Last Updated: 1 September 2016
U.S. Military Academy at West Point
Department of History
Style and Formatting Guide
This is a reference guide for formatting Chicago style footnotes and bibliographies in your
history research papers at West Point. Use this guide in conjunction with the Documentation of
Academic Work and the Little, Brown Handbook. In case of conflicts, this guide takes
precedence.
SAMPLE CITATIONS
Book (Print, Single Author)
Footnote, first use:
² Dave R. Palmer, Summons of the Trumpet: A History of the Vietnam War from a
Military Man's Viewpoint (New York, NY: Ballantine, 1984), 5.
Footnote, subsequent consecutive reference to the same work with different page
number:
³ Ibid., 4.
Footnote, subsequent consecutive reference to the same work with same page
number:
⁵ Ibid.
Footnote, subsequent nonconsecutive reference to the same work:
⁷ Palmer, Summons of the Trumpet, 6.
Bibliography:
Palmer, Dave R. Summons of the Trumpet: A History of the Vietnam War from a
Military Man's Viewpoint. New York, NY: Ballantine, 1984.
Book (Print, Two, or Three Authors)
Footnote, first use:
USMA Department of History, Style and Formatting Guide
² Barry E. Carter, Phillip R. Trimble, and Allen S. Weiner, International Law
(New York, NY: Aspen Publishers, 2007), 7.
Footnote, subsequent nonconsecutive reference to the same work:
³ Carter, Trimble, and Allen, International Law, 9.
Bibliography:
Carter, Barry E., Phillip R. Trimble, and Allen S. Weiner. International Law. New York,
NY: Aspen Publishers, 2007.
Book (More Than Three Authors)
Footnote, first use:
² Pauline Maier et al., Inventing America: A History of the United States, vol. 2,
2nd ed. (New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company, 2006), 507.
Footnote, subsequent nonconsecutive reference to the same work:
⁵ Maier et al., Inventing America, 508.
Bibliography:
Maier, Pauline, Merritt R. Smith, Alexander Keyssar, and Daniel J. Kevles. Inventing
America: A History of the United States. Vol. 2. 2nd ed. New York, NY: W. W.
Norton & Company, 2006.
Edited Volume
Footnote, first use:
² Jean S. Pictet, ed., Commentary on Geneva Convention III: Relative to the
Treatment of Prisoners of War (Geneva, Switzerland: International Committee of the Red
Cross, 1960), 8.
Footnote, subsequent nonconsecutive reference to the same work:
⁵ Pictet, ed., Commentary on Geneva Convention III, 10.
Bibliography:
Pictet, Jean S., ed. Commentary on Geneva Convention III: Relative to the Treatment of
Prisoners of War. Geneva, Switzerland: International Committee of the Red
Cross, 1960.
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USMA Department of History, Style and Formatting Guide
Chapter in an Edited Volume
Footnote, first use:
² Andrew Ross, “Components of Cultural Justice,” in Law in the Domains of
Culture, eds. Austin Sarat and Thomas R. Kearns (Ann Arbor, MI: The University of
Michigan Press, 1998), 203.
Footnote, subsequent nonconsecutive reference to the same work:
⁵ Ross, “Components of Cultural Justice,” 207.
Bibliography:
Ross, Andrew. “Components of Cultural Justice.” In Law in the Domains of Culture,
edited by Austin Sarat and Thomas R. Kearns, 203-28. Ann Arbor, MI: The
University of Michigan Press, 1998.
Journal Article
When a journal article is obtained via an online database but is a photographic copy of
the original publication (usually in pdf format), it is not necessary to cite it as an online source.
In this case, simply cite it by the original publication information according to the format below.
Footnote, first use:
² Detlev F. Vagts, “Switzerland, International Law and World War II,” American
Journal of International Law 91 (1997): 466.
Footnote, subsequent nonconsecutive reference to the same work:
⁵ Vagts, “Switzerland, International Law and World War II," 467.
Bibliography:
Vagts, Detlev F. “Switzerland, International Law and World War II.” American Journal
of International Law 91 (1997): 466-75.
