Information Paper

Annex A

Concise Style Guide

This guide addresses common errors in citing references, use of quotations, bibliographic entries, and paraphrasing.

Footnotes or Endnotes

We accept either footnotes or endnotes but not in-text or parenthetical citations. Footnotes and endnotes are not part of the page-count requirement for the essay. Number footnotes and endnotes sequentially (1, 2, 3, etc.) according to their placement in the essay; do not reuse a footnote or endnote number simply because it refers to the same source.

Ideas or data forming the core of common knowledge do not require citation. Careful citation of all other ideas, data, and quotations is especially important when paraphrasing and should protect the writer from the possibility of plagiarism.

The only acceptable formats of footnotes, endnotes, and bibliographic entries are found in Turabian’s A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations (eighth edition). We do not accept parenthetical documentation inserted into the text of an essay. An example of this unacceptable style would be “(Gabel, 1992, p. 144.).”

Subsequent References to Previously Cited Material in Footnotes or Endnotes

When citing references previously cited in full in earlier footnotes or endnotes:

Use Ibid. (from ibidem, “in the same place”; always takes a period) when referring to the identical source and page number as in the previous source (footnote or endnote immediately preceding the current footnote or endnote). For example:

1. James Willbanks, Abandoning Vietnam: How America Left and South Vietnam Lost Its War (Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2004), 46.

2. Ibid.

Use Ibid. and the page number, if only the page number differs from the immediately preceding reference. For example:

1. James Willbanks, Abandoning Vietnam: How America Left and South Vietnam Lost Its War (Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2004), 46.

2. Ibid., 24.

The second, nonconsecutive reference to a work already cited in full requires an abbreviated format: last name of author, shortened title of book, page number. This makes it easier for the reader to identify when you are introducing a new source. For example:

2. James Willbanks, Abandoning Vietnam: How America Left and South Vietnam Lost Its War, (Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2004), 46.

14. Willbanks, Abandoning Vietnam, 48.

Direct Quotations

Authors should enclose direct quotations of four lines or fewer in quotation marks inside the main text. See examples in Turabian. Failure to cite a direct quotation is plagiarism. Set quotations of five or more lines apart from the text by indenting and single-spacing them without quotation marks. The superscript footnote or endnote number usually appears at the end of such indented text.

Bibliography

A bibliography is required only if sources other than course materials are used. The bibliography should follow the endnotes (if used), or the last page of text if footnotes are used. Arrange bibliography alphabetically (last name first) and group according to type of source (books, Internet, periodicals, etc.). Use the style in Turabian, Prentice-Hall (also refer to The Gregg Reference Manual), and ST 22-2.

Internet and Electronic Sources

Citation of Internet and electronic sources remains in transition. The principal rule is that the source must be traceable, so that the reader can locate that source. If you are in doubt as to the site’s stability or longevity, download and print the file. If you have any questions, consult your instructor for detailed guidance. Commonly cited information includes the source of the site (generally an organization or individual), title, date website last revised, web address, and date accessed. (See examples below for format.) Researchers beware. While information found in books and scholarly journals is routinely subject to scholarly review, the same level of fact checking and evaluation may be lacking for information and articles on the Internet. For that reason, please do not use Wikipedia or similar uncontrolled sources for information.

EXAMPLE BIBLIOGRAPHY AND NOTE FORMAT

The following examples illustrate the appropriate documentation for works commonly cited by US Army Command and General Staff Officer Course (CGSOC) students and not addressed specifically in the above references. These are the accepted formats for such entries. Otherwise, use the examples in Turabian, Prentice-Hall (also refer to The Gregg Reference Manual), and ST 22-2.

1. Field Manual

Bibliography: US Department of the Army. FM 25-100, Training the Force. Washington, DC: Government Printing

Office. November 1988.

Note: 1. US Department of the Army, FM 25-100, Training the Force (Washington, DC: Government

Printing Office, November 1988), 121.

