chicago style citation essay in a book

Chicago/Turabian Citation

• Citing a Book

Basic Chapter Citation

Example chapter of a book, example chapter of an ebook, example foreword/preface of a book.

• Citing an Article
• Citing a Webpage
• Additional Resources

Writing Center

Visit the Writing Center for help with brainstorming, organization, revising, citations, and other writing assistance! 

• Every Monday: Saurwein 232
• Tuesday-Sunday in Campus Center 313: The Owen Center

Regular Writing Center Hours:

• Monday-Friday 12:00PM-7:00PM
• Sundays 12:00PM-5:00PM

Book an appointment  with a Writing Center consultant. 

Footnote/Endnote

Author First M. Last Name, "Chapter or Essay Title," in  Book Title , ed. First M. Last Name (Place of Publication: Publisher, date), page cited.

Short version: Author Last Name, "Chapter or Essay Title (shortened if necessary)," page cited.

Bibliography

Author Last Name, First M.   "Chapter or Essay Title."  In  Book Title ,   edited by First M. Last Name,  page range.   Place of Publication: Publisher, date.

Eric Charry, "Music and Islam in Sub-Saharan Africa," in  The History of Islam in Africa , eds. Nehwmia Levtzion and Randall L. Pouwels  (Athens, OH: Ohio University Press, 2000), 550.

Short version: Charry, "Music and Islam in Sub-Saharan Africa," 550.

Charry, Eric.   "Music and Islam in Sub-Saharan Africa."  In  The History of Islam in Africa ,   edited by Nehwmia Levtzion and Randall L. Pouwels,   545-573.   Athens, OH: Ohio  University Press, 2000.

Alan Liu, "Where is Cultural Criticism in the Digital Humanities?," in  Debates in the Digital Humanities , ed. Matthew K. Gold (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2013), accessed January 23, 2014,  http://dhdebates.gc.cuny.edu/debates/text/20. 

Short version: Liu, "Where is Cultural Criticism."

Liu, Alan.  "Where is Cultural Criticism in the Digital Humanities?."   In  Debates in the Digital Humanities ,   edited by Matthew K. Gold.   Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2013.   A ccessed January 23, 2014.   http://dhdebates.gc.cuny.edu/debates/text/20. 

Strobe Talbott, foreword to   Beyond Tianamen: The Politics of U.S.-China Relations 1989-2000 , by Robert L. Suettinger (Washington, D. C.: Brookings Institute Press, 2003), x.

Short version: Talbott, foreword, x.

Talbott, Strobe.   Foreword to   Beyond Tianamen: The Politics of U.S.-China Relations 1989-2000 ,   by Robert L. Suettinger,  ix-x.   Washington, D. C.: Brookings Institute  Press, 2003.

• << Previous: Citing a Book
• Next: Citing an Article >>
• Last Updated: Sep 30, 2022 12:44 PM
• URL: https://libguides.heidelberg.edu/chicago

Thursday, February 23: The Clark Library is closed today.

Chicago Style (17th Edition) Citation Guide: Books & Ebooks

• 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

Table of Contents

Book in print, book with editor(s) but no author, translated book, chapters, short stories, essays, or articles from a book (anthology or collection), an introduction, preface, foreword, or afterword, article in a reference book (e.g. encyclopedias, dictionaries).

Bibliography:

All citations should be double spaced and have a hanging indent.

A "hanging indent" means that each subsequent line after the first line of your citation should be indented by 0.5 inches.

All citations should use first line indent, where the first line of the footnote should be indented by 0.5 inches; all subsequent lines are not indented.

Footnotes should be the same font size and style as the rest of your paper.

See instructions for how to insert footnotes in Microsoft Word.

Authors/Editors

An author can be a person but can also be an organization, or company. These are called group or corporate authors.

If you are citing a chapter from a book that has an editor, the author of the chapter is listed first, and is the name listed in the in-text citation.

Capitalize the first letter of every important word in the title. You do not need to capitalize words such as in, of, or an.

If there is a colon (:) in the title, include what comes after the colon (also known as the subtitle).Capitalize the first word after the colon, even if it is a word such as in, of, or an.

The format of all dates is: Month Date, Year. e.g. September 5, 2012.

Whether to give the year alone or include a month and day depends on your source: write the full date as you find it there.

