chicago style research paper citation

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Chicago Style (17th Edition) Citation Guide: Introduction

• Introduction
• Journal Articles
• Magazine/Newspaper Articles
• Books & Ebooks
• Government & Legal Documents
• Secondary Sources
• Videos & DVDs
• How to Cite: Biblical & Catholic Sources
• How to Cite: Other
• Short Form & Ibid.
• Additional Help

Who should use Chicago Style?

Chicago style is the preferred citation style for history and theology.

Note:  UP typically uses the "notes and bibliography" format of Chicago style, not the "author date" format.

What is Chicago Style?

Chicago style was created by the University of Chicago. It is a set of rules for publications, including research papers.

In Chicago style, you must cite sources that you have paraphrased, quoted or otherwise used to write your research paper. Cite your sources in two places:

• In the body of your paper where you add a footnote  (which appears in the footer at the bottom of the page).
• In the bibliography  at the end of your paper.
• Chicago Style 17th ed. Notes and Bibliography Sample Paper (Purdue OWL)

Chicago Manual of Style

• Next: How to Cite: Common Sources >>
• Last Updated: Sep 5, 2024 3:20 PM
• URL: https://libguides.up.edu/chicago

Libraries | Research Guides

Chicago style explained, chicago style manual & complements, chicago style background information, your librarian.

Chicago Manual of Style Online - a selection of sections linked below

• Grammar and Usage - finer points of grammar, punctuation, syntax, and bias free language.
• Punctuation -
• Notes and Bibliography - when, why, and how of footnotes, bibliographies, and citation format for different source types
• Author-Date References
• Chicago Style Q&A - review answers to questions submitted, or ask a question yourself!
• Chicago Manual of Style Online - Resources for Students (Turabian) - incudes paper formatting tip sheets, Chicago Style basics, tip sheets on crafting a paper (shaping your writing and research around a research question) and much more.

Allen, M. (2017). Chicago Style , IN The sage encyclopedia of communication research methods (Vols. 1-4). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc doi: 10.4135/9781483381411

This encyclopedia entry provides an overview of Chicago Style, including general style guidelines, formatting a paper, and both the Notes-Bibliography system (used largely in the humanities) and Author-Date system (used largely in the social sciences) .

Chicago style that has been modified for students is known as Turabian style and is documented in A Manual for Writers, originally by Kate L.Turabian, now in its 8th edition.

Gump, S. (2019). Kate L. Turabian. A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations: Chicago Style for Students and Researchers. Journal of Scholarly Publishing, 51(1), 99-104.

Gump's review for the 9th edition of Turabian's  A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations: Chicago Style for Students and Researchers includes a helpful history of the origins and editions of this book, along with its role as in intermediate-level guide in relation to the begin ner guide, Student’s Guide to Writing College Papers (also by Turabian), and the Chicago Manual of Style itself.

What follows are a selection of additional articles in the encyclopedia explaining the writing and citing processes.  Use links at the bottom of each article to continue exploring.

• Allen, M. (2017). Citations to Research, IN The sage encyclopedia of communication research methods (Vols. 1-4). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc doi: 10.4135/9781483381411
• Allen, M. (2017).   Acknowledging the Contribution of Others , IN The sage encyclopedia of communication research methods (Vols. 1-4). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc doi: 10.4135/9781483381411
• Allen, M. (2017). Writing Process, The, IN The sage encyclopedia of communication research methods (Vols. 1-4). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc doi: 10.4135/9781483381411
• Allen, M. (2017). Publication Style Guides , IN The SAGE Encyclopedia of Communication Research Methods . 4 vols. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc, 2017. SAGE Research Methods. Web. 24 Jun. 2020, doi: 10.4135/9781483381411.
• Last Updated: May 26, 2022 8:07 AM
• URL: https://libguides.northwestern.edu/chicagostyle

Chicago Citation Guide (17th Edition): Sample Paper, Bibliography, & Annotated Bibliography

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On this Page

General paper formatting guidelines, quick rules for a chicago bibliography.

What is an Annotated Bibliography?

Writing an Evaluative Annotation

Tips on Writing & Formatting an Annotated Bibliography

Sample Paper with Bibliography

• Chicago Sample Paper

This sample paper can be used as a template to set up your assignment. It includes a title page, main body paragraph with footnotes, and a bibliography.

Sample Paper with Appendix

• Chicago Sample Paper Template - with Appendix

If you are adding an appendix to your paper there are a few rules to follow that comply with Chicago guidelines:

• The Appendix appears before the Bibliography
• If you have more than one appendix you would name the first appendix Appendix A, the second Appendix B, etc.
• The appendices should appear in the order that the information is mentioned in your essay
• Each appendix begins on a new page

Sample Annotated Bibliography

This sample annotated bibliography shows you the structure you should use to write a Chicago style annotated bibliography and gives examples of evaluative and summary annotations.

It can be used as a template to set up your assignment.

• End-of-Paper Checklist

Finished your assignment? Use this checklist to be sure you haven't missed any information needed for Chicago style.

Useful Links for Annotated Bibliographies

Overview of purpose and form of annotated bibliographies from the Purdue OWL.

