Cal Poly SLO Department of Music
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Footnotes & Bibliography - Music 325: America's Music

Footnotes

In the field of music, we use the Chicago Manual of Style citation system (not MLA or other systems). When using footnotes (or endnotes), the numbers are consecutive through the course of the paper÷you don't use the same footnote number for several quotes. Each quotation gets its own number. If the same item (source) appears several times in your footnotes, you can abbreviate the reference in the second, third, fourth (etc.) appearance, but be sure to give the page number each time.

Here is an example of what footnotes (or endnotes) look like, if you had used two sources:

Sample prose:

Blah blah blah, blah, blah blah, and Swain notes, "blah blah blah."1 Gaar disagrees, arguing "blah, blah blah."2 Both authors agree that there are three main issues, but Swain thinks number two is most important.3 Gaar, on the other hand, thinks that blah blah blah.4 It is possible that neither author is correct, although Swain raises an interesting point, saying "blah, blah, blah."5

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1 Joseph P. Swain, The Broadway Musical: A Critical and Musical Survey (New York: Oxford University Press, 1990): 136. [<--- the first time you quote or paraphrase from this book]

2 Gillian G. Gaar, She's a Rebel: The History of Women in Rock & Roll (Seattle: Seal Press, 1992), 101-2.

3 Swain, Broadway Musical, 153. [<--- the second time you cite Swain's book]

4 Gaar, She's a Rebel, 106. [<--- the second time you cite Gaar's book]

5 Swain, Broadway Musical, 187. [<--- the third time you cite Swain's book]

Note that the footnotes are numbered consecutively through the course of your document. In the two examples given below for different kinds of item, No. "1" indicates the proper citation to use for the first reference to a source in your paper; the "2" shows the brief citation used for the second (and third, fourth, etc.) reference to that same item.

N = page number

Book:

1 First Name Last Name, The Complete Title of the Book, which ed. (City: Publisher, Year), N. ["N" = the page number]

2 Last Name, Brief Title, N.

Book in a series:

1 First Name Last Name, The Title of the Book, The Title of the Series, Vol. Number (City: Publisher, Year), N.

2 Last Name, Brief Title, N.

Article in a periodical:

1 First Name Last Name, "Title of the Article," The Title of the Periodical 37, no. 2 (Year): N.

OR

1 First Name Last Name, "Title of the Article," The Title of the Periodical 37 (Month or Season Year): N.

2 Last Name, "Brief Title," N.

Article in a dictionary or encyclopedia:

1 Title of the Dictionary or Encyclopedia, which ed., s.v. "Title of Article."

Dissertation:

1 First Name Last Name, "The Title of the Dissertation," Unpublished dissertation (University Name, Year), N.

2 Last Name, "Brief Title," N.

Score:

1 First Name Last Name, Title of the Piece, op. number, study score [or other score format], ed. First Name Last Name (City: Publisher, Year), N.

2 Last Name, Title, N.

Recording:

1 Composer's First Name Last Name, Title of the Album [or piece, if classical work], Name of Publisher Publisher's Number.

2 Composer's Last Name, Title of Album.

Web Site:

First Name Last Name, "Title of Page," Title of Website, Date of Page Construction <http://complete web address for the page>, (Date You consulted the site).

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Sample Bibliography Citations

Items in a bibliography should appear in alphabetical order, organized by the authors' last names. (If an item appears in your bibliography, there should be at least one footnote citing that source in the course of your paper.)

Book:

Last Name, First Name. The Title. Which ed. City: Publisher, Year. (editor, multiple authors - see me or Chicago Manual of Style)

Book in a series:

Last Name, First Name. The Title of the Book. The Title of the Series, Editor, Vol. #. City: Publisher, Year.

Article in a periodical:

Last Name, First Name. "Title of the Article." The Title of the Periodical 37, no. 1 (Year): N-N.

OR

Last Name, First Name. "Title of the Article." The Title of the Periodical 37 (Month or Season Year): N-N.

Article in a dictionary or encyclopedia:

Chicago's style guidelines do not require a bibliography citation for well-known reference works (although several other style guides in music do recommend inclusion). Since I'd like to know what sources you found helpful, I will want you to include useful dictionary & encyclopedia entries for your topic; use the appropriate format below.

• (if each article in the encyclopedia is signed)

Last Name, First Name. "The Article," in The Title of the Dictionary or Encyclopedia. Which edition, edited by W. H.æ Omever. City: Publisher, Year. (Vol. N, pp. 1-N.)

• (unsigned articles)

The Title of the Dictionary or Encyclopedia. Which edition, edited by W. H.æ Omever. City: Publisher, Year. "The Title of the Article." (Vol. N, pp. 1-N.)

Dissertation:

Last Name, First Name. "The Title of the Dissertation." Unpublished dissertation. University Name, Year.

Score:

Last Name, First Name. Title of the Piece. Study score [or other score format]. Edited by First Name Last Name. City: Publisher, Year.

Recording:

Composer's Last Name, First Name. Title of the Album [or piece, if classical work]. Name of Publisher Publisher's Number.

Web Site:

Last Name, First Name. "Title of Page." Title of Website. Date of Page Construction. <http://complete web address for the page> (Date you consulted the site).

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