If no date is listed, use the abbreviation n.d. for "no date." 

When an edition other than the first is used or cited, the number or description of the edition follows the title in the listing. If you are using the first edition, you do not have to include that information in the citation.

Access Date

Chicago style does not recommend including access dates in the citation, unless no date of publication for the source may be located.

Kling, David William. The Bible in History: How the Texts Have Shaped the Times . New York: Oxford University Press, 2004.

1. David William Kling, The Bible in History: How the Texts Have Shaped the Times (New York: Oxford University Press, 2004), 301.

Two or Three Authors

Jacobson, Diane L., and Robert Kysar. A Beginner's Guide to the Books of the Bible . Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1991.

1. Diane L. Jacobson and Robert Kysar, A Beginner's Guide to the Books of the Bible (Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1991), 151.

Four to Ten Authors

For sources with four to ten authors, list all authors in the bibliography; in the footnote, list only the first author’s name followed by the phrase et al. (Latin for “and others”)

 Evans, Julie, Patricia Grimshaw, David Philips, and Shurlee Swain.  Equal Subjects, Unequal Rights:              Indigenous Peoples in British Settler Societies.  Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2003.

1. Julie Evans et al.,  Equal Subjects, Unequal Rights: Indigenous Peoples in British Settler Societies  (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2003), 52.

More than Ten Authors

For sources with more than ten authors, list the first seven authors in the bibliography, followed by  et al.. In the footnote, list only the first author's name followed by et al..

Holder, Arthur G. Christian Spirituality: The Classics . New York: Routledge, 2009. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/up/detail.action?docID=446822.

1. Arthur G. Holder, Christian Spirituality: The Classics (New York: Routledge, 2009), 30, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/up/detail.action?docID=446822.

Print Book:

Richard, Lucien, editor.  What are They Saying about the Theology of Suffering?  New York: Paulist Press, 1992.

1. Lucien Richard, ed.,  What are They Saying about the Theology of Suffering?  (New York: Paulist Press, 1992), 20.

Online Book:

Kidwell, Jeremy, and Sean Doherty, editors. Theology and Economics: A Christian Vision of the Common Good . New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2015. https://login.uportland.idm.oclc.org/login?url= http://link.springer.com/10.1057/9781137536518.

1. Jeremy Kidwell and Sean Doherty, eds., Theology and Economics: A Christian Vision of the Common Good (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2015), 103, https://login.uportland.idm.oclc.org/login?url= http://link.springer.com/10.1057/9781137536518.

Boitani, Piero. The Bible and Its Rewritings . Translated by Anita Weston. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.

1. Piero Boitani, The Bible and Its Rewritings , trans. Anita Weston (New York: Oxford University Press, 1999), 89.

Augustine. The Confessions of St. Augustine . Translated by Edward Bouverie Pusey. Waiheke Island, New Zealand: Floating Press, 1921. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/up/detail.action?docID=349865.

1. Augustine, The Confessions of St. Augustine , trans. by Edward Bouverie Pusey (Waiheke Island, New Zealand: Floating Press, 1921), 65, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/up/detail.action?docID=349865.

Deffenbaugh, Daniel G. and David L. Dungan. “The Bible and Ecology.” In The International Bible Commentary , edited by William R. Farmer, 314-323. Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 1998.

1. Daniel G. Deffenbaugh and David L. Dungan, “The Bible and Ecology,” in The International Bible Commentary , ed. William R. Farmer (Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 1998), 315.

When citing an introduction, a preface, a foreword, or an afterword, write the name of the author(s) of the piece you are citing. Then give the name of the part being cited, which should not be italicized or enclosed in quotation marks; in italics, provide the name of the work and the page range. Finish the citation with the details of publication.

Shepard, Paul. Introduction to Nature and Madness, 24-41. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1998.

1. Paul Shepard, introduction to Nature and Madness  (Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1998), 35.

If the writer of the piece is different from the author of the complete work, then start the citation with the author of the introduction or foreword, and write the full name of the principal work's author after the title of the work. 

Sacks, Oliver. Foreword to A Man without Words, by Susan Schaller, 9-12. 2nd ed. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2012.

1. Oliver Sacks, foreword to A Man Without Words , by Susan Schaller, 2nd ed. (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2012), 10.

