When does a quote become an excerpt?

When a quote exceeds 350 words from a single source, we enter excerpting territory. Please refer to Cognella Excerpting Guidelines for more information.

Does every in-text citation need to be included in my bibliography?

Yes! For every in-text citation, there should be a corresponding entry in your bibliography. This is where you can include the full citations for all information sources.

Additionally, your bibliography should include general sources that you credit for knowledge you may have learned and/or applied while writing your book, even if this knowledge doesn’t correspond to a specific citation.

What if the type of materials I’m citing are not included in this guide?

For more details on Chicago Manual of Style citations, visit: https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/home.html. If you’re still unsure about your citation after visiting this resource or would like further guidance, please contact your project editor.

Do I need to cite content that is in the public domain?

Legally, no. As an academic standard, yes. We hold all of our publications to a high academic standard and require that even public domain content is cited properly. All third-party material, including content in the public domain, should be included in your Readings and Excerpts Log and will receive a licensing review. This allows our team to confirm that the content is within the public domain and to ensure we have an active record of all third-party material that appears within your book.