HIST 202: Canada to 1867: Home

How to cite the Dictionary of Canadian Biography

The Dictionary of Canadian Biography is an online reference work. Find out specifics about how to cite this type of work in the Chicago Manual of Style 14.233: Reference works consulted online. This is an example for a footnote:

Dictionary of Canadian Biography, s.v. "Callet, Luc," by Michel Paquin, accessed October 3, 2022, http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/callet_luc_3E.html.

Some notes:

• For online reference works, cite them only in the footnotes, not in the Bibliography.
• S.v. stands for "sub verbo" (Latin for "under the word"), which indicates that you locate the item by its name rather than by a page number.
• You italicize Dictionary of Canadian Biography because there is a print version, and in Chicago style you always italicize book titles.

Find and use Newspapers on Microform

Microform formats like microfilm and microfiche provide a reproduction of the original in a reduced size. These formats are very useful for preserving newspapers, as they take up much less space and are much more stable over time than newsprint.

McGill Library has many newspapers in this format. After locating a microform newspaper on the 2nd floor, you can use the Library's microform readers in the the McLennan Library Microfilm viewing room (M2-37F).

Search for newspapers on microform in the Library Catalogue:

1. Use the subject search: su: Newspapers
2. Filter your results to Format: Book, and then to Microform (microform is considered a subcategory of book)
3. Filter the Publication Year to 1840-1860

Newspaper Databases

Many historical newspapers have been digitized and are available via databases, some including searchable OCR (optical character recognition) text. Try searching the following databases:

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This guide is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.