For reference books that provide content in alphabetical order, in the footnote, use s.v. (Latin for “ sub verbo ) before the title of the entry that you are citing. (If you are citing more than one title, use the plural form, s.vv. ). Publisher information does not need to be included in the footnote.

Print Reference Book:

Camelot, P. T. "Ephesus." In The New Catholic Encyclopedia , edited by William J. McDonald, vol. 5, 457-458. New York: McGraw Hill, 1967.

1. The New Catholic Encyclopedia , s.v. “Ephesus.”

Online Reference Book:

Include a publication date or last updated date if available; otherwise, include an access date.

Hunt, M. J. "Red Sea." In The New Catholic Encyclopedia,  2nd ed., vol. 11, 962-963. Detroit, MI: Gale, 2003. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3407709364/GVRL?u=port18814&sid=GVRL&xid=c11723f0.

1. The New Catholic Encyclopedia , s.v. “Red Sea,” https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3407709364/GVRL?u=port18814&sid=GVRL&xid=c11723f0.

• << Previous: Magazine/Newspaper Articles
• Next: Government & Legal Documents >>
• Last Updated: Sep 5, 2024 3:20 PM
• URL: https://libguides.up.edu/chicago

Purdue Online Writing Lab Purdue OWL® College of Liberal Arts

General Format

Welcome to the Purdue OWL

This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice.

Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.

Since The Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS) is primarily intended as a style guide for published works rather than class papers, these guidelines will be supplemented with information from, Kate L. Turabian’s Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations (8th ed.), which is largely based on CMOS with some slight alterations.

To see a side-by-side comparison of the three most widely used citation styles, including a chart of all CMOS citation guidelines, see the Citation Style Chart.

Please use the example at the bottom of this page to cite the Purdue OWL in CMOS.

A Note on Citations

Unlike many citation styles, CMOS gives writers two different methods for documenting sources: the Author-Date System and the Notes-Bibliography (NB) System.  As its name suggests, Author-Date uses parenthetical citations in the text to reference the source's author's last name and the year of publication. Each parenthetical citation corresponds to an entry on a References page that concludes the document. In these regards, Author-Date is very similar to, for instance, APA style.

By contrast, NB uses numbered footnotes in the text to direct the reader to a shortened citation at the bottom of the page. This corresponds to a fuller citation on a Bibliography page that concludes the document. Though the general principles of citation are the same here, the citations themselves are formatted differently from the way they appear in Author-Date.

If you are using CMOS for school or work, don't forget to ensure that you're using your organization's preferred citation method. For examples of these two different styles in action, see our CMOS sample papers:

Author-Date Sample Paper

NB Sample Paper

General CMOS Guidelines

• Text should be consistently double-spaced, except for block quotations, notes, bibliography entries, table titles, and figure captions.
• A prose quotation of five or more lines, or more than 100 words, should be blocked.
• CMOS recommends blocking two or more lines of poetry.
• A blocked quotation does not get enclosed in quotation marks.
• A blocked quotation must always begin a new line.
• Blocked quotations should be indented with the word processor’s indention tool.
• Page numbers begin in the header of the first page of text with Arabic number 1.
• For CMOS and Turabian’s recommendations, see “Headings,” below.

Supplemental Turabian Style Guidelines

• Margins should be set at no less than 1”.
• Typeface should be something readable, such as Times New Roman or Courier.
• Font size should be no less than 10 pt. (preferably, 12 pt.).

Major Paper Sections

• The title should be centered a third of the way down the page.
• Your name, class information, and the date should follow several lines later.
• For subtitles, end the title line with a colon and place the subtitle on the line below the title.
• Double-space each line of the title page.