Includes a sample annotation from a Chicago Manual of Style annotated bibliography. From the Purdue OWL.

An example of an MLA annotated bibliography. From the Purdue OWL.

Assemble your paper in the following order:

• Body of paper
• Appendix (if needed)
• Bibliography

Use Times New Roman, Size 12 (unless otherwise instructed).

Margins and Indents

Your margins should be 1 inch on all sides.

Indent new paragraphs by one-half inch.

Double-space the main text of your paper.

Single-space the footnotes and bibliography, but add a blank line between entries.

Start numbering your pages on the  second  page of your paper (don't include the title page).

Put your page numbers in the header of the first page of text (skip the title page), beginning with page number 1. Continue numbering your pages to the end of the bibliography.

Place the footnote number at the end of the sentence in which you have quoted or paraphrased information from another source. The footnote number should be in superscript, and be placed  after  any punctuation.

Put your footnotes in the footer section of the page.

Your research paper ends with a list of all the sources cited in the text of the paper. This is called a bibliography.

See an example in the "Sample Paper with Bibliography" box on this page.

Here are nine quick rules for this list:

• Start a new page for your bibliography (e.g. If your paper is 4 pages long, start your bibliography on page 5).
• Centre the title, Bibliography, at the top of the page and do not bold or underline it. Look for the alignment option in Word. 
• Leave two blank lines between the title and the first entry on your list.
• Single-space the list, but leave one blank line between entries.
• Start the first line of each citation at the left margin; each subsequent line should be indented (also known as a "hanging indent").
• Put your list in alphabetical order. Alphabetize the list by the first word in the citation. In most cases, the first word will be the author’s last name. Where the author is unknown, alphabetize by the first word in the title, ignoring the words a, an, the.
• For each author, give the last name followed by a comma and the first name followed by a period.
• Italicize the titles of full works , such as: books, videos (films and television shows), artwork, images, maps, journals, newspapers, magazines.
• Do not italicize titles of parts of works , such as: articles from newspapers, magazines, or journals / essays, poems, short stories or chapter titles from a book / chapters or sections of an Internet document. Instead, use quotation marks.

What Is An Annotated Bibliography?

An  annotated bibliography  is a list of citations for various books, articles, and other sources on a topic. The annotated bibliography looks like a Works Cited page but includes an annotation after each source cited. An annotation is a short summary and/or critical evaluation of a source. Annotated bibliographies can be part of a larger research project, or can be a stand-alone report in itself.

Types of Annotations

 A  summary annotation  describes the source by answering the following questions: who wrote the document, what the document discusses, when and where was the document written, why was the document produced, and how was it provided to the public. The focus is on description. 

 An  evaluative annotation  includes a summary as listed above but also critically assesses the work for accuracy, relevance, and quality. Evaluative annotations can help you learn about your topic, develop a thesis statement, decide if a specific source will be useful for your assignment, and determine if there is enough valid information available to complete your project. The focus is on description and evaluation.

• Cite the source using Chicago style.
• Describe the main ideas, arguments, themes, theses, or methodology, and identify the intended audience.
• Explain the author’s expertise, point of view, and any bias he/she may have.
• Compare to other sources on the same topic that you have also cited to show similarities and differences.
• Explain why each source is useful for your research topic and how it relates to your topic.
• Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each source.
• Identify the observations or conclusions of the author. 

Remember: Annotations are original descriptions that you create after reading the document. When researching, you may find journal articles that provide a short summary at the beginning of the text. This article abstract is similar to a summary annotation. You may consult the abstract when creating your evaluative annotation, but never simply copy it as that would be considered plagiarism. 

Tips on Writing & Formatting an Annotated Bibliography

• Each annotation should be one paragraph, between three to six sentences long (about 150- 200 words).
• Start with the same format as a regular Bibliography list.
• All lines should be double-spaced. Do not add an extra line between the citations.
• If your list of citations is especially long, you can organize it by topic.
• Try to be objective, and give explanations if you state any opinions.
• Use the third person (e.g., he, she, the author) instead of the first person (e.g., I, my, me)
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• Last Updated: Apr 15, 2024 11:30 AM
• URL: https://columbiacollege-ca.libguides.com/chicago

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• Research Guides

Format Papers & Cite Sources

Chicago style.

• Citing Sources
• Avoid Plagiarism
• MLA Style (8th/9th ed.)
• APA Style, 7th Edition

What You Need to Know About Chicago Style

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• Harvard Style
• Other Styles
• Annotated Bibliographies
• How to Create an Attribution

What is Chicago Style?

The Chicago Manual of Style is a comprehensive reference for authors, editors, proofreaders, indexers, copywriters, designers, and publishers in any field, though most often used in the humanities.

Whenever you use a citation style (ANY citation style!) you will be governed by that style in three ways:

• The general format of the paper.  This includes margins, font, page numbers, line spacing, titles, headings, etc.  
• The  bibliography.  The bibliography is the cumulative list of all sources used in your research. In Chicago, this is called the  Bibliography  (if you're using the notes-bibliography system) or   Reference   list  (if you're using the author-date system). How do you cite a printed book vs. a book found on a database vs. a book found on the Web?   
• In-text citation.  Citing sources within the body of your paper lets your reader know you're incorporating someone else's words/research/ideas. In the notes-bibliography system you'll use footnotes or endnotes for your in-text citations. In the author-date references system you'll use parenthetical citations for your in-text citations.

