So You Need to Cite a Government Doc in Chicago Style? Don't Panic, We've Got You Covered (Unless You're Facing a Raging Hippo)
Let's face it, sometimes wading through the bureaucratic jungle of government documents can feel like wrestling a particularly grumpy hippo. But fear not, intrepid researcher! When it comes to citing those government reports and publications in Chicago style, you don't have to go it alone.
This guide will be your trusty safari hat, helping you navigate the plains of citation with confidence (and maybe a few giggles).
First Things First: Identify Your Government Beast
There are two main types of government documents you might encounter: the kind that chills on a dusty shelf in a library, and the kind that roams freely in the wild wild web. We'll tackle both.
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The Library Lurker: This is your classic government report, pamphlet, or book. It'll likely have a publishing agency and year listed somewhere.
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The Web Wanderer: This critter lives online, freely downloadable (hopefully not full of malware!). Pay attention to the URL and any information about the government agency that published it.
Taming the Text: What Information Do You Need?
For both library lurkies and web wanderers, you'll need some key info to craft your citation:
- The Government Body: This is the agency or department that put out the document. Think of it as the hippo's name (hopefully not something terrifying like "Harold").
- The Title: Catchy, informative, or mind-numbingly bureaucratic? Whatever it is, you'll need it for the citation.
- Author(s) (if any): Sometimes a government document will have a named author, but often it won't.
- Publication Date: This might be on the title page or somewhere deep in the introduction.
- For Web Wanderers Only: The URL is your lifeline here.
Crafting Your Citation: Footnote or Bibliography?
Chicago style offers you two ways to cite your government document: footnotes (little numbered surprises at the bottom of the page) or a bibliography (a fancy list of all your sources at the end).
We recommend footnotes for shorter papers, and bibliographies for longer ones.
Ready to Wrangle Your Citation? Here's How!
The Library Lurker Citation:
- Footnote:
- Harold Hippopotamus, Department of Safety. "Important Hippo Safety Regulations: How to Avoid Being Trampled." Hoofington, DC: Government Printing Office, 2024, 3.
- Bibliography:
- Harold Hippopotamus, Department of Safety. Important Hippo Safety Regulations: How to Avoid Being Trampled. Hoofington, DC: Government Printing Office, 2024.
The Web Wanderer Citation:
- Footnote:
- Department of Extremely Important Things. "A Guide to Properly Greeting a Mail Carrier." [invalid URL removed] (accessed April 1, 2024).
- Bibliography:
- Department of Extremely Important Things. A Guide to Properly Greeting a Mail Carrier. veryimportant.gov. Accessed April 1, 2024.
Remember: These are just examples! Depending on the specific document you're citing, you might need to add extra information like edition number or page numbers.
Bonus Tip: If you're using a citation management tool like Zotero or Mendeley, they can often help you format your citations in Chicago style automatically.
Now, go forth and conquer those government documents! Just remember, if you ever find yourself face-to-face with a real hippo, this guide probably won't help you much. In that case, maybe try offering it a nice cup of tea?
