Unpublished: Performances, transcriptions, manuscripts
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Live performance - dance or theatre
Live performances - dance or theatre may include (but is not limited to) theatre, dance, music theatre or spoken word performances. For live music performances, refer to live performance - music.
Entry in reference list
Citations of live performances should generally be weaved into the text and may therefore be omitted from the reference list. However they should be included if they form a critical part of your research, or if they are frequently cited. Check with your lecturer if you are unsure.
This example is provided for those who do need to include an entry in a reference list. Note that recordings of live performances should be treated as a recording.
Title of Performance. Year. [By] Author of Script. [Directed/Performed by] Director(s)/Performer(s). Venue, Place of Performance, Date of Performance.
For example - reference list
The Mountaintop. 2013. By Katori Hall. Directed by Alkinos Tsilimidos. Fairfax Studio, Arts Centre Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, December 4, 2013.
For example - in text citation
(The Mountaintop, by Katori Hall, directed by Alkinos Tsilimidos, Fairfax Studio, Arts Centre Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, December 4, 2013.)
OR
In a performance of Katori Hall’s The Mountaintop at the Fairfax Studio on December 4, 2013 ….
OR
… under the direction of Alkinos Tsilimidos in Katori Hall’s The Mountaintop (Fairfax Studio, Melbourne, December 4, 2013).
Style notes
- See Manual 14.266 and Turabian 19.10.2.
- As live performances are ephemeral and cannot be consulted (unlike recordings), they generally do not require a reference list entry. However, they should be included if they form a critical part of your research, or if they are frequently cited. Check with your lecturer if you are unsure.
- Cite recordings of live performances as per the recorded medium (i.e. DVD, online video, sound recording) (see Manual 14.266 and Turabian 19.10.2)
- Include the names of additional performers or contributors as appropriate.
- If citing a specific part of a larger work, include the title in quotation marks as per a book chapter (i.e. "Agony," Into the Woods, music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim…)
- If the performance of an individual is important to your research, list that person's name before the title of the work (i.e. Cate Blanchett, actor, Uncle Vanya, by Anton Chekhov…)
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Live performance - music
Live performance may include (but is not limited to) music, theatre, dance, music theatre or spoken word performances. This entry is for music performances only. For other live performances, refer to live performance - dance or theatre.
Entry in reference list
Citations of live performances should generally be weaved into the text and may therefore be omitted from the reference list. However they should be included if they form a critical part of your research, or if they are frequently cited. Check with your lecturer if you are unsure.
This example is provided for those who do need to include an entry in a reference list. Note that recordings of live performances should be treated as a recording.
Performers (Surname, Given). Year. Title of Work (Descriptive Title if relevant) by Composer. Venue, Place of Performance, Date of Performance.
For example - reference list
Mustonen, Olli, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. 2012. Piano Concerto no. 5 (Emperor) by Ludwig van Beethoven. Melbourne Recital Centre, Melbourne, April 21, 2012.
For example - in text citation
(Mustonen, Olli, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Piano Concerto no. 5 (Emperor) by Ludwig van Beethoven, Melbourne Recital Centre, Melbourne, April 21, 2012.)
OR
In a performance of Beethoven’s Emperor Piano Concerto (no. 5) at the Melbourne Recital Centre on April 21, 2012 ….
OR
… the performance of Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto by Olli Mustonen (Melbourne Recital Centre, April 21, 2012).
Style notes
- See Manual 14.266 and Turabian 19.10.2.
- As live performances are ephemeral and cannot be consulted (unlike recordings), they generally do not require a reference list entry. However, they should be included if they form a critical part of your research, or if they are frequently cited. Check with your lecturer if you are unsure.
- Cite recordings of live performances as per the recorded medium (i.e. DVD, online video, sound recording) (see Manual 14.266 and Turabian 19.10.2)
- Many musical works are known by their generic names, such as 'Symphony no. 1' or 'Sonata in A major', while some have descriptive or popular names (such as 'Eroica' or Danse Macabre). See Manual 8.194 and 8.195 for guidance on whether titles should be italicised, in quotation marks or set in roman type.
- If the performance of an individual is important to your research, list that person's name before the title of the work.
- There may be multiple performers, including soloist, ensemble and conductor. Include all information relevant to the resource.
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Transcription of music/sound recording (unpublished)
This example is an interpretation, based on guidelines for unpublished manuscripts (Manual 14.216) and interviews (Manual 14.211). Please consult your lecturer for specific requirements.
Entry in reference list
Unpublished works are usually omitted from the reference list, however they can be included if they form a critical part of your research, or if they are frequently cited. Check with your lecturer if you are unsure.
Composer/Improviser (Surname, Given name). Year of transcription. "Title". Transcribed by Transcriber.
For example - reference list
Rine, Amanda. 2013. "Citrus". Transcribed by Josephine Bloggs.
For example - in text citation
Bloggs’ transcription (2013) of Amanda Rine’s “Citrus” shows these themes....
OR
The performance of “Citrus” follows this pattern (Amanda Rine, transcribed by Josephine Bloggs, 2013).
Style notes
- NOTE: This example is an interpretation, based on guidelines for unpublished manuscripts (Manual 14.216) and interviews (Manual 15.53). Please consult your lecturer for specific requirements.
- Unpublished works are usually omitted from the bibliography, however they can be included if they form a critical part of your research, or if they are frequently cited. Check with your lecturer if you are unsure.
- Use quotation marks for specific titles of works, but not for generic terms such as 'improvisation'.
- Any facts relevant to identifying the item should be included. It may also be appropriate to include an individual performer's name.