Here's what you need to know to complete your paper in Chicago Manual of Style (CMS) format.

The links below will take you to the Ready, Set, Cite (Chicago) research guide:

• Formatting the Paper
• Citation Basics
• Notes-Bibliography System
• Author-Date References System

Use NoodleTools to help you create your citations .

It's easy; it's a form you fill out with the information about your source; it helps you catch mistakes.

• NoodleTools Express Use NoodleTools Express to create citations on the fly in MLA, APA, or Chicago style.
• NoodleTools (Login Full Database) This link opens in a new window Create and organize your research notes, share and collaborate on research projects, compose and error check citations, and complete your list of works cited in MLA, APA, or Chicago style using the full version of NoodleTools. You'll need to Create a Personal ID and password the first time you use NoodleTools.

NoodleTools Help:

• NoodleTools Help Desk Look up questions and answers on the NoodleTools Web site
• NoodleTools for Researchers Research guide created for MJC students
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• Last Updated: Sep 9, 2024 12:43 PM
• URL: https://libguides.mjc.edu/citeyoursources

Except where otherwise noted, this work is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 and CC BY-NC 4.0 Licenses .

Citation Styles

What is chicago style, chicago style resources, citing your sources in chicago style, microsoft word templates, chicago style manuals in the library.

• Annotated Bibliographies
• Literature Reviews
• Zotero (Citation Management)

• It is a documentation style for writing and formatting research papers, including citing sources.
• Commonly used for humanities, including history, literature, and art
• Commonly used for science and social sciences
• Also known as Turabian Style which was named after Kate Turabian who wrote a research paper manual based on the Chicago Style that is geared towards students
• The Turabian Style contains comprehensive rules and examples for citing
• Excelsior OWL: Chicago Guide Excelsior's Online Writing Lab gives details on how to cite a variety of sources and how to format your research papers.
• Western Oregon University Chicago Style Guide Another detailed step-by-step guide to building both Notes-Bibliography and Author-Date style citations and formatting your paper according to Chicago Style guidelines
• ZoteroBib ZoteroBib is a free service that helps you quickly create a bibliography in any citation style.

Notes-Bibliography System   (Humanities)

Use a footnote or endnote to acknowledge that you are quoting or paraphrasing another author's words or ideas in the text of your research paper.

Place a super-text number at the end of a quote or paraphrased section.* Citation numbers should appear in sequential order.

Create a footnote at the bottom of the page. ( See the Microsoft Word Template section below for directions on how to do this in your paper.)

The first footnote for a source contains the author, title, publication information, and page number(s). The remaining footnotes (shortened notes) for the same source contain only the author, title, and page number(s).

• Here are some examples .

Author-Date System   (Sciences)

Use an in-text citation to acknowledge that you are quoting or paraphrasing another author's words or ideas in the text of your research paper.

The in-text citation appears in parentheses and includes (Author's Last Name(s) Year of Publication, Page Numbers)

Bibliography (Required for both systems above!)

• Include a reference list at the end of your paper. The list should begin on a new page and contain a full citation for each in-text citation referenced within your paper.
• Leave two blank lines between your bibliography title and the first citation.
• Citations should be single-spaced with a hanging indent. Leave one blank line between each citation.
• Each full citation should include the specific publication information required by Chicago rules. This allows your reader to find the sources, if desired.
• Arrange the citations alphabetically by the first word in each entry. This is usually the author's last name but may be the title if the source has no author.
• The way a bibliographic entry is structured will be the same regardless of which in-text citation style you use, with one exception: if you used author-date as your in-text citation style, you will place the publication date immediately after the author section, as opposed to at/near the end. This makes it easier for readers to find the appropriate citation in your reference list.
• Learn more about the Chicago style bibliography .

Microsoft Word Tips for Chicago Style

• When you open a new Microsoft Word document to start your paper, click on the References Tab, go to the Citations and Bibliography box, and in the Style box choose Chicago.
• When you need to insert a Footnote, click on the References Tab, go to the Footnotes box, and click on Insert Footnote.
• When you need to insert an In-text citation click on the Reference Tab, go to the Citations and Bibliography box, and click on Insert Citation.

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• Last Updated: Aug 28, 2024 12:27 PM
• URL: https://researchguides.elac.edu/Citation

Chicago Style (17th Edition): Introduction

• Introduction
• Journal Articles
• Magazine/Newspaper Articles
• Books & Ebooks
• Government & Legal Documents
• Secondary Sources
• Videos & DVDs
• How to Cite: Biblical & Catholic Sources
• How to Cite: Other
• Short Form & Ibid.
• Additional Help

Chicago Style at Duquesne University

At Duquesne University, Chicago style is the preferred citation format for the History and Theology Departments, as well as the Center for Global Health Ethics.

Note: The above departments typically uses the "Notes and Bibliography" format of Chicago style, not the "Author Date" format.

What is Chicago Style?

Chicago Style was created by the University of Chicago. It is a set of rules for formatting publications, including research papers.

