Background Reference Works - Chicago Footnote Referencing - Theology Students - Help Guides at Gilbert Wright Library, Morling College

Reference Works

The library has various reference works available, both online and in print. These include dictionaries, encyclopaedias, atlases, concordances and handbooks. Reference books can be used to find quick, specific information about or overviews of a topic, and are particularly helpful for growing an understanding of a new topic.

In an academic context, reference books are usually subject-specific.

A dictionary can help with understanding words and concepts, and how they are used in a particular discipline.
An encyclopaedia provides general information on topics.
An atlas displays data (e.g. geographic, historic, social, or economic) visually through maps.
A concordance lists where words are used within a book. Bible concordances are quite common, and very helpful for close textual examination. Strong's Concordance is a well-known example of this.
A handbook is a comprehensive and practical introduction to a field or subject area.

Depending on the assignment, it may be appropriate to use multiple of these resource types, or none.

In most standard dictionaries and encyclopaedias authors of each entry are not specified.

Footnote

Title of Work, ed. First name, Surname (if known), number edition. (Location: Publisher, Year of publication), s.v. "Title of Entry,” URL if entry came from online source.

Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004), s.v. “Parable.”

Bibliography

NB: It is not necessary to list the Dictionary/Encyclopaedia in your Bibliography unless you have used it more than twice. Note that only the book will be referenced in your Bibliography, not every entry.

Title of Work, ed. First name, Surname (if known), number edition. (Type of Reference e.g. CD-ROM). Location: Publisher, Year of publication. URL if entry came from online source.

Oxford English Dictionary. 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004.

Some dictionaries or encyclopaedias have entries where each entry is written by a different author. Bible/Theology reference works often have authored entries. The author’s initials are usually at the start or end of the entry and there will be a corresponding list of authors in the text. Reference these like book sections or chapters, since they are smaller parts of a larger text.

Footnote

1st citation

First name Surname, "Title of Entry," in Title of the Work, ed. First name Surname (City of publication: Publisher, Year), page number(s).

I.H. Marshall, "Parable," in New Bible Dictionary, ed. I.H. Marshall, et al. (Leicester: InterVarsity Press, 1982), 877.

Subsequent citations

Surname, "Title of Entry," page number(s).

Marshall, “Parable,” 878.

Bibliography

Surname, First name. "Title of Entry." In Title of the Work, edited by First name Surname, page numbers of entire chapter. City of publication: Publisher, Year.

Marshall, I.H. "Parable." In New Bible Dictionary, edited by I.H. Marshall, A.R. Millard, J.I. Packer and D.J. Wiseman, 877-79. Leicester: InterVarsity Press, 1982.