Chicago Manual of Style 18th edition- Changes you need to know

CMOS 18th edition

CMOS 18 is online now and the official publication will be available September 19. The writing world is buzzing with news of the changes between the 17th and 18th editions. Seven years have elapsed between publications, and the style changes reflect the societal changes with inclusivity, nontraditional publishing, and AI advancement.

CMOS 18 expands guidance on accessibility (2.143) and revises the sections for inclusive language (5.255-5.267 and 8.44). The biggest change is the generic singular they will now be considered acceptable, even in formal writing (5.51). The examples provided by CMOS include when the antecedent is an indefinite pronoun (someone forgot their coat) or when referring to a person whose gender is unknown or irrelevant (will the driver of the yellow sedan please move their car) or whose identity must be concealed (the author wants their privacy protected)*. A new section was added for Indigenous languages (Chapter 11).

With the rise of nontraditional publishing, the requirement to have the city or place of publication has become obsolete and will no longer be required when citing books (e.g., Pantheon Books, 2024, not New York: Pantheon Books, 2024)*. Chapter 13 explains the consolidated citation systems for Notes and Bibliography with Author and Date. Chapter 14 has extended examples.

Chapter 4 Rights, Permissions, and Copyright Administration includes new information on the use of AI and copyright eligibility (4.5). Guidelines have been added for citing AI images (3.38) and the responsibility of authors to specify AI-generated material (4.51, 4.76).

For further information about all the new changes, please refer to the comprehensive list at https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/help-tools/what-s-new.html

*- https://cmosshoptalk.com/2024/04/16/announcing-the-chicago-manual-of-style-18th-edition/