Citations of ancient works usually begin with the author's name (sometimes abbreviated), followed by a short title, usually in italics. (The title may be omitted in cases where only one work by an author is known.) This is followed by a sequence of numbers and/or letters that indicate the specific subdivisions of the work. Arabic numerals tend to be favoured in recent publications, but older citations often use Latin numerals as well. The subdivision of works varies. Book, chapter, section and/or line numbers are often provided. Some works are cited by page numbers of standard, or once-standard, editions. Scholarly editions of these texts will be subdivided by these schemes, as will many translations.
Abbreviations should be taken from an authoritative source such as The Oxford Classical Dictionary. You should also provide bibliographic details of the edition and/or translation of the work you are using: generally when the work first appears in your notes and in your bibliography.
Sources for Ancient Authors and Works
Sources for Early Christian and Byzantine Authors and Works
Other citation tips:
This page has been adapted with thanks from Colin McCaffrey's online Classics Guide at Yale University Library.