In Chicago style, you must cite sources that you have quoted, paraphrased, or otherwise used to write your research paper. Cite your sources in two places

• In the body of your paper where you add a footnote  (which appears in the footer at the bottom of the page)
• In the bibliography  at the end of your paper.
• Chicago Style 17th ed. Notes and Bibliography Sample Paper (Purdue OWL)

Commonly Used Terms

Access Date:  The date you first look at a source. The access date is added to the end of citations for all websites except library databases.

Bibliography: Contains details on ALL the sources cited in a text or essay, and supports your research and/or premise.

Citation: Details about one cited source.

Citing: The process of acknowledging the sources of your information and ideas.

Footnote: Details about one source that you cited in the text of your paper, which appears in the footer at the bottom of the page.

Paraphrasing: Taking information that you have read and putting it into your own words.

Plagiarism: Taking, using, and passing off as your own, the ideas or words of another.

Quoting: The copying of words of text originally published elsewhere. Direct quotations generally appear in quotation marks and end with a citation.

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• Chicago Manual of Style (17th Edition) Database The Chicago Manual of Style presented as a database. Enter your Multipass username and password when prompted.
• Chicago Style (Purdue OWL)

This guide was created by Hannah Goss, English Department Intern, and Ted Bergfelt, Humanities Librarian, in September 2022. It is based on a guide originally created by Stephine Michel, University of Portland, and was made with her kind permission.

• Next: How to Cite: Common Sources >>
• Last Updated: Apr 23, 2024 3:10 PM
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• Tags: Academic Writing , Chicago Citation , Chicago Style , Citations and References , Research Paper

Unlike other commonly used citation formats like APA or MLA, there are two varieties of Chicago style citations. In this article, we’ll explore both forms of citation for a Chicago style paper and provide several examples you can emulate. 

Since its original publication in 1906, the Chicago Manual of Style has evolved a lot. It is currently in its 17th edition (as of 2017). 

Chicago style citations: two varieties 

Researchers and writers can create a Chicago style citation in two ways: the notes and bibliography system or the author-date system. Aside from differences in the style of in-text citations, the notes-bibliography system and the author-date system share a similar structure and formatting style .

What Chicago citation format you should use depends on your discipline and the guidelines given to you by instructors or publishers. Read on to know more about each style and when you can use them in your academic writing. 

A. Notes and bibliography  

In the notes and bibliography style, in-text citations are marked by footnotes or endnotes, with source numbers indicated by superscripts (raised text) within the text. This is usually followed by a bibliography at the end of the paper. 

This Chicago style citation format is commonly used in humanities—in disciplines such as history, art, and literature. This is primarily because the notes-bibliography style is flexible to accommodate a variety of unconventional academic sources like videos, online sources, transcripts, etc.

It also accommodates sources that may not fit into the author-date system, such as webpages with no author or literary sources with no single date of publication. 

Footnotes and endnotes  

The sources referred to on each page are listed in the footnotes at the end of the page or in endnotes at the end of the document. This is list is in order of reference. Within the text, the citations are denoted numerically by a superscript.

Follow these general guidelines while creating Chicago style footnotes and endnotes:  

• Add footnotes at the bottom of the page you have referred the source. 
• Add endnotes on a separate page after the body of the paper. 
• Place superscript numbers at the end of a sentence or clause, after the concluding punctuation mark. 
• Ensure each superscript number corresponds to its respective entry in the notes. 
• Begin each note with the name of the author(s) as listed in the source (not inverted), followed by the source name. 
• Add publication details relevant to the source—including page numbers, year of publication, and publisher. 
• Separate each element in an entry with periods or parentheses. 
• Add shortened notes for every subsequent reference to a source. 
• List authors’ complete names for sources with up to three authors. If a source has four or more authors, add “et al.” after the third author. 
• Number notes consecutively starting with the arabic numeral “1” for the entire text or each chapter. 

Note: When to use Chicago style endnotes?

The official CMOS handbook does not have specific guidelines for when to use Chicago style footnotes and endnotes. This is usually at the discretion of your instructor and the guidelines set by your university or publication.

Whichever in-text citation style you follow, ensure that you stick to your chosen type of notes consistently. See below for a Chicago footnote example:

Bibliography 

Chicago style papers following the notes-bibliography system usually require a bibliography at the end of the paper. This is a detailed list of all the sources you have cited throughout the main text. 

You may be exempted from including a bibliography at the end of a document if you have provided detailed entries in the footnotes or the endnotes. If you’re unsure about whether you need to add one to your Chicago style paper, consult your instructor or publisher. 

Follow these guidelines to create a Chicago style bibliography:  

• Place the bibliography on a new page directly after the main text, before indices and appendixes. 
• Title the section with “Bibliography” and center-align the text. 
• Apply a hanging indent for each entry. 
• Arrange all sources alphabetically, by the last name of the (first) author of each source. 
• For sources with no author, arrange by source title. (Alternately, you may write “Anonymous” or “Anon.” if you want to credit it to an anonymous source.)
• For sources with two or more authors, invert only the first author’s name. 
• List the names of all authors for sources with up to ten authors. 
• For sources with over ten authors, list seven names and follow with “et al.”. 

