Last Updated: July 18, 2013

U.S. Military Academy at West Point

Department of History
Style and Formatting Guide
This is a reference guide for formatting Chicago style footnotes and bibliographies in your
history research papers at West Point. Use this guide in conjunction with the Documentation of
Academic Work and the Little, Brown Handbook. In case of conflicts, this guide takes
precedence.

SAMPLE CITATIONS

Book (Print, Single Author)

Footnote, first use:
Dave R. Palmer, Summons of the Trumpet: A History of the Vietnam War from a
Military Man's Viewpoint (New York, NY: Ballantine, 1984), 5.
Footnote, subsequent consecutive reference to the same work with different page
number:
Ibid., 4.
Footnote, subsequent consecutive reference to the same work with same page
number:
Ibid.
Footnote, subsequent nonconsecutive reference to the same work:
Palmer, Summons of the Trumpet, 6.
Bibliography:
Palmer, Dave R. Summons of the Trumpet: A History of the Vietnam War from a
Military Man's Viewpoint. New York, NY: Ballantine, 1984.
Book (Print, Two, or Three Authors)
Footnote, first use:

USMA Department of History, Style and Formatting Guide

Barry E. Carter, Phillip R. Trimble, and Allen S. Weiner, International Law
(New York, NY: Aspen Publishers, 2007), 7.
Footnote, subsequent nonconsecutive reference to the same work:
Carter, Trimble, and Allen, International Law, 9.
Bibliography:
Carter, Barry E., Phillip R. Trimble, and Allen S. Weiner. International Law. New York,
NY: Aspen Publishers, 2007.
Book (More Than Three Authors)
Footnote, first use:
Pauline Maier et al., Inventing America: A History of the United States, vol. 2,
2nd ed. (New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company, 2006), 507.
Footnote, subsequent nonconsecutive reference to the same work:
Maier et al., Inventing America, 508.
Bibliography:
Maier, Pauline, Merritt R. Smith, Alexander Keyssar, and Daniel J. Kevles. Inventing
America: A History of the United States. Vol. 2. 2nd ed. New York, NY: W. W.
Norton & Company, 2006.
Edited Volume
Footnote, first use:
Jean S. Pictet, ed., Commentary on Geneva Convention III Relative to the
Treatment of Prisoners of War (Geneva, Switzerland: International Committee of the Red
Cross, 1960), 8.
Footnote, subsequent nonconsecutive reference to the same work:
Pictet, ed., Commentary on Geneva Convention III, 10.
Bibliography:
Pictet, Jean S., ed. Commentary on Geneva Convention III Relative to the Treatment of
Prisoners of War. Geneva, Switzerland: International Committee of the Red
Cross, 1960.

USMA Department of History, Style and Formatting Guide

Chapter in an Edited Volume
Footnote, first use:
Andrew Ross, Components of Cultural Justice, in Law in the Domains of
Culture, eds. Austin Sarat and Thomas R. Kearns (Ann Arbor, MI: The University of
Michigan Press, 1998), 203.
Footnote, subsequent nonconsecutive reference to the same work:
Ross, Components of Cultural Justice, 207.
Bibliography:
Ross, Andrew. Components of Cultural Justice. In Law in the Domains of Culture,
edited by Austin Sarat and Thomas R. Kearns, 203-28. Ann Arbor, MI: The
University of Michigan Press, 1998.
Journal Article
Footnote, first use:
Detlev F. Vagts, Switzerland, International Law and World War II, American
Journal of International Law 91 (1997): 466.
Footnote, subsequent nonconsecutive reference to the same work:
Vagts, Switzerland, International Law," 467.
Bibliography:
Vagts, Detlev F. Switzerland, International Law and World War II, American Journal
of International Law 91 (1997): 466-75.
Newspaper Article
Footnote, first use:
Thomas Erdbrink, Trying Unlikely Comeback, Ex-Iran President Strikes Chord
with Public, New York Times, May 17, 2013, A9.
Footnote, subsequent nonconsecutive reference to the same work:
Erdbrink, Trying Unlikely Comeback, A9.
Bibliography:

