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Download a pdf document from the
University of Queensland with Chicago examples.
From Wikipedia:
The Chicago Manual of Style
(CMS) is a style guide for American English
published by the University of Chicago Press (from which it receives its name).
It prescribes a writing style that is widely used in the publishing industry.
The
CMS deals with all aspects concerning the editorial practice, from American
English grammar and usage to document preparation. (Note that, in the field
of publishing, style means punctuation, italicizing, bolding, capitalization,
tables, and so forth; not prose style.)
The first edition was published by
the University in 1906, under the title A
Manual of Style; it was officially retitled The Chicago Manual of Style upon
publication of the 13th edition in 1982, a name that was already in widespread
informal use by the book's audience. In recent years the publishers have
released a new edition every decade or so. (The fourteenth edition was
published in 1993.) The most recent edition is the 15th, published in 2003.
Retailing for $55 (USD), the 15th edition has been revised throughout to
reflect the increasing prominence of computer technology and the Internet in
the publishing world, and offers guidance for citing electronic works. Other
changes include a new chapter on American English grammar and usage, and
a revised treatment of mathematical copy.
The CMS is currently published in hardcover and CD-ROM, joined by an online
edition that released on 29 September 2006 (link).
The online edition includes
the fully searchable text of the 15th edition with added features including
tools
for editors, a quick citation guide, and searchable access to the Chicago
Style Q&A, a feature popular with copyeditors and grammar geeks, in which
manuscript editors at the University of Chicago Press answer style questions
submitted by readers. An annual subscription is required for access to the
content of the Manual, but the rest of the site is available for free.
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History
What would become The Chicago Manual
of Style was first published in 1906
under the title Manual of Style: Being a compilation of the typographical
rules in force at the University of Chicago Press, to which are appended
specimens of type in use. From its earliest edition of a mere 200 pages, the
CMS evolved into a reference guide of 984 pages in its 15th edition. It was
one of the first style methods published in the United States, and is in large
part responsible for the standardization of research methodology, most
specifically with the style of citation.
By 1969 the CMS had become the industry leader, selling around 150,000
copies of its 12th edition. However, throughout the 1960s the demand for a
more concise and up-to-date style guide grew. The Modern Language
Association found that The Chicago Manual of Style was not evolving fast
enough to suit the demands of the modern humanities researcher, and, as
such, made the citations excessively complicated for modern methods (e.g.
the microfilming drive, and, in particular, the evolving world of electronic
records). Consequently they put forth their own MLA style guides, aimed at
different audiences: The MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers and
the MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing. Style guides have
continued to proliferate: first with the introduction of the MLA style, later
with
the American Psychological Association introducing its own citation style, and
other disciplines following suit. Today, there are numerous style guides aimed
at writers, editors, and publishers and each claims authority in a certain
field.
The Chicago Manual of Style is still used as the citation style in some social
science publications and in most historical journals; the publications of the
Organization of American Historians and the American Anthropological
Association are two examples. Since it also includes chapters more relevant
strictly to the publishers of books and journals, it remains in wide use as a
reference for the industry.