Chicago style citation examples: Notes and bibliography  

See below for examples of Chicago style citations for books, book chapters, journal articles, and websites. We’ve included the format for Chicago style footnotes and endnotes, short notes, and the bibliography entry. 

1. How to cite a book in Chicago style

2. How to cite a book chapter 

3. How to cite a journal article

4. How to cite a website in Chicago style 

B. Author-date  

The author-date system is the second method of Chicago style citations. This citation format is typically used in physical, natural, and social sciences documents.

The Chicago author-date format consists of two components: in-text citations in the body text and a matching entry in the reference list, which is at the end of the academic work. The reference list provides complete bibliographic information about all the sources you’ve used throughout the text. Let’s take a look at each component more closely. 

In-text citations 

If you are using the author-date format, you will be required to add in-text citations within the body text. The convention is to add in-text citations at the end of sentences referencing sources.

Follow these guidelines to add Chicago style citations in your academic work:  

• Place the Chicago parenthetical citation at the end of a sentence, before the concluding punctuation mark. 
• Include the author and year of publication in parentheses, with no punctuation in between. 
• If you have named the author(s) of a source within the body text, add the year of the source’s publication in parentheses. 
• Add relevant page numbers in the in-text citation, if you are referring to specific sections of the text. 

See below for a Chicago style citation example with and without an author in parentheses. Here’s what a standard Chicago style in-text citation looks like: 

The essay highlights the importance of readers contributing to a text’s discourse in the larger society (Barthes 1967). 

If you’ve already referenced the author within the body text, you can write the Chicago parenthetical citation like this: 

Barthes (1967) emphasizes the role of the reader in generating discourse about a text, rather than accepting the singular supremacy of the author’s intent. 

To add a page number or page range, format the in-text citation as shown below: 

(Barthes 1967 42) (Barthes 1967 42-44) 

Reference list

Each Chicago style in-text citation has a matching entry to the reference list at the end of the text. The list and the format of each entry largely follow the same format as the bibliography in the notes-bibliography section, with a few minor alterations. We will look at these below.

Follow these guidelines while creating a Chicago style reference list for your essay or paper:

• Start the reference list on a new page, with the center-aligned title “References” or “Reference List”. 
• Arrange the list of sources alphabetically by the author’s last name. 
• Follow this with the year of publication and end with a period. 
• Continue structuring the entry in the same format as a bibliographic entry. 
• Invert only the name of the first listed author. 
• Capitalize English-language titles according to headline-style conventions. 
• Abbreviate noun forms such as “editor”, “translator”, “volume”, and “edition”. 
• Spell out verb forms such as “edited by” and “translated by”. 

Chicago style citation examples in author-date  

See below for a list of Chicago style citation examples. We’ve included sample in-text citations and reference list entries for books, book chapters, websites, and journals, which are commonly used sources in the Chicago citation style.

1. How to cite a book in Chicago 

2. How to cite a book chapter in Chicago style

3. How to cite a journal in Chicago style 

4. How to cite a website in Chicago style

Frequently Asked Questions

How can i cite multiple authors in a chicago style in-text citation , how can i cite a website with no author in a chicago style in-text citation, what does nb mean .

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Generate citations in Chicago style automatically, with MyBib!

😕 What is a Chicago Citation Generator?

A Chicago Citation Generator is a software tool that automatically generates citations and bibliographies in the Chicago citation style.

Citations can be created by entering an identifying piece of information about a source, such as a website URL, book ISBN, or journal article DOI to the generator. The generator will then create a fully formatted citation in the Chicago style containing all the required information for the source.

Chicago style citations are used to give credit to the authors of supporting work that has been used to write an academic paper or article.

👩‍🎓 Who uses an Chicago Citation Generator?

The Chicago style is primarily used by college and university students studying business, history, social sciences, the fine arts, amongst others.

🙌 Why should I use a Chicago Citation Generator?

Citing sources is often an afterthought in paper writing because formatting citations correctly is time-consuming and confusing, and staying on top of source management manually can be hard. A citation generator makes this easier by:

• Decreasing the time you would spend formatting citations correctly
• Managing the recording and organization of every citation for you

In short, there is no reason not to use a citation generator in academic writing.

⚙️ How do I use MyBib's Chicago Citation Generator?

To get started, scroll up back up to the tool at the top of the page and follow these steps:

• Select the type of source you want to cite
• If it's a website, enter the URL in the search bar. If it's a book, enter the ISBN or title. If it's a journal article, enter the DOI or title. For all other sources, enter the details of the source into the form
• Select the search result that most closely represents the source you referred to in your paper
• Shazam! The generator will automatically format the citation in the Chicago style. Copy it into your paper, or save it to your bibliography to download later
• Repeat for every other citation you need to create for your paper

MyBib supports the following for Chicago style:

Daniel is a qualified librarian, former teacher, and citation expert. He has been contributing to MyBib since 2018.

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DOI | Digital Object Identifier

"A digital object identifier (DOI) is a unique alphanumeric string assigned by a registration agency (the International DOI Foundation) to identify content and provide a persistent link to its location on the Internet." -American Psychological Association (APA)

Where can you find a DOI?

The DOI is located in the article record in the database or on the 1st page of the PDF.