- If no date can be determined from the source, use the abbreviation 'n.d' in place of the year. This stands for 'no date'. If you believe you know the date but cannot confirm it, you may add it in square brackets followed by a question mark to indicate uncertainty (ie. [2003?].)
Chicago style has both an author-date system and a notes and bibliography system. This guide refers to the author-date system.
There are two key components:
- In-text references.
- A reference list that corresponds to the in-text references.
For more information refer to Chicago Manual of Style (online) or you can borrow a copy from the library.
Before writing your list of references, check with your tutor or lecturer for the bibliographic style preferred by the School or Department.
In-text references
In-text citations are given in brackets, and include the author’s surname and the publication date. There is no punctuation between these elements. A page number or other location information may be added after these elements, separated by a comma.
Reference list
In a reference list entry the elements are separated by full stops.
The first-listed author’s name, according to which the entry is alphabetised in the reference list, is inverted (last name first).
Where there are four to ten authors, the in-text reference should give the name of the first author only, followed by ‘et al.’ The reference list entry should include the names of all the authors. See 14.76 and 15.9.
If there are more than ten authors, list the first seven in the reference list, followed by 'et al.' See 14.76.
Titles are capitalised headline-style (all major words).
Titles of larger works (e.g., books, journals and websites) are italicised.
Titles of smaller works (e.g., chapters, articles and web pages) or unpublished works are enclosed in quotation marks and not italicised.
For books, specify the edition for all editions other than the first.
Do not include personal communications, such as letters or informal emails, in the reference list.
These should appear only in the in-text references.
Secondary citations ("quoted in" or "cited in")
The Chicago Manual of Style advises against citations taken from secondary sources (i.e. “quoted in” or “cited in”), as you are expected to have read the sources you use. If an original source is unavailable, both sources must be identified in-text, but only the secondary source is listed in the Reference List.
In-text
Mention the original author and date in your text, but cite the secondary source in brackets, using “quoted in” or cited in”. For example:
In Sutherland’s article “The Existential Albatross” from the February 2014 issue of Ornithological Metaphor, (cited in Costello 1981)…
Reference List
In your reference list, cite the secondary source. For example:
Costello, Bonnie. 1981. Marianne Moore: Imaginary Possessions. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
If unsure please ask your lecturer or tutor for further advice.
For more information refer to Chicago Manual of Style (15.56).
Abbreviations
Acceptable abbreviations in the reference list for parts of books and other publications include:
| chap. or ch. | chapter |
| ed. | edition |
| et al. | and others |
| rev. ed. | revised edition |
| 2nd ed. | second edition |
| ed. (eds) | editor (editors) |
| trans. | translator(s) |
| n.d. | no date |
| vol. | volume (as in vol. 4) |
| vols | volumes (as in 4 vols.) |
| no. | number |
| suppl. | supplement |
| s.v. | under the word |
Specific Reference Types
Books
Specify the edition if it is not the first edition.
In the reference list, works without an author should appear alphabetically by the main word of the title (ignore ‘the’, ‘a’ and ‘an’).
No page numbers are given for books.
Give beginning and ending page numbers for book chapters.
Do not use ‘p’ or ‘pp’ before the page numbers.
Editor's names should be followed with the abbreviation ed. (or eds.).
Use the same format where there is a translator or compiler instead of an editor.
For online books include the DOI (or URL) as the last part of the citation and refer to section headings in lieu of page numbers.
Published musical scores are treated in the same way as books.
Journals
Include both article title and subtitle, regardless of length.
In the reference list, give the start and end pages of the article.
Do not use ‘p’ or ‘pp’ before the page numbers.
In-text, cite specific pages (unless you are referring to the whole article).
If a journal is paginated consecutively across a volume or if the month or season appears with the year, the issue number may be omitted.
For online articles that have not been assigned a DOI include a URL. Note that DOI is lowercased and followed by a colon (with no space after) in source citations.
Access dates are not required by Chicago in citations of formally published electronic sources (see Chicago Manual of Style, Ch.14.12). If an access date is required (by publisher or discipline) they should immediately precede the URL, separated from the surrounding citation by commas in a note and periods in a reference list entry.
Newspapers
If there is no article title, give the article type (not in quotation marks). For example: Obituary, Editorial. Omit ‘The’ from newspaper titles.
Add a city name if the newspaper is not well known e.g. Examiner (Launceston).
Page numbers are usually omitted.
Details of the edition can be added to a reference list entry. For example: final edition, Midwest edition.
If the paper is published in several sections, the section number or name may be given. To cite an article consulted online, include the URL.
Electronic sources
A web page is any one of the “pages,” or subdocuments, that make up a website.
A blog is a category of website that includes dated entries and dated comments.
Blog titles should be italicised; titles of blog entries (analogous to articles in a periodical) should be in quotation marks.
Include the title of the web page, the title of the website (or a description), the author of the content and/or the owner (sponsor) of the site, and a URL.
Include a publication date (or date of modification/revision). If no such date can be found, include an access date. Precede date of modification or access with 'last modified' and 'accessed' respectively.
If a website refers to themselves by their domain name (which is case sensitive), shorten and capitalise it in a logical way (e.g., www.google.com becomes Google).
Citations of website content are usually only included in the text and the notes, not in the reference list.
Audio-visual
Episodes and indexed scenes are treated like chapters. Sound recordings should be grouped under an appropriate subheading in the reference list (see 14.263).
Further Information
For more information and examples not covered here, refer to Chicago Manual of Style 17th ed. chapter 15.
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