CMOS Title Page

• Different practices apply for theses and dissertations (see Kate L. Turabian’s A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, ad Dissertations [8 th ed.].
• Titles mentioned in the text, notes, or bibliography are capitalized “headline-style,” meaning first words of titles and subtitles and any important words thereafter should be capitalized.
• Book and periodical titles (titles of larger works) should be italicized.
• Article and chapter titles (titles of shorter works) should be enclosed in double quotation marks.
• The titles of most poems should be enclosed in double quotation marks, but the titles of very long poems should be italicized.
• Titles of plays should be italicized.
• For example, use lowercase terms to describe periods, except in the case of proper nouns (e.g., “the colonial period,” vs. “the Victorian era”).
• A prose quotation of five or more lines should be “blocked.” The block quotation should match the surrounding text, and it takes no quotation marks. To offset the block quote from surrounding text, indent the entire quotation using the word processor’s indentation tool. It is also possible to offset the block quotation by using a different or smaller font than the surrounding text.
• Label the first page of your back matter, your comprehensive list of sources, “Bibliography” (for Notes and Bibliography style) or “References” (for Author-Date style).
• Leave two blank lines between “Bibliography” or “References” and your first entry.
• Leave one blank line between remaining entries.
• List entries in letter-by-letter alphabetical order according to the first word in each entry, be that the author's name or the title of the piece..
• For two to three authors, write out all names.
• For four to ten authors, write out all names in the bibliography but only the first author’s name plus “et al.” in notes and parenthetical citations.
• When a source has no identifiable author, cite it by its title, both on the references page and in shortened form (up to four keywords from that title) in parenthetical citations throughout the text.
• Write out publishers’ names in full.
• Do not use access dates unless publication dates are unavailable.
• If you cannot ascertain the publication date of a printed work, use the abbreviation “n.d.”
• Provide DOIs instead of URLs whenever possible.
• If no DOI is available, provide a URL.
• If you cannot name a specific page number when called for, you have other options: section (sec.), equation (eq.), volume (vol.), or note (n.).

CMOS Bibliography Page

• Note numbers should begin with “1” and follow consecutively throughout a given paper.
• Note numbers are superscripted.
• Note numbers should be placed at the end of the clause or sentence to which they refer and should be placed after all punctuation, except for the dash.
• Note numbers are full-sized, not raised, and followed by a period (superscripting note numbers in the notes themselves is also acceptable).
• In parenthetical citation, separate documentation from brief commentary with a semicolon.
• Do not repeat the hundreds digit in a page range if it does not change from the beginning to the end of the range.

For more information on footnotes, please see CMOS NB Sample Paper .

While  The Chicago Manual of Style does not include a prescribed system for formatting headings and subheads, it makes several recommendations.

• Maintain consistency and parallel structure in headings and subheads.
• Use headline-style for purposes of capitalization.
• Subheadings should begin on a new line.
• Subheadings can be distinguished by font-size.
• Ensure that each level of hierarchy is clear and consistent.
• Levels of subheads can be differentiated by type style, use of boldface or italics, and placement on the page, usually either centered or flush left.
• Use no more than three levels of hierarchy.
• Avoid ending subheadings with periods.

Turabian has an optional system of five heading levels.

Turabian Subheading Plan

Here is an example of the five-level heading system:

CMOS Headings

Tables and Figures

• Position tables and figures as soon as possible after they are first referenced. If necessary, present them after the paragraph in which they are described.
• For figures, include a caption, or short explanation of the figure or illustration, directly after the figure number.
• Cite a source as you would for parenthetical citation, and include full information in an entry on your Bibliography or References page.
• Acknowledge reproduced or adapted sources appropriately (i.e., photo by; data adapted from; map by...).
• If a table includes data not acquired by the author of the text, include an unnumbered footnote. Introduce the note by the word Source(s) followed by a colon, then include the full source information, and end the note with a period.

How to Cite the Purdue OWL in CMOS

On the new OWL site, contributors’ names and the last edited date are no longer listed at the top of every page. This means that most citations will now begin with the title of the resource, rather than the contributors' names.

Footnote or Endnote (N):

Corresponding Bibliographical Entry (B):

“Title of Resource.” List the OWL as Publishing Organization/Web Site Name . http://Web address for OWL resource.

“General Format.” The Purdue OWL. https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/717/02/.

Author Date In-text Citation:

("General Format" 2017).

Author Date References Page Citation:

Year of Publication. “Title of Resource.” List the OWL as Publishing Organization/Web Site Name . http://Web address for OWL resource.

2017. “General Format.” The Purdue OWL . https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/717/02.

Home / Guides / Citation Guides / Chicago Style / Chicago Style Book Citation

How to Cite a Book in Chicago/Turabian

Book citations in Chicago style contain the author name, book title, publication city, publisher, and publication year. This guide will show you how to create a citation for a book in notes-bibliography style using the 17th edition of the Chicago Manual of Style .