Newspaper Article
When a newspaper article is obtained via an online database but is a photographic copy
of the original publication (usually in pdf format), it is not necessary to cite it as an online
source. In this case, simply cite it by the original publication information according to the format
below.
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USMA Department of History, Style and Formatting Guide
Footnote, first use:
² Thomas Erdbrink, “Trying Unlikely Comeback, Ex-Iran President Strikes Chord
with Public,” New York Times, May 17, 2013, A9.
Footnote, subsequent nonconsecutive reference to the same work:
⁵ Erdbrink, “Trying Unlikely Comeback,” A9.
Bibliography:
Erdbrink, Thomas. “Trying Unlikely Comeback, Ex-Iran President Strikes Chord with
Public.” New York Times, May 17, 2013, A9.
Magazine Article
Footnote, first use:
² T. Trent Gegax and Evan Thomas, "The Family Business," Newsweek, June 20,
2005, 24.
Footnote, subsequent nonconsecutive reference to the same work:
⁵ Gegax and Thomas, "The Family Business," 26.
Works Cited:
Gegax, T. Trent and Evan Thomas. "The Family Business." Newsweek, June 20, 2005,
24-31.
Website
Note: Not all web sources are valid for scholarly research. Acceptable web sources
include primary sources and scholarly secondary sources. A secondary source is scholarly if it
follows at least the same standards of evidence as your paper (it must include footnotes or
endnotes). Your instructor may give you additional guidance on web sources. It is not necessary
to include non-durable URLs for web sources that were previously published and are merely
photographically reproduced in a database (such as JSTOR). In these cases, cite only the
original publisher.
Footnote, first use:
² “The ICRC since 1945: the Geneva Conventions of 1949,” International Committee
of the Red Cross, March 5, 2005, http://www.icrc.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/htmlall/icrcgenevaconventions-revision-1949?opendocument (accessed May 18, 2013).
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USMA Department of History, Style and Formatting Guide
Works Cited:
“The ICRC since 1945: the Geneva Conventions of 1949.” International Committee of the
Red Cross. March 5, 2005. http://www.icrc.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/htmlall/
icrc-genevaconventions-revision-1949?opendocument (accessed May 18, 2013).
Journal Article from Online Database (Not Copied in Original Format)
When a journal article in an online database is not a photographic copy but merely text, it
is necessary to provide the URL because page numbers will not match those in the original
publication. In this case, include only the durable URL to the database, not the temporary URL
that is specific to your login session. The temporary URL is not used because it holds no value
for a scholar who may attempt to retrace your citation. Normally, durable URLs are much
shorter than temporary URLs, whereas temporary URLs often require multiple lines of text.
Footnote, first use:
James E. Young, “Between History and Memory: The Uncanny Voices of
Historian and Survivor,” History and Memory 9 (Fall 1997): 47, http://search.proquest.
com/docview/195106272 (accessed July 25, 2013).
Works Cited:
Young, James E. “Between History and Memory: The Uncanny Voices of Historian and
Survivor.” History and Memory 9 (Fall 1997): 47-58. http://search.proquest.com/
docview/195106272 (accessed July 25, 2013).
Article Reprinted in USMA History Course Notebook
Footnote, first use:
²Alexis de Tocqueville, “How Mores Become More Gentle as Social Conditions
Become More Equal, 1840," in HI 103 Course Notebook: History of the United States to
1877 (West Point, NY: Department of History, 1999), 166.
Works Cited:
Tocqueville, Alexis de. “How Mores Become More Gentle as Social Conditions Become
More Equal, 1840.” In HI 103 Course Notebook: History of the United States to
1877, 165-168. West Point, NY: Department of History, 1999.
Article Reprinted in USMA History Course Reader
Footnote, first use:
² Samuel Adams, "Natural Rights of the Colonists, 1772,” in HI 105 Primary
Document Reader: History of the United States (West Point, NY: Department of History,
2013), 13.