How do you reformat the DOI?

DOI from database record: 

10.1332/ 1759827 15X14349632097764

Reformat the DOI by adding: https://doi.org/ ​

Reformatted DOI:

https://doi.org/ 10.1332/ 1759827 15X14349632097764

Chicago-style source citations come in two varieties:

•   Notes and Bibliography: - Sources are cited in numbered footnotes or endnotes. Each note corresponds to a raised (superscript) number in the text. Sources are also usually listed in a separate bibliography. The examples below include Full Notes, Shortened Notes and Bibliography Entries.  
• Author-Date:  - Sources are briefly cited in the text, in parentheses, by author’s last name and year of publication. Each in-text citation matches up with an entry in a reference list, where full bibliographic information is provided. The examples below include Reference List Entries and In-text Citations.

Print Book Citation Format

New for 18th Edition:

A place of publication is not longer needed in book citations:

  Notes and Bibliography:

Full Note:  

     2. Richard S. Hopkins,  Planning the Greenspaces of Nineteenth-Century Paris  (Louisiana State University Press, 2015), 55- 56.

Shortened Note: 

     2. Hopkins,  Planning the Greenspaces , 55-56.

Bibliography: 

Hopkins, Richard S.  Planning the Greenspaces of Nineteenth-Century Paris .   Louisiana State University  Press, 2015.

Author-Date :

Reference List Entry:

Hopkins, Richard S. 2015.  Planning the Greenspaces of Nineteenth-Century Paris .   Louisiana State University  Press.

In-text Citation:

(Hopkins 2015, 25)

eBook Citation Format

* Use a URL or DOI if available. If not available. list the name of the database.

     3. Beverly Guy-Sheftall, W ords of Fire: An Anthology of African-American Feminist Thought (The New Press, 1995), 145,ProQuest Ebook Central.

     3. Guy-Sheftall, Words of Fire, 145-146.

Guy-Sheftall, Beverly.  Words of Fire: An Anthology of African-American Feminist Thought. The New Press, 1995. ProQuest

     Ebook Central.

Author-Date:

Guy-Sheftall, Beverly. 1995. Words of Fire: An Anthology of African-American Feminist Thought. The New Press. ProQuest

 In-text Citation: 

(Guy-Sheftall 1995, 145)

Chapter in an Edited Book Citation Format

New for 18th Edition: 

The page range for a chapter in a book is no longer required in bibliography or reference list entries In a note or in-text citation, cite specific pages as applicable.

     5. Jordan Smith, "‘For How Could We Do Without Sugar and Rum?’: Anti-Consumption, Commodity Substitution, and the Global Expansion of Plantation Production, in Global Commerce and Economic Conscience in Europe, 1700-1900: Distance and Entanglement, ed. Felix  Brahm and Eve Rosenhaft (Oxford University Press, 2022), 160.

Shortened Note:

     5. Smith, "Sugar and Rum," 160.

Bibliography Entry:

Smith, Jordan. "‘For How Could We Do Without Sugar and Rum?’: Anti-Consumption, Commodity Substitution, and the

     Global Expansion of Plantation Production." In Global Commerce and Economic Conscience in Europe, 1700-1900:

     Distance and Entanglement, edited by Felix  Brahm and Eve Rosenhaft. Oxford University Press, 2022.

Smith, Jordan, 2022. "‘For How Could We Do Without Sugar and Rum?’: Anti-Consumption, Commodity Substitution, and the

     Global Expansion of Plantation Production." In Global Commerce and Economic Conscience in Europe, 1700-1900:

     Distance and Entanglement, edited by Felix  Brahm and Eve Rosenhaft Oxford University Press.

In-Text Citation: 

(Smith, 2022, 160)

Electronic Journal Article Citation Format

Omit the month or season when citing journal articles

* In a note and In-Text citation, cite specific page numbers. In the bibliography and Reference List, include the page range for the whole article. 

Full Note: 

     1. Erika Huckstein, “The Politics of Peace and Reproduction in the Anti-Fascist Campaigns of British Women's Organisations,”  Contemporary European History  33, no. 1 (2024): 54.  https://doi.org/10.1017/S0960777322000157 .

     1. Huckstein, "Politics of Peace," 54.

Bibliography Entry:

Huckstein, Erika. “The Politics of Peace and Reproduction in the Anti-Fascist Campaigns of British Women's

     Organisations.”  Contemporary European History  33, no. 1 (2024): 53-69.  https://doi.org/10.1017/S0960777322000157 .

Reference List Entry: 

Huckstein, Erika. 2024. “The Politics of Peace and Reproduction in the Anti-Fascist Campaigns of British Women's

     Organisations.”  Contemporary European History  33, (1): 53-69.  https://doi.org/10.1017/S0960777322000157

In-text Citation: 

(Huckstein 2024, 54)

     6. Yufeng Mao, "A Muslim Vision for the Chinese Nation: Chinese Pilgrimage Missions to Mecca during WWII,"  The Journal of Asian Studies  70, no. 2 (2011): 388, JSTOR.

