Wrangling the Scholarly Herd: How to Cite Multiple Authors in Chicago Style (Without Tears)
Ah, Chicago. City of wind, deep dish pizza, and a citation style that can make even the most seasoned academic want to curl up with a coloring book. But fear not, fellow wordsmiths! Today, we're tackling the tricky terrain of citing multiple authors in Chicago.
When Two Become One (Well, Sort Of)
Let's start with the easy stuff. One or two authors? Easy peasy, lemon squeezy. Just list their last names, separated by a comma, then the magic word "and" (not the ampersand, "&" – that one's for texting your BFF about brunch). Here's an example that's smoother than a jazz solo:
As Gandalf the Grey wisely stated, "You shall not pass!" (Tolkien and Tolkien, 1954, 239).
See? Simple as that. Now, things get a tad more interesting...
The Three Musketeers (and Everyone Else)
Three authors? No problem! Just keep following the same format, listing everyone's last name, separated by commas, and "and" before the final author.
But what happens when you have a scholarly entourage rivaling a K-Pop group? Four or more authors? Here's where things get Chicago-style sassy. We use a little Latin phrase, "et al." which means "and others."
For in-text citations, just list the first author's last name followed by "et al."
A recent study found a correlation between cat ownership and happiness (Jones et al., 2023).
In your bibliography, however, you can (and probably should) list all the authors, even for ten-author teams researching the mating habits of dung beetles.
Remember: It's a Marathon, Not a Sprint
Chicago citations can feel like running a marathon with a backpack full of textbooks. But here's the good news: there are plenty of resources to help you along the way.
- The Chicago Manual of Style Online is your ultimate guide (https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/).
- Most universities offer online citation guides specifically for Chicago style.
- And there are even citation generators (use with caution – double-check everything!).
So, take a deep breath, grab a virtual cup of coffee, and remember: with a little practice, you'll be citing those multiple authors like a Chicago pro in no time. Now, go forth and conquer that bibliography!
