Skip to Main Content

Theological Turabian Citation Guide

Example Citations

Here is a source that has an author, editor, and translator and is part of a series. Note the ways that each is credited.

Footnote: 

Jean Calvin, Commentary upon the Acts of the Apostles, ed. Henry Beveridge, trans. Christopher Fetherstone, Calvin’s Commentaries (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1949), 77.

Bibliography:

Calvin, Jean. Commentary upon the Acts of the Apostles. Edited by Henry Beveridge. Translated by Christopher Fetherstone. Calvin’s Commentaries. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1949.

Notice how the ebook database is indicated in the citation.

Footnote:

Mary H. Schertz, Luke, Believers Church Bible Commentary (Harrisonburg, VA: Herald Press, 2023), Proquest Ebook Central, 43.

Bibliography:

Schertz, Mary H. Luke. Believers Church Bible Commentary. Harrisonburg, VA: Herald Press, 2023. Proquest Ebook Central.

The author of the chapter is cited as the main author, and the chapter title is in quotation marks. The footnote indicates the precise page number that you're referring to; the bibliography includes the page number range of the chapter.

Footnote:

Alan Kreider, “Abolishing the Laity: An Anabaptist Perspective,” in Anyone for Ordination? A Contribution to the Debate on Ordination, ed. Paul Beasley-Murray (Tunbridge Wells: MARC, 1993), 87.

Bibliography:

Kreider, Alan. “Abolishing the Laity: An Anabaptist Perspective.” In Anyone for Ordination? A Contribution to the Debate on Ordination, edited by Paul Beasley-Murray, 84–111. Tunbridge Wells: MARC, 1993.

Note that dissertations have a special format in which the title is in quotation marks.

Footnote:

Anna Schick, “A Critical Writing Pedagogy Toward Mental Health: Novice Teachers and Collective Memory Work,” ProQuest Dissertations and Theses (Ph.D., United States -- Minnesota, University of Minnesota, 2023), 22.

Bibliography:

Schick, Anna. “A Critical Writing Pedagogy Toward Mental Health: Novice Teachers and Collective Memory Work.” ProQuest Dissertations and Theses. Ph.D., University of Minnesota, 2023.

Citation Guidance for Books

Number OneDetermine who the author is of your book. Special considerations here: Is the book written by an author, or assembled by an editor? Has the book been translated? If any of these answers are yes, then make sure to credit any editors or translators.

 

Number TwoDecide what's unique about this book. What edition is it? Is it in a series? Does it have a volume number? You'll want to include this information on your citation!

 

Number ThreeUsing an eBook? Make sure to include information about the place you obtained the book. You can either give the name of the database or the platform, as appropriate.

 

Number FourIs your book compiled by an editor, with each chapter having its own author? Make sure to cite the chapter author as the primary author instead of the editor.

 

Number FiveAre you citing a dissertation? Make sure to include the type of thesis, the author's institution, and the date. You'll also need to put the title of the dissertation into quotation marks instead of italics.