     6. Mao, "Muslim Vision," 388.

Bibliography Entry: 

Mao, Yufeng. "A Muslim Vision for the Chinese Nation: Chinese Pilgrimage Missions to Mecca during WWII,"  The Journal of

     Asian Studies  70, no. 2 (2011): 373-395., JSTOR.

Mao, Yufeng. 2011. "A Muslim Vision for the Chinese Nation: Chinese Pilgrimage Missions to Mecca during WWII,"  The

     Journal of Asian Studies  70, no. 2 (2011): 373-395., JSTOR.

In-Text Citation:

(Mao, 2011, 388)

Book Review Citation Format

     5. Rachel A. Batch, Review of  Anthracite Labor Wars Tenancy, Italians, and Organized Crime in the Northern Coalfield of Northeastern Pennsylvania, 1897–1959, by R obert P. Wolensky and William A. Hastie, Sr.  Pennsylvania History: A Journal of Mid-Atlantic Studies  81, no. 4 (2014): 540–545.  https://muse.jhu.edu/article/561185

     5. Batch, "Anthracite Labor Wars," 542.

Batch, Rachel A. "Review of  Anthracite Labor Wars Tenancy, Italians, and Organized Crime in the Northern Coalfield of Northeastern

     Pennsylvania, 1897–1959," by R obert P. Wolensky and William A. Hastie, Sr.  Pennsylvania History: A Journal of Mid-Atlantic Studies  81, no. 4

     (2014): 540–545.  https://muse.jhu.edu/article/561185

Batch, Rachel A. 2014. Review of  Anthracite Labor Wars Tenancy, Italians, and Organized Crime in the Northern Coalfield of Northeastern

     Pennsylvania, 1897–1959, by R obert P. Wolensky and William A. Hastie, Sr.  Pennsylvania History: A Journal of Mid-Atlantic Studies  81, no. 4

(Batch 2014, 542)

Web Page Citation Format

*  Describe content from web pages and websites in a note or in the text, instead of in a bibliography or reference list.  Ex:  (“As of November 15, 2023, Google’s privacy policy stated . . .”). If a more formal citation is needed, follow the examples below.

     2. “Wikipedia: Manual of Style,” Wikimedia Foundation, last modified December 19, 2023, 10:15 (EST), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style.

     5. “Wikipedia: Manual of Style.”

Wikimedia Foundation. “Wikipedia: Manual of Style.” Last modified December 19, 2023, at 10:15 (EST).

     https:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style.

Wikimedia Foundation. 2023. “Wikipedia: Manual of Style.” Last modified December 19, at 10:15 EST).

(Wikimedia Foundation 2023)

* If a source does not list a date of publication or revision, use n.d. (for “no date”) in place of the year and include an access date.

     3. “About Yale: Yale Facts,” Yale University, accessed March 8, 2022, https://www.yale.edu/about-yale/yale-facts.

     3. “Yale Facts.”

Yale University. “About Yale: Yale Facts.” Accessed March 8, 2022. https://www.yale.edu/about-yale/yale-facts.

*  When there is no date of publication or revision for a website or web page. Use an access date and include  n.d. as the date of publication in the reference list entry and for the in-text citation. 

Yale University. n.d. “About Yale: Yale Facts.” Accessed March 8, 2022. https://www.yale.edu/about-yale/yale-facts.

(Yale University, n.d.)

YouTube Video Citation Format

     2. Eric Oliver, “Why So Many Americans Believe in So Many ‘Crazy’ Things,” moderated by Andrew McCall, virtual lecture, February 23, 2022, posted March 21, 2022, by University of Chicago, YouTube, 1:01:45, https://youtu.be/hfq7AnCF5bg.

     2. Oliver, “Why.”

Oliver, Eric. “Why So Many Americans Believe in So Many ‘Crazy’ Things.” Moderated by Andrew McCall. Virtual lecture,

     February 23, 2022. Posted March 21, 2022, by University of Chicago. YouTube, 1:01:45. https://youtu.be/hfq7AnCF5bg.

Oliver, Eric. 2022. “Why So Many Americans Believe in So Many ‘Crazy’ Things.” Moderated by Andrew McCall. Virtual

     lecture, February 23. Posted March 21, 2022, by University of Chicago. YouTube, 1:01:45. https://youtu.be/hfq7AnCF5bg.

(Oliver 2022)

Social Media Citation Format

* Citations for content from social media usually only appear in a note or in the text. In place of a title, quote up to the first 280 characters of the post. 

     4. Chicago Manual of Style (@ChicagoManual), “Is the world ready for singular they? We thought so back in 1993,” Facebook, April 17, 2015, https://www.facebook.com/ChicagoManual/posts/10152906193679151.

     4. Michele Truty, April 17, 2015, 1:09 p.m., comment on Chicago Manual of Style, “singular they.”

The Instagram post included a photo of the president delivering a eulogy at the National Cathedral and referred to O’Connor as “gracious and principled” (@potus, December 19, 2023).

* If you are including multiple text references to the same post, you may want to include a formal bibliography or refence list entry. (See examples below):

Chicago Manual of Style (@ChicagoManual),  “Is the world ready for singular they? We thought so back in 1993.” Facebook,

     April 17, 2015. https://www.facebook.com/ChicagoManual/posts/10152906193679151.

