Citations

Students should include a citation for all material that is neither their own idea nor common knowledge. The DEP CAD Addendum’s guidance nests with the CAD guidance on citations and provides detailed information on the proper use of sources and citations to avoid plagiarism for DEP students.

FORUM CITATION FORMAT: Unlike essay written requirements, forum posts use parenthetical citations rather than footnotes. See “Online Discussion Forums” for more on parenthetical citations. The following information is in regard to AWC essays.

The Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS) 17^th Edition is the official style guide of the USAWC. Use the Turabian Manual (the same as the CMOS) or CMOS online to properly format footnote citations. Please note that in addition to citation format, the CMOS also includes formatting for papers, abbreviations, and other formatting questions students may have when preparing their essays for submission. EXAMPLE: Should one use US or U.S. or U. S.? Should one capitalize Black and White, or is it black and white? The CMOS has this information readily available.

For a comprehensive list of the citations students will most often need to use in USAWC writing, including government sources, click here.

FOOTNOTES – NOT ENDNOTES: Unless otherwise directed by faculty, student papers require source documentation via footnotes (vice endnotes or parenthetical formatting). To facilitate readability, footnote numbers should be at the end of the sentence rather than mid-sentence. Only use parenthetical citations in forums.

NOTE: Contrary to CMOS guidelines, DO NOT USE “IBID.” - The USAWC does not use “Ibid.” for repeat citations from the same source, for a number of reasons, but most practically speaking, it is because if a student rearranges the paper, and citations move with those changes, an orphaned Ibid. will very likely result.

Determine Type of Footnote Needed

To facilitate source documentation clarity, choose from among the four types of footnotes: (1) Single Source, (2) Multiple Source, (3) Repeated Source, and (4) Content.

1. Single Source Notes: These notes occur when the student has consulted only one source to help make a point.
2. Multiple Source Notes: When students use more than one source to make a single point, reference them together in one footnote, they can list each source in one footnote by listing each one completely in the standard format and separating them by semicolons.
3. Repeated Source Notes: If you reference a source more than once, follow the “shortened notes” footnote format: author last name, a shortened title, and page number(s) as applicable. Example: “Estes, Eisenhower, 1.”Do not use "Ibid.”
4. Content Notes: Authors may use content notes for explanatory material that, although important, would disrupt reading flow were it included in the main text—as when the author may need to provide more clarification. USAWC students should only employ content notes sparingly, since these notes will count toward overall word count. Students must cite content notes in the same way they would cite for the essay itself.