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USMA Department of History, Style and Formatting Guide
Works Cited:
Adams, Samuel. "Natural Rights of the Colonists, 1772.” In HI 105 Primary Document
Reader: History of the United States. West Point, NY: Department of History,
2013.
West Point History of Warfare (iBook edition)
Footnote, first use:
1
Edward G. Lengel, “The Origins of the American Revolution and Opening
Moves,” in The West Point History of Warfare, eds. Clifford J. Rogers and Ty Seidule,
vol. 2, American Warfare to 1900, eds. Clifford J. Rogers and Samuel J. Watson, iBook
version 1.1.2 (New York, NY: Rowan Technology Solutions, 2016), 7-9.
Footnote, subsequent nonconsecutive reference to the same work:
3
Lengel, “The Origins of the American Revolution and Opening Moves,” 8.
Works Cited:
Lengel, Edward G. “The Origins of the American Revolution and Opening Moves.” In
The West Point History of Warfare. Edited by Clifford J. Rogers and Ty Seidule,
vol. 2, American Warfare to 1900, eds. Clifford J. Rogers and Samuel J. Watson.
iBook version 1.1.2. New York, NY: Rowan Technology Solutions, 2016.
West Point History of Warfare (online edition)
Footnote, first use:
1
Edward G. Lengel, “The Origins of the American Revolution and Opening
Moves,” eds. Clifford J. Rogers and Samuel J. Watson, in The West Point History of
Warfare, eds. Clifford J. Rogers and Ty Seidule (New York, NY: Rowan Technology
Solutions, 2016), 12.11. https://reader.rowan.nyc/#read/47/page/5752 (accessed October
12, 2016).
Footnote, subsequent nonconsecutive reference to the same work:
3
Lengel, “The Origins of the American Revolution and Opening Moves,”
https://reader.rowan.nyc/#read/47/page/5752.
Works Cited:
Lengel, Edward G. “The Origins of the American Revolution and Opening Moves.”
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USMA Department of History, Style and Formatting Guide
Edited by Clifford J. Rogers and Samuel J. Watson. In The West Point History of
Warfare, 12.11, edited by Clifford J. Rogers and Ty Seidule. New York, NY:
Rowan Technology Solutions, 2016. https://reader.rowan.nyc/#read/47/page/5752
(accessed October 12, 2016).
Translation
Footnote, first use:
² August von Haxthausen, Studies on the Interior of Russia, ed. S. Frederick Starr,
trans. Eleanore L. M. Schmidt (Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 1972), 97.
Works Cited:
Von Haxthausen, August. Studies on the Interior of Russia. Ed. S. Frederick Starr. Trans.
Eleanore L.M. Schmidt. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 1972.
Quotation from Secondary Source
Footnote, first use:
² Richard Overy, Why The Allies Won (New York: W.W. Norton, 1996), 318;
quoted in Peter R. Mansoor, The G.I. Offensive in Europe: The Triumph of American
Infantry Divisions, 1941-1945 (Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas, 1999), 10.
Works Cited:
Mansoor, Peter R. The G.I. Offensive in Europe: The Triumph of American Infantry
Divisions, 1941-1945. Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas, 1999.
Unpublished Thesis or Dissertation
Footnote, first use:
² John Smith, “Napoleon’s Cavalry at Austerlitz” (Ph.D. diss., University of
Chicago, 1979), 28.
Works Cited:
Smith, John. “Napoleon’s Cavalry at Austerlitz.” Ph.D. diss., University of Chicago,
1979.
Congressional Record (Reports, Bills, or Resolutions)
Footnote, first use:
² “Conference Report on H.R. 4310, National Defense Authorization Act for
Fiscal Year 2013, ” 112th Cong., 2nd sess., Congressional Record 158 (December 18,
2012): H 6911-12.
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USMA Department of History, Style and Formatting Guide
Works Cited:
“Conference Report on H.R. 4310, National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year
2013.” 112th Cong., 2nd sess., 2012. Vol. 158, pt. 1. Congressional Record.
2011-12. Washington, DC.