Chicago Manual of Style (@ChicagoManual). 2015. “Is the world ready for singular they? We thought so back in 1993.”

     Facebook, April 17. https://www.facebook.com/ChicagoManual/posts/10152906193679151.

(Chicago Manual of Style 2015)

Citing AI-Generated Content

Chatbot citation format.

*  Authors who used content generated by a chatbot or other AI tool must make it clear how they used the tool (either in the text or in a preface). Directly cite AI generated content, whether quoted or paraphrased, in text or in an note. Like social media posts, chatbot conversations are not usually included in a bibliography or reference list. 

Cited in a Note:

     1. Text generated by ChatGPT-3.5, OpenAI, December 9, 2023, https://chat.openai.com/share/90b8137d-ff1c-4c0c-b123-2868623c4ae2.

Cited in the Text:

The following recipe for pizza dough was generated on December 9, 2023, by ChatGPT-3.5.

* If you must create a bibliography or reference list entry for am AI generated resource, cite it under the name of the publisher or developer rand include a publicly available URL

Google. Response to “How many copyeditors does it take to fix a book-length manuscript?” Gemini 1.0, February 10, 2024.

     https://g.co/gemini/share/cccc26abdc19.

Google. 2024. Response to “How many copyeditors does it take to fix a book-length manuscript?” Gemini 1.0, February 10,

     2024. https://g.co/gemini/share/cccc26abdc19.

What do Chatbots Know?

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• How to Cite a Book in Chicago Style | Format & Examples

How to Cite a Book in Chicago Style | Format & Examples

Published on May 10, 2021 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on April 9, 2024.

The basic formats for citing a book in a Chicago footnote and a bibliography entry are as follows:

Short notes always follow the same basic format. Full notes and bibliography entries contain additional information if the book specifies an edition, translator, or editor, and follow a specific format when citing an individual chapter in a book.

Note that book citations look slightly different in Chicago author-date style . In both cases, make sure to pay attention to the punctuation (e.g., commas , quotation marks , and periods) in your notes and citations.

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Table of contents

Citing a specific edition, translated books, citing a chapter from a book, e-books and online books, citing books in chicago author-date style, frequently asked questions about chicago style citations.

Scholarly books often come in different editions with important differences in content. When edition information (e.g., “Second Edition,” “Revised Edition”) is stated on the cover and/or title page of the book, it should be included in your citation.

Edition information is always abbreviated and followed by a period (e.g., “2nd ed.” or “rev. ed.”).

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When a book is translated from another language, it’s important to identify the translator as well as the author. “Translated by” is abbreviated to “trans.” in the citation.

In the bibliography, the words “Translated by” are written in full. The translator’s name is not inverted, unlike that of the author.

When referring to a chapter from a multi-authored book (such as an essay collection or anthology), cite the specific chapter rather than the whole book. This means listing the author and title of the chapter first, then providing information about the book as a whole.

The editor’s name is preceded by “ed.” in a note and by “edited by” in the bibliography. A page range is included in the bibliography entry to show the location of the chapter in the book.

A short note just lists the chapter title, not that of the book, and omits the editor’s name.

When citing a book you accessed online or in the form of an e-book, simply add relevant information about its format or location to the end of your citation.

Note that books in these formats might lack reliable page numbers. If there are no page numbers, or page numbers that would look different for another user, use another locator in your notes instead, such as a chapter number.

For an online book, add the URL or DOI where it can be accessed.

For an e-book, add the format or device name (e.g., “Kindle,” “iBooks”). You don’t need to add a URL or DOI in this case.

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In author-date style , books are cited with brief in-text citations corresponding to entries in a reference list. A reference list looks the same as a bibliography, except that the year is placed directly after the author’s name.

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In a Chicago style footnote , list up to three authors. If there are more than three, name only the first author, followed by “ et al. “

In the bibliography , list up to 10 authors. If there are more than 10, list the first seven followed by “et al.”

The same rules apply in Chicago author-date style .

To automatically generate accurate Chicago references, you can use Scribbr’s free Chicago reference generator .

Page numbers should be included in your Chicago in-text citations when:

• You’re quoting from the text.
• You’re paraphrasing a particular passage.
• You’re referring to information from a specific section.

When you’re referring to the overall argument or general content of a source, it’s unnecessary to include page numbers.

In Chicago notes and bibliography style , the usual standard is to use a full note for the first citation of each source, and short notes for any subsequent citations of the same source.

However, your institution’s guidelines may differ from the standard rule. In some fields, you’re required to use a full note every time, whereas in some other fields you can use short notes every time, as long as all sources are listed in your bibliography . If you’re not sure, check with your instructor.

• A reference list is used with Chicago author-date citations .
• A bibliography is used with Chicago footnote citations .

Both present the exact same information; the only difference is the placement of the year in source citations:

• In a reference list entry, the publication year appears directly after the author’s name.
• In a bibliography entry, the year appears near the end of the entry (the exact placement depends on the source type).

There are also other types of bibliography that work as stand-alone texts, such as a Chicago annotated bibliography .

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Caulfield, J. (2024, April 09). How to Cite a Book in Chicago Style | Format & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved September 9, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/chicago-style/book-citations/

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