Guide to Referencing
The University of Divinity observes the notes-bibliography style of referencing in the latest edition of The Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS) for theology, philosophy and history courses. This guide to referencing provides rules and examples for commonly cited materials (see tabs on left). More complex referencing advice may be found in The Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS) Online via the UD Library Hub.
Academic Integrity, Plagiarism and Artificial Intelligence
Students, researchers, scholars and academic staff at the University of Divinity are committed to maintaining the highest standards of scholarship in their assessment tasks, scholarly outputs and materials for teaching and learning. The University of Divinity has clear policies on Academic Integrity and Assessment, which consider the prevalence of GenAI tools. Improper use of AI may be considered cheating in accordance with these policies. Consult the lecturer for your course or unit if you are unsure.
Referencing the Bible
The exception to this rule is that when referencing the Bible, the SBL Manual of Style is used for abbreviations. Ancient texts can be referenced using either SBL or CMOS. The Bible and Ancient Texts sections of this style guide have more information and examples. These can be found in the sidebar of the online version of this guide, or under the linked headings in this PDF.
Using Notes and Bibliography Entries
When referencing a work in your assessment tasks, create a "note" with a corresponding bibliography entry. When inserting a note, add a superscript numeral after the punctuation. Some word processing programs call this a "footnote" and others an "endnote" and can simplify this process. In your bibliography, only list sources mentioned in the notes, do not add entries you have not cited.
Examples, Exceptions and Outliers
This guide attempts to address most situations encountered in theological education and scholarship through rules and examples, however each section links to the larger body of examples provided in the CMOS 18th Ed Online using chapter and verse (e.g. 14:31). Following these links in the section headings can help you find examples to cover your specific circumstances.
Indents and Formatting
In CMOS 18th ed., the place of publication is no longer required in book citations. Chicago Style bibliography entries use a hanging indent, while notes use a ½ inch paragraph first-line indent. Notes are numbered, whereas bibliography items are not. This guide provides rules for notes and bibliography entries as well as examples. You will need to include all the punctuation, italics and spacing specified in this guide.
Note that second and subsequent citations of a work are abbreviated in a specific way, and that ibid. and op. cit. are not used. When preparing a bibliography, sources should be presented on a separate page and listed in alphabetical order by author's last name. Sources without an author should be listed before sources with authors.
Consistency is Key
As in all referencing systems, consistency to your style is important. The citation generator in the Library Hub will produce bibliography entries consistent with the CMOS 18th Ed but should be checked for formatting and punctuation. This citation button does not generate notes entries.
Other Referencing Styles
In other study disciplines such as counselling and education, students will often use APA. This is an in-text citation style which is readily available in citation software or exported from the Library Hub catalogue. If you are unsure of what referencing style to use in your class, ask your lecturer or tutor.