2. Book of Readings

Bibliography: Clausewitz, Carl von. “What is War?” On War. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1976, 75–

89. Excerpt reprinted in US Army Command and General Staff College, H100 Syllabus and Book of Readings, 50–61. Fort Leavenworth, KS: USACGSC, July 1992.

Note: 1. Carl von Clausewitz, “What is War?” On War (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press,

1976), 75–89; excerpt reprinted in US Army Command and General Staff College, H100 Syllabus and Book of Readings (Fort Leavenworth, KS: USACGSC, July 1992), 55.

[List author by first name first in the note and last name first in the alphabetical bibliography.]

Bibliography: Howard, Michael. “Military Science in an Age of Peace.” RUSI, Journal of the Royal United Services

Institute for Defence Studies 119 (March 1974): 3–9. Reprinted in US Army Command and General Staff College, H100 Syllabus and Book of Readings, 205–11. Fort Leavenworth, KS: USACGSC, July 1992.

Note: 1. Michael Howard, “Military Science in an Age of Peace,” RUSI, Journal of the Royal United

Services Institute for Defence Studies 119 (March 1974); reprinted in US Army Command and General Staff College, H100 Syllabus and Book of Readings (Fort Leavenworth, KS: USACGSC, July 1992), 210.

3. Books

Research may require the use of individual pages and/or chapters within a book written by different authors and edited by someone other than the author. The following example is a chapter from a book used throughout the course:

Bibliography: Herwig, Holger H. “Innovation Ignored: The Submarine Problem—Germany, Britain, and the United

States, 1919–1939.” In Military Innovation in the Interwar Period, edited by Williamson Murray and Allan R. Millett, 227–64. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1996.

Note: 1. Holger H. Herwig, “Innovation Ignored: The Submarine Problem—Germany, Britain, and the

United States, 1919–1939,” in Military Innovation in the Interwar Period, ed. Williamson Murray and Allan R. Millett (Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1996), 229.

4. Journal Articles

Following is an example using a common source (Military Review) of research topics and information.

Bibliography: Karcher, Timothy M. “The Victory Disease.” Military Review 83 (July–August 2003): 9–17.

Note: 2. Timothy M. Karcher, “The Victory Disease,” Military Review 83 (July–August 2003): 11.

5. Leavenworth Papers

Following is an example using a common source from the Leavenworth Papers series of professional writings.

Bibliography: Doughty, Robert A. The Evolution of US Army Tactical Doctrine, 1946–76. Leavenworth Papers No.

1. Fort Leavenworth, KS: Combat Studies Institute, 1979. (Reprinted 2001)

Note: 3. Robert A. Doughty, The Evolution of US Army Tactical Doctrine, 1946–76, Leavenworth

Papers No. 1 (Fort Leavenworth, KS: Combat Studies Institute, 1979, reprinted 2001), 28.

6. Electronic and Web-based Sources

Bibliography: US Department of the Army, Center For Army Lessons Learned. Urban Combat Operations—

References. Fort Leavenworth, KS: Center for Army Lessons Learned, 2002. CD ROM; available from CALL.

Note: 4. Department of the Army, Center For Army Lessons Learned. Urban Combat Operations—

References (Fort Leavenworth, KS: Center for Army Lessons Learned, 2002) [CD ROM]; available from CALL.

Bibliography: Royal Air Force. The Battle of Britain History Site. The Battle of Britain—Commanders. Delta Web

International, 2000, accessed [date], http://www.raf.mod.uk/history/thebattleofbritain.cfm.

Note: 5. Royal Air Force. The Battle of Britain History Site. The Battle of Britain— Commanders

(Delta Web International, 2000), accessed [date], http://www.raf.mod.uk/history/thebattleofbritain.cfm.

Bibliography: Paret, Peter, ed. Makers of Modern Strategy: from Machiavelli to the Nuclear Age. Princeton, NJ:

Princeton University Press, 1986. Kindle edition, 2007.

H100 Annex A-487

Note: 6. Felix Gilbert, “Machiavelli: The Renaissance of the Art of War.” In Makers of Modern

Strategy: from Machiavelli to the Nuclear Age. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1986, chap. 1. Kindle edition, 2007.