Citing a Reference Work
Citing a Reference Work (14.130)
Well-known reference works, such as major dictionaries and encyclopedias, are normally cited in notes rather than in bibliographies. They are more likely than other types of books to be consulted online (see 14.131). When citing a physical edition, specify the edition number (if not the first) and the date the volume or set was published. References to an alphabetically arranged work cite the item (not the volume or page number) in quotation marks.
Rule for Notes
#. Encyclopaedia Title, Edition Number (Publication Date), under “entry title”.
Example Note
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, 15th ed. (1980), under “salvation.”
Biblical and Thematic Dictionaries
Other reference works such as Biblical dictionaries, however, are more appropriately listed with full publication details like any other book resource. (For examples of how to cite individual entries by author, see 14.132.)
Rules for Notes
#. Author of Entry’s First and Last Names, “Title of Entry” in Title of Reference Work, Edition Number Number of Volumes (Publisher’s Name, Publication Date), Section number.
Example Notes
- M. J. Wilkins, “Disciples and Discipleship” in Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels, 2nd ed., ed. Joel B. Green, Jeannine L. Brown, and Nicholas Perrin (InterVarsity Press, 2013), 202.
Example Shortened Notes
- Wilkins, “Disciples and Discipleship,” 202.
Rule for Bibliography
Author of Entry’s Last Name, Author of Entry’s First Name. “Title of Entry.” In Title of Reference Work. Publisher’s Name, Publication Date. DOI or URL if consulted online.
Example bibliography entries
Wilkins, M. J. “Disciples and Discipleship” in Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels. 2nd ed. Edited by Joel B. Green, Jeannine K. Brown, and Nicholas Perrin. InterVarsity Press, 2013.
Generate a reference-work citation (CMOS 18e · 14.130)
Use “under ‘term’” for well-known reference works. For authored entries, include the entry author and publisher/year.