Guide Overview

• Citing a book in print
• Citing an edited book
• Citing a translated book
• Citing an edition other than the first edition
• Citing a multivolume book
• Citing an audiobook
• Citing a book with multiple authors
• Citing a book with no author
• What you need

For more information on citing books in Chicago style, see these guides on how to cite a chapter , how to cite an e-book , how to cite the Bible , how to cite an encyclopedia , and how to cite a dictionary .

Citing a Book in Print

Citation structure:.

1. First name Last name, Book Title (City: Publisher, Year Published), page number.

Bibliography:

Last name, First name. Book Title . City: Publisher, Year Published.

Citation Example:

1. Henry James, The Ambassadors (Rockville, MD: Serenity Publishers, 2009), 18.

James, Henry. The Ambassadors . Rockville,  MD: Serenity Publishers, 2009.

Citing an Edited Book

1. First name Last name, ed., Book Title (City: Publisher, Year Published), page number.

Last name, First name, ed. Book Title . City: Publisher, Year Published.

1. Hideaki Suzuki, ed., Abolitions as a Global Experience (Singapore: NUS Press, 2016), 46.

Suzuki, Hideaki, ed.  Abolitions as a Global Experience . Singapore: NUS Press, 2016.

Citing a Translated Book

1. Author First name Last name, Book Title , trans. Translator First name Last name (City: Publisher, Year Published), page number.

Author Last name, First name. Book Title . Translated by Translator First name Last name. City: Publisher, Year Published.

1. Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina , trans. Rosamund Bartlett (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2017), 122.

Tolstoy, Leo.  Anna Karenina . Translated by Rosamund Bartlett. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2017.

Citing an Edition Other than the First Edition

1. First name Last name, Book Title , # ed. (City: Publisher, Year Published), page number.

Last name, First name. Book Title . # ed. City: Publisher, Year Published.

1. Emma Howard, ed., Coins of England and the United Kingdom 2020: Decimal Issues , 6th ed. (London: Spink Books, 2019), 67.

Howard, Emma, ed.  Coins of England and the United Kingdom 2020: Decimal Issues . 6th ed. London: Spink Books, 2019.

Citing a Multivolume Book

One common way to cite a multivolume work in Chicago style is to cite the specific volume within the note, and the multivolume book as a whole in the bibliography. However, if you only use one specific volume of a multivolume book, you can specify the volume in the bibliography entry as well (instead of “2 vols.” you would format this as “Vol. 2”).

1. First name Last name, Book Title (City: Publisher, Year Published), volume number:page number.

Last name, First name. Book Title . # vols. City: Publisher, Year Published.

Last name, First name. Book Title . Vol. #. City: Publisher, Year Published.

1. Edwin Curley, ed., The Collected Works of Spinoza (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2016) 2:37.

Curley, Edwin, ed.  The Collected Works of Spinoza . 2 vols. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2016.

Curley, Edwin, ed.  The Collected Works of Spinoza . Vol. 2. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2016.

Citing an Audiobook

1. First name Last name, Book Title , read by First name Last name (City: Publisher, Year Published), format, # hr., # min.

Last name, First name. Book Title. Read by First name Last name. City: Publisher, Year Published. Format, # hr., # min.

1. Greene, Robert. 48 Laws of Power . Read by Richard Poe. Prince Frederick, MD: HighBridge Audio, 2015. Audible audio ed., 23 hr., 6 min.

Greene, Robert.  48 Laws of Power . Read by Richard Poe. Prince Frederick, MD: HighBridge Audio, 2015. Audible audio ed., 23 hr., 6 min.

Citing a Book with Multiple Authors

When citing a book with multiple authors in Chicago Style, the first name in the bibliography entry should be formatted as “last name, first name” and every subsequent name should be formatted as “first name last name”. In the note, all names should follow the format “first name last name”. If there are up to three author or editor names, include all names in the note and the bibliography entry. If the book you are citing has four or more authors or editors, list up to ten names in the bibliography and only the first name followed by “et al.” in the note. If there are more than ten authors or editors (which will rarely be the case for most books), only the first seven should be included in the bibliography entry followed by the phrase “et al.” and the note should still contain just the first name followed by “et al.”.

1. First Author First name Last name et al., Book Title (City: Publisher, Year Published), page number.

First Author Last name, First name, Second Author First name Last name (continue as needed). Book Title . City: Publisher, Year Published.

