation |
Parenthetical Citation |
| One author |
Wilson (2014) stresses that tobacco products continue to show a link to cancer. |
(Wilson 2014) |
| Two authors |
Hodges and Jones (2017, 18) state "the loggerhead sea turtle is enjoying a resurgence in the warm waters of the Gulf due to the steps taken by a consortium of government agencies and private corporations." |
(Hodges and Jones 2017, 18) |
| Three authors | Jones, O'Connor, and Hodges (2007) state suitable habitat as the deciding factor for species migration and settlement. | (Jones, O'Connor, and Hodges 2007) |
| Four or more authors |
Jones et al. (1995) describe the sloth as "a kind-eyed, slow moving mammal for which locating and languidly grazing is the sole focus" (115). |
(Jones et al. 1995, 115) |
Note: for journal article in-text citations, add just the page number for the quoted material in the citation. In the full bibliography/works cited entry you will add the entire page range for the article.
| Source Type |
In-Text Citation |
Parenthetical Citation |
| With Author Name |
Jones (2018) emphasizes that coding skills may prove useful in many career paths, including education and finance. |
(Jones 2018) |
| No Author Name |
Lone Star College (2019) seeks to provide "comprehensive educational opportunities and programs to enrich lives." |
(Lone Star College 2019) |
| Video Content | In his TED Talk, Clint Smith (2014) encourages his students to read critically, write consciously, speak clearly, and to tell their truth to abate the ignorance and hate that can arise from being silent. | (Smith 2014) |
This CMS example paper uses the Author-Date citation style. The sample paper was downloaded from the Purdue Online Writing Lab (Purdue OWL). The Purdue OWL is recommended for further guidance regarding formatting in the CMS N&B style.
“General Format.” The Purdue OWL. https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/717/02/.
Sources listed in a bibliography must be formatted with a "hanging indent". This means that any lines of text that occur after the first must be indented 5 spaces to the right.
To create a hanging indent in Word, select the text you want to format, right-click on it, and choose "Paragraph" from the menu. In the Paragraph dialog box, go to the "Indents and Spacing" tab, find the "Special" drop-down menu, select "Hanging," and then click "OK" to apply the formatting. The first line of each paragraph will remain at the left margin, while subsequent lines will be indented.