USMA Department of History, Style and Formatting Guide

Erdbrink, Thomas. Trying Unlikely Comeback, Ex-Iran President Strikes Chord with
Public. New York Times, May 17, 2013, A9.
Magazine Article
Footnote, first use:
T. Trent Gegax and Evan Thomas, "The Family Business," Newsweek, June 20,
2005, 24.
Footnote, subsequent nonconsecutive reference to the same work:
Gegax and Thomas, "The Family Business," 26.
Bibliography:
Gegax, T. Trent and Evan Thomas. "The Family Business." Newsweek, June 20, 2005,
24-31.
Online Source
Note: Not all web sources are valid for scholarly research. Acceptable web sources
include primary sources and scholarly secondary sources. A secondary source is scholarly if it
follows at least the same standards of evidence as your paper (it must include footnotes or
endnotes). Your instructor may give you additional guidance on web sources. It is not necessary
to include non-durable URLs for web sources that were previously published and are merely
photographically reproduced in a database. In these cases, cite only the original publisher.
Footnote, first use:
The ICRC since 1945: the Geneva Conventions of 1949, International Committee
of the Red Cross, March 5, 2005, http://www.icrc.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/htmlall/icrcgenevaconventions-revision-1949?opendocument (accessed May 18, 2013).
Bibliography:
The ICRC since 1945: the Geneva Conventions of 1949. International Committee of the
Red Cross. March 5, 2005. http://www.icrc.org/web/eng/siteeng0.nsf/htmlall/
icrc-genevaconventions-revision-1949?opendocument (accessed May 18, 2013).

Article Reprinted in USMA History Course Notebook

Footnote, first use:
Alexis de Tocqueville, "How Mores Become More Gentle as Social Conditions
Become More Equal, 1840," in HI 103 Course Notebook: History of the United States to
1877 (West Point, NY: Department of History, 1999), 166.
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USMA Department of History, Style and Formatting Guide

Bibliography:
Tocqueville, Alexis de. "How Mores Become More Gentle as Social Conditions Become
More Equal, 1840. In HI 103 Course Notebook: History of the United States to
1877, 165-168. West Point, NY: Department of History, 1999.
Article Reprinted in USMA History Course Reader
Footnote, first use:
Samuel Adams, "Natural Rights of the Colonists, 1772, in HI 105 Primary
Document Reader: History of the United States (West Point, NY: Department of History,
2013), 13.
Bibliography:
Adams, Samuel. "Natural Rights of the Colonists, 1772. In HI 105 Primary Document
Reader: History of the United States. West Point, NY: Department of History,
2013.
Translation
Footnote, first use:
August von Haxthausen, Studies on the Interior of Russia, ed. S. Frederick Starr,
trans. Eleanore L. M. Schmidt (Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 1972), 97.
Bibliography:
Von Haxthausen, August. Studies on the Interior of Russia. Ed. S. Frederick Starr. Trans.
Eleanore L.M. Schmidt. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 1972.
Quotation from Secondary Source
Footnote, first use:
Richard Overy, Why The Allies Won (New York: W.W. Norton, 1996), 318;
quoted in Peter R. Mansoor, The G.I. Offensive in Europe: The Triumph of American
Infantry Divisions, 1941-1945 (Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas, 1999), 10.
Bibliography:
Mansoor, Peter R. The G.I. Offensive in Europe: The Triumph of American Infantry
Divisions, 1941-1945. Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas, 1999.
Unpublished Thesis or Dissertation
Footnote, first use:

USMA Department of History, Style and Formatting Guide

John Smith, Napoleons Cavalry at Austerlitz (Ph.D. diss., University of
Chicago, 1979), 28.
Works Cited:
Smith, John. Napoleons Cavalry at Austerlitz. Ph.D. diss., University of Chicago,
1979.
Congressional Record (Reports, Bills, or Resolutions)
Footnote, first use:
"Conference Report on H.R. 4310, National Defense Authorization Act for
Fiscal Year 2013," 112th Cong., 2nd sess., Congressional Record 158 (December 18,
2012): H 6911-12.
Works Cited:
"Conference Report on H.R. 4310, National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year
2013." 112th Cong., 2nd sess., 2012. Vol. 158, pt. 1. Congressional Record.
2011-12. Washington, DC.
Laws and Statutes
Footnote, first use:
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013, H.R. 4310, Public
Law 239, 112th Congress, 2nd sess. (January 2, 2013), 136.
Works Cited:
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013. H.R. 4310, Public Law
239. 112th Congress, 2nd sess. (January 2, 2013).
Primary Source in a Multi-Volume Collection
Footnote, first use:
Document #7, Memorandum From Secretary of State Rusk to President
Kennedy, dated March 14, 1961, in United States Department of State, Foreign
Relations of the United States, 1961-1963, Vol. 7, Arms Control and Disarmament
(Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1995), 19.
Works Cited:
United States Department of State. Foreign Relations of the United States, 1961-1963.
Vol. 7, Arms Control and Disarmament. Washington, DC: Government Printing
Office, 1995.
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USMA Department of History, Style and Formatting Guide

Primary Source from a Untitled Volume in a Multi-Volume Collection
Footnote, first use:
Thomas Jefferson to George Washington, December 4, 1788, in Julian P. Boyd,
et al., eds., The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, 39 vols. to date (Princeton, NJ: Princeton
University Press, 1958), 14:331.
Works Cited:
Boyd, Julian P., et al., eds. The Papers of Thomas Jefferson. 39 vols. to date. Princeton,
NJ: Princeton University Press, 1950-.
Primary Source from Archive
Footnote, first use:
Department of State Memorandum of Conversation, Swiss protest concerning
flight of American aircraft over Swiss territory, dated October 12, 1943, RG 59, Central
Decimal File, 1940-1944, decimal 811.2354/25, Box 7352, U.S. National Archives at
College Park, MD (hereafter NARA).
Works Cited:
U.S. National Archives at College Park, MD, Record Group 59.

USMA Department of History, Style and Formatting Guide

WORKS CITED GUIDANCE

The works cited page is the list of sources at the end of the paper. Your works cited page should
include only works you have actually cited in your footnotes. Center the title WORKS CITED
two inches from the top of the page. As with your paper, the bibliography should be formatted in
Times New Roman font, size 12. Your sources should be listed in alphabetical order. If
applicable, they can also be organized by primary and secondary sources and then alphabetically.
Single-space each source, and double-space between sources. Subsequent lines for each source
should be indented five spaces.
Works Cited Example:

Indent subsequent
lines five spaces

Center title 2"

below top of page

Single-space
within sources

Double-space
between sources

USMA Department of History, Style and Formatting Guide

GENERAL FORMAT GUIDANCE

Narrative text should be formatted in Times New Roman font, size 12, and double spaced. The
paper title should not be repeated before the introduction, as it already appears on the title page.
The 1.5-inch margin on the left side of each page allows for the paper to be bound in the brown
bomber without the binding encroaching on the text.

Margins are 1.5" on the

left, and 1" on the top,
right, and bottom

General Format Example:

No extra spaces between

body paragraphs

Last name and page number

in the upper right corner
through the works cited page

USMA Department of History, Style and Formatting Guide

FOOTNOTE GUIDANCE

Create footnotes through MS Word by selecting "insert footnote" from the "References" tab.
This will create a superscript number for you. In the text, the footnote number should appear at
the end of the sentence after all punctuation. Consolidate all references in one sentence into one
footnote and separate sources with a semi-colon. Footnotes should be formatted in Times New
Roman font, size 10. Single-space within each note, and double-space between notes.
Footnote Example:
Indent first line of
notes five spaces

Footnotes can be used to further

provide context that is not appropriate
to include in the paper body

Ibid. is an abbreviation for ibidem,

meaning "the same place," a
reference to the preceding citation

Use shortened format

for repeated, nonconsecutive notes

Double-space
between notes

Acronymize record locations

that are used repeatedly

Single-space
within notes

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USMA Department of History, Style and Formatting Guide

TITLE PAGE GUIDANCE

Title Page Example:

Use spacing guide to
ensure proper format

The font is Times

New Roman, size 12

Include original
titles for original
research papers

Include a word count, if

applicable. This does
not include the title
page, block quotations,
footnotes, or works cited

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