1. David H. Snyder et al., Amphibians and Reptiles of Land Between the Lakes ( Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 2016), 12.

Snyder, David H., A. Floyd Scott, Edmund J. Zimmerer, and David F. Frymire.  Amphibians and Reptiles of Land Between the Lakes . Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 2016.

Citing a Book with No Author

If you need to cite a book that has no author/an unknown author, first double check that the book doesn’t instead have an editor and/or translator. If it does, follow the appropriate format listed above. If no author/editor/translator can be identified, begin the citation with the title of the book.

1. Book Title (City: Publisher, Year Published), page number.

Book Title . City: Publisher, Year Published.

1. Diary of an Oxygen Thief (self-pub., 2006), 13.

Diary of an Oxygen Thief.  Self-published, 2006.

What You Need

A citation for an book usually includes the following:

• Author name
• Volume or edition information
• City of publication
• Publisher name
• Publication year
• Page number (in note only)

Chicago Formatting Guide

Chicago Formatting

• Book Chapter
• Conference Paper
• Musical Recording

Citation Examples

• Thesis or Dissertation
• Encyclopedia
• Sheet Music
• YouTube Video

How useful was this post?

Click on a star to rate it!

We are sorry that this post was not useful for you!

Let us improve this post!

Tell us how we can improve this post?

Chicago Citation Examples

Writing Tools

Citation Generators

Other Citation Styles

Plagiarism Checker

Upload a paper to check for plagiarism against billions of sources and get advanced writing suggestions for clarity and style.

Get Started

The Chicago Manual of Style, explained

The Chicago Manual of Style is an American English style guide published by the University of Chicago Press. The Manual ’s guidelines for publishing, style and usage, and citations and indexes—known as “Chicago style” rules and recommendations—are among the most widely used in the United States, especially in academic and book publishing.

Jump to a section:

• What is The Chicago Manual of Style?

What is the history of The Chicago Manual of Style?

What is turabian style, what makes something definitively chicago style, what is a chicago-style citation is a quick reference available for chicago style, what is the difference between chicago style, ap style, mla style, and apa style in what contexts is chicago style used most often.

• How did The Chicago Manual of Style become a standard reference?

What is The Chicago Manual of Style ?

The Chicago Manual of Style is an American English style and usage guide published continuously by the University of Chicago Press since 1906. Today, it is used widely in many academic disciplines and is considered the standard for US style in book publishing.

The Chicago Manual of Style has become a staple reference for writers and editors, in part because it was one of the first style guides to be published in book form, and the only one from an academic press in North America. (Other style guides are published by professional associations.) Eventually, the Manual became a canonical work synonymous with its home institution, akin to the Oxford English Dictionary .

The Manual is now in its 17th edition, published in 2017. Sometimes referred to by its acronym, CMOS (pronounced like “sea moss”), The Chicago Manual of Style is available both in print and online , for an annual subscription fee. A free Chicago style Q&A and other resources are also available to the public on the CMOS website.

Grammar enthusiasts celebrate “Chicago style” rules, such as whether to put the title of a book in italics (Chicago style says yes, whereas AP style recommends quotation marks), or whether to use a serial comma—also known as an “Oxford” comma (Chicago style: yes; AP style: no). However, the editors at the University of Chicago Press acknowledge that rules are often context-dependent, and sometimes need to be broken. The Manual is thus also respected for its flexibility.

Opening in 1891, the University of Chicago Press was one of the original divisions of the University of Chicago (founded in 1890). The staff at the Press soon decided that maintaining a consistent, professional style would be essential to streamlining the Press’s publishing across many disciplines, and drew up an initial style sheet that was circulated to the university community.

The first iteration of the   Manual as we know it today was published in 1906 as Manual of Style: Being a Compilation of the Typographical Rules in Force at the University of Chicago Press, to Which Are Appended Specimens of Type in Use.

The Manual has been revised numerous times, including a major revision—the 12th edition in 1969—that definitively established the Manual as an industry leader on style matters. The first edition to incorporate “Chicago” in the title was the 13th edition, published in 1982; previous titles had been variations on A Manual of Style . The change reflected the way readers typically referred to the manual.

Over the years, each edition has sought to address contemporary questions from readers that have arisen via the continued evolution of language and technology. For example, the proliferation of computers—including digital publishing techniques facilitated by the internet and social media—have created a host of new style-related questions, many of which are addressed in recent editions.