Laws and Statutes
Footnote, first use:
² National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013, H.R. 4310, Public
Law 239, 112th Congress, 2nd sess. (January 2, 2013), 136.
Works Cited:
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013. H.R. 4310, Public Law
239. 112th Congress, 2nd sess. (January 2, 2013).
Primary Source in a Multi-Volume Collection
Footnote, first use:
² Document #7, “Memorandum From Secretary of State Rusk to President
Kennedy,” dated March 14, 1961, in United States Department of State, Foreign
Relations of the United States, 1961-1963, Vol. 7, Arms Control and Disarmament
(Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1995), 19.
Works Cited:
United States Department of State. Foreign Relations of the United States, 1961-1963.
Vol. 7, Arms Control and Disarmament. Washington, DC: Government Printing
Office, 1995.
Primary Source from a Untitled Volume in a Multi-Volume Collection
Footnote, first use:
² Thomas Jefferson to George Washington, December 4, 1788, in Julian P. Boyd,
et al., eds., The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, 42 vols. to date (Princeton, NJ: Princeton
University Press, 1958), 14:331.
Works Cited:
Boyd, Julian P., et al., eds. The Papers of Thomas Jefferson. 42 vols. to date. Princeton,
NJ: Princeton University Press, 1950-.
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USMA Department of History, Style and Formatting Guide
Primary Source from Archive
Footnote, first use:
² Department of State Memorandum of Conversation, “Swiss protest concerning
flight of American aircraft over Swiss territory,” dated October 12, 1943, RG 59, Central
Decimal File, 1940-1944, decimal 811.2354/25, Box 7352, U.S. National Archives at
College Park, MD (hereafter NARA).
Works Cited:
U.S. National Archives at College Park, MD, Record Group 59.
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USMA Department of History, Style and Formatting Guide
WORKS CITED GUIDANCE
The works cited page is the list of sources at the end of the paper. Your works cited page should
include only works you have actually cited in your footnotes. Center the title WORKS CITED
two inches from the top of the page. As with your paper, the bibliography should be formatted in
Times New Roman font, size 12. Your sources should be listed in alphabetical order. If
applicable, they can also be organized by primary and secondary sources and then alphabetically.
Single-space each source, and double-space between sources. Subsequent lines for each source
should be indented five spaces.
Works Cited Example:
Indent subsequent lines five spaces Center title 2" below top of page Single-­‐space within sources Double-­‐space between sources 10
USMA Department of History, Style and Formatting Guide
GENERAL FORMAT GUIDANCE
Narrative text should be formatted in Times New Roman font, size 12, and double spaced. The
paper title should not be repeated before the introduction, as it already appears on the title page.
The 1.5-inch margin on the left side of each page allows for the paper to be bound in the brown
bomber without the binding encroaching on the text.
Margins are 1.5" on the left, and 1" on the top, right, and bottom General Format Example:
No extra spaces between body p aragraphs 11
Last name and page number in the upper right corner through the works cited page USMA Department of History, Style and Formatting Guide
FOOTNOTE GUIDANCE
Create footnotes through MS Word by selecting "insert footnote" from the "References" tab.
This will create a superscript number for you. In the text, the footnote number should appear at
the end of the sentence after all punctuation. Consolidate all references in one sentence into one
footnote and separate sources with a semi-colon. Footnotes should be formatted in Times New
Roman font, size 10. Single-space within each note, and double-space between notes.
Footnote Example:
Indent first line of notes five spaces Footnotes can be u sed to further provide context that is not appropriate to include in the paper body Ibid. is an abbreviation for ibidem, meaning "the same place," a reference to the p receding citation Double-­‐space between notes Acronymize record locations that are used repeatedly Single-­‐space within notes 12
Use shortened format for repeated, non-­‐
consecutive notes USMA Department of History, Style and Formatting Guide
TITLE PAGE GUIDANCE
Title Page Example:
Use spacing guide to ensure proper format The font is Times New Roman, size 12 Include original titles for original research papers Include a word count, if applicable. This does not include the title page, block quotations, footnotes, or works cited 13