LibGuides: History of Art and Architecture Resources: Citing & Writing

Citing art and architecture papers

The format used for art papers is usually either MLA or Chicago Manual of Style. For examples and explanations, below are some useful resources. For Brown Library books that can be checked out or read online, use this subject heading: "Bibliographical citations."

Chicago Manual of Style Quick Guide
Easy to use guide for looking up bibliography and footnote formats.
Chicago Manual of Style Online Book
The full, searchable digital version of this resource.
Chicago Manual of style Examples for Every Format in Art History
Created by Duke University Libraries.
Chicago Manual of Style Format from The Owl
A comprehensive resource to the Chicago Style from Purdue University's Online Writing Lab.
MLA Format from The OWL
A comprehensive resource to the MLA Style from Purdue University's Online Writing Lab.
Citing Images
Clear examples for MLA, Chicago, APA from Colgate University Visual Resources Library. Includes examples from various sources and different types of artworks plus architecture.
Citing / Documenting Images
From Bates College Library. The basics of image citation using Chicago Manual of Style.
Crediting a Photo Used Online
Some helpful tips.
Audiovisual Citation Project
British Universities Film & Video Council guidelines for the citation of moving image and sound.

Unknown Italian artist. St Jerome Preparing the Vulgate, from Malermi Bible. Woodcut, 1490. Luna Collection.

Preserving Web Links

Perma.cc
Perma.CC is a service maintained by the Harvard Law Library. Its purpose is to facilitate sustainable citation of web pages and web documents by archiving an image of a web page and/or web document in the case that one day the site URL is no longer accessible (i.e., link rot). Images are stored and assigned an indentifier and URL for citation in a footnote/references/works cited. Features include the ability to upload a CSV of URLs and the automatic creation of permanent links. Contact perma@brown.edu to request a Brown University Perma.CC account through the University Library, offering users the ability to create an unlimited amount of permanent links.
Wayback Machine
Maintained by the non-profit Internet Archive, users can enter a URL in bar labeled 'Save Page Now' (if website allows crawling).

Citation Managers and More

Brown supports several citation managers, including EndNote, Mendeley, and Zotero. Please see the page below for descriptions. links, and comparisons of the software.

Citation Management
Information on citation, citation management software, plagiarism, copyright, fair use, and creative commons

Help with Writing Papers

Your librarian can help you with researching your paper, but what about the actual writing process?

For Brown Library books that can be checked out or read online, use this subject heading:

Art Criticism -- Authorship.

Research Support
This guide discusses some of the basics of doing college level research, including tips for evaluating sources and a glossary of terms with examples. It also offers tutorials, a library orientation, and much more.
Developing a Thesis for a Research Paper
This very helpful guide from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Writing Center discusses the art of crafting a thesis.
Writing About Art
A guide to writing art history papers, by Marjorie Munsterberg, Ph.D., former Professor at City College of New York and other schools.
Harriet W. Sheridan Center for Teaching and Learning (Writing Center)
Writing Center associates assist students with all stages of the writing process, from finding a topic through drafting, revising, and final editing.
How to Write a Research Enquiry to a Museum
Written by Mark Carnall, curator at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History.

Mu'in Musawir. Bearded Man Reading in a Landscape. Iran,1635. Courtesy of Los Angeles County Museum of Art.