Historical content adapted from The Chicago Manual of Style Online .

The term “Turabian” or “Turabian style” refers to the style guidelines that serve as a standard reference for college and graduate students writing research papers, providing an introduction to Chicago-style formatting and citation.

The guidelines were first set forth in 1937 by Kate L. Turabian—then the University of Chicago’s graduate school dissertation secretary—who wrote the pamphlet that became A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations . Now in its ninth edition, with multiple contributing writers and editors, Turabian (as it is usually known) continues to emphasize the value of strong research questions, evidence-based arguments, logical structure, and source citation.

The Turabian style guide is published by the University of Chicago Press and closely follows The Chicago Manual of Style , such that the term “Chicago/Turabian” is also used in some instances. The primary differences are the scope of the Turabian guide, which is narrower than that of CMOS , and its target audience of students. More information about the Turabian style guide and its history  is available on The Chicago Manual of Style ’s website.

When people talk about “Chicago style” rules, they are most often referring either to punctuation or source citations. In the case of punctuation, Chicago is the standard for US style in book publishing, whereas Oxford style is generally associated with British style. Some examples of a few notable differences are below:

• Chicago prefers double quotation marks (“like this”); Oxford prefers single (‘like this’).
• In Chicago style, periods and commas go inside closing quotation marks, “like this,” whereas Oxford puts them after, ‘like this’, though there are exceptions (and exceptions are generally made in British style for fiction and journalism).
• Chicago uses em dashes with no space before or after—like this. Usage at Oxford varies, but in British style many publishers prefer spaced en dashes – like this.
• Oxford style is usually associated with the “Oxford comma”—the comma before the conjunction in a series of three or more (like the one before “and” in “apples, oranges, and pears”). But this comma has also always been Chicago style. CMOS refers to it as a “serial comma.”
• On spelling, Chicago prefers the spellings at Merriam-Webster.com; Oxford follows Oxford’s dictionaries, starting with the Oxford English Dictionary .

Source citations involve the use of numbered notes and a bibliography, each styled and punctuated in a specific way, or author-date citations. Chicago’s citation style, like many of its other rules, goes back to the first edition and its focus on academic publishing. For more information about Chicago-style citations, read on.

This section was adapted from content contributed by Russell Harper, the editor of The Chicago Manual of Style’s Online Q&A.

For detailed information about Chicago-style citations and references, visit the CMOS website and Citation Quick Guide . In general, Chicago-style citations use either an author-date format or numbered notes and a bibliography.

Here is an example of an author-date citation, as it would appear in the text of an essay citing a book:

The primary cheeses used in Chicago-style pizza are mozzarella, Parmesan, and Romano (Bruno 1983, 4).

Here is a full citation for the same book, as it would appear at the end in a list of works cited:

Bruno, Pasquale, Jr. The Great Chicago-Style Pizza Cookbook . New York: McGraw-Hill, 1983.

Here is how the same book would appear as a footnote with a corresponding reference:

Sentence from essay: For best results, stick to high-quality tomatoes, and avoid adding tomato paste to your Chicago-style pizza sauce.¹

Reference at the bottom of the page or end of the text: 1. Pasquale Bruno Jr., The Great Chicago-Style Pizza Cookbook (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1983), 3.

Many English style and usage guides exist, and many organizations have their own in-house guides. Some guides are specific to particular fields like law, whereas others have more general applications.

There are many guides in publishing, media, and academia, but four predominate. These are the Associated Press Stylebook (AP style), The Chicago Manual of Style (Chicago style), the Modern Language Association’s MLA Handbook (MLA style), and the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA style). AP style is the standard in journalism, while MLA style is popular in classroom instruction and in some academic disciplines. APA style is often used in the social sciences and related academic fields.

Chicago style is comprehensive, and can address most questions relevant to writing, editing, and publishing in any discipline. Intended originally as a guide for publishers of academic books and journals, it is especially popular in the humanities and social sciences. Chicago style is also used widely by students and by publishers of novels and trade books.

Here is an example of the differences between Chicago style and AP style on common questions, such as styling titles in italics or quotations marks, the use of serial or “Oxford” commas, and possessive nouns ending in the letter “s”:

Chicago style: After Harry Styles’s tour in support of his album Fine Line stopped at the United Center, the pop star made sure to pick up some Chicago-style pizza, hot dogs, and popcorn.

