Political Science

Political Science generally uses Chicago Style or American Political Science Association style (based on Chicago).

APSA Style uses parenthetical author-date style in-text citations and a reference list at the end of the paper. Writers should use in-text citations when including direct quotations, paraphrasing, and/or facts or opinions that are not generally known or easily verified.  Each parenthetical in-text citation must have a matching source that appears in the reference list at the end of the paper.

In-Text Citations:

• In-text citations should bel formatted within parentheses and placed at the end of the sentence before the punctuation.
• Be sure to include the last name of the author(s), editor(s), or translator(s) and year of publication. Use n.d. if no date is present. Use "et al. after the first author's last name when there are more than 3 authors. For example:
  • (author date)
  • (Arena 2014)
  • (Durant n.d.)
  • (Dodd and Oppenheimer 1977)
  • (Roberts, Smith, and Haptonstal 2016)
  • (Angel et al. 1986)
• Include the page number(s) when including a direct quotation. For example:
  • (Jentleson 2015, 12-14)
• If you have multiple citations for a single sentence, alphabetize them and separate them with semi-colons. For example:
  • (Hothschild 2015; Jentleson 2015)
• If you mention an author in the body of your text, include the year of the publication directly after their last name. For example
  • Trish (1988) sharply disagrees.

Reference List:

• The reference list provides complete source information to your reader.
• Each reference list entry must be linked to an in-text citation used within the body of your paper.
• Reference list entries should be organized alphabetically by the first author's last name.
• Reference entries generally include the following pieces of information separated by a period:
  • Author name(s). Year. Title. Volume and Issue number. DOI or URL.
• Formatting requirements vary by source type (book, periodical, website, etc.). For example:
  • Journal article:
    • Jennifer L. Hochschild, Katherine Levine Einstein. 2015. "Do Facts Matter? Information and Misinformation in American Politics." Political Science Quarterly 130(4):585–624. https://doi.org/10.1002/polq.12398
  • Book Chapter:
    • Halchin, L. Elaine. 2001. “And This Parent Went to Market: Education as Public Versus Private Good.” In School Choice in the Real World, eds. Robert Maranto, Scott Milliman, Frederick Hess and April Gresham, 39–57. Boulder, CO: Westview.

For more detailed examples and instructions, check out the free-online guide here.

Chicago-style citations come in two different formats:

1. Author-Date: Preferred in the sciences and social sciences (like political science), in this system sources are briefly cited within the text using parentheses and include the author's last name and year of the publication. Each in-text citation matches with an entry in a reference list provided at the end of the paper.
   • Citation elements vary by material type (book, book chapter, website, journal article, etc.)
   • Generally, the elements of an in-text citation include the author's last name, publication year, and page number. These elements should be placed within parenthesis in the body of your paper. For example:
     1. (Author Year, page)
     2. (Grazer and Fishman 2015, 12)
     3. (Smith 2016, 315-316)
   • At the end of your paper, you will create a reference list organized in alphabetical order by author last name. For example:
     • Grazer, Brian, and Charles Fishman. 2015. A Curious Mind: The Secret to a Bigger Life. New York: Simon & Schuster.
     • Smith, Zadie. 2016. Swing Time. New York: Penguin Press.
   • Check out Western Libraries Chicago- Author-date Quick Guide for detailed examples and instructions on how to use this citation style.
   •  
2. Notes & Bibliography: Preferred in the humanities (literature, history, the arts, etc.), in this system sources are cited in numbered footnotes or endnotes. Each note corresponds to a raised (superscript) number within the text. Sources are generally listed in a separate bibliography.
   • Citation elements vary by material-type (book, book chapter, website, journal article, etc.)
   • The first time you cite something, you will create a Note (the full citation). For example:
     • 1. Zadie Smith, Swing Time (New York: Penguin Press, 2016), 315–16.
     • 2. Brian Grazer and Charles Fishman, A Curious Mind: The Secret to a Bigger Life (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2015), 12.
   • If you cite something again, you will create a Shortened Note. For example:
     • 3. Smith, Swing Time, 320.
     • 4. Grazer and Fishman, Curious Mind, 37.
   • At the end of your paper you will include a Bibliography. It should be organized alphabetically by author last name.
     • Grazer, Brian, and Charles Fishman. A Curious Mind: The Secret to a Bigger Life. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2015.
     • Smith, Zadie. Swing Time. New York: Penguin Press, 2016.
   • Check out Western Libraries Chicago- Notes and Bibliography Quick Guide for detailed examples of notes, shortened notes, and bibliography entries for a variety of different formats and instructions on to use this citation stye.

For more information on Chicago style, visit our Citation Guides page or check out the Chicago Manual of Style ebook (linked above)!