AP style: After Harry Styles’ tour in support of his album “Fine Line” stopped at the United Center, the pop star made sure to pick up some Chicago-style pizza, hot dogs and popcorn.

Though either guide’s recommendations might seem prescriptive, English is a fraught language, with many potential gray areas. The editors at the University of Chicago Press (like those at AP) have sought to establish clarity and consistency while at the same time remaining flexible and cognizant of the fact that context may call for individual discretion on style matters.

How did  The Chicago Manual of Style become a standard reference?

The Chicago Manual of Style became a standard reference in part because of its early publication date at a time when university press publishing in the United States was just getting off the ground. Today, the University of Chicago Press is considered the largest academic press in the United States. It is also one of the oldest continuously publishing presses, according to the Association of American University Presses , with Johns Hopkins University Press (founded in 1878) being the oldest.

The University of Chicago Press quickly began to establish itself as a leading American university press, publishing the first edition of the Manual in 1906, before some competing presses, like those at Yale University (1908) and Harvard University (1913), had even been established.

In the United Kingdom, however, Oxford University Press began publishing its own style guide, originally titled Rules for Compositors and Readers at the University Press, Oxford , in 1904 (two years before Chicago). Known informally as “Hart’s Rules,” after the original author, Horace Hart, the Oxford style guide continues to be published today, with the most recent edition titled New Oxford Style Manual (2016).

Oxford University Press and other presses such as Cambridge University Press are older than any North American university press. Oxford traces the founding of its press to the 16th century (as does Cambridge). However, both the University of Chicago and the University of Oxford made their style guides available to the public before competitors early in the 20th century, which helped ensure their influence since then.

University of Chicago faculty, students, and staff can access The Chicago Manual of Style Online from the Library home page .

Editor’s Note: UChicago News follows journalistic convention, meaning that most of our coverage is published in AP style. However, an exception has been made for this piece, which is published in Chicago style in keeping with its subject matter.

Recommended Stories

An editor takes the fear out of The Chicago Manual of Style

Chicago Manual of Style reflects changes in social media, new…

Related Topics

Latest news, big brains podcast: why are more women saying no to having kids.

UChicago President Paul Alivisatos accepts 2024 Kavli Prize in Nanoscience

Particle physics

Fermilab short-baseline detector detects its first neutrinos

Biochemistry

New research suggests rainwater could have helped form the first protocell walls

Go 'Inside the Lab' at UChicago

Explore labs through videos and Q&As with UChicago faculty, staff and students

Robyn Schiff’s epic poem ‘Information Desk’ draws critical acclaim

Materials science

UChicago scientists discover new material for optically-controlled magnetic memory

Around uchicago.

Dispatches from Abroad

At Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics, UChicago student unravels the mysteries of galaxies

Artificial Intelligence

NSF awards $20 million to build AI models that predict scientific discoveries a…

New chicago booth course empowers student entrepreneurs to tackle global issues.

Campus News

Project to improve accessibility, sustainability of Main Quadrangles

2024 DNC, RNC

An ‘unparalleled experience’: UChicago students at the Democratic, Republican conventions

The Olympics

Living their Olympic dreams: UChicago alumni relish moments on world stage

Meet A UChicagoan

“The trouble comes from using these immortal materials for disposable products.”

Obama Foundation

University of Chicago Obama Foundation Scholars Program includes 18 emerging leaders for 2024-25

Chicago Citation Style (17th Edition): Chapter or Article in a Multi-Author Book

• General Guidelines
• One Author or Editor
• Two or Three Authors or Editors
• More Than Three Authors or Editors
• Chapter or Article in a Multi-Author Book
• Chapter or Article in a Multi-Volume Work
• Organization as Author
• Reference Book
• Edition Other than the First
• Basic Journal Article
• Journal Article from an Online Periodical
• Journal Article from Database
• Magazine Article
• Magazine Article from an Online Magazine
• Newspaper Article
• Newspaper Article from an Online Newspaper
• Basic Web Page
• Government Publication
• Motion Picture (Video Recording)
• Online Multimedia
• Image from an Electronic Source
• Published Photograph
• Interviews & Personal Communications
• Pamphlets, Brochures, and Reports
• Scriptural References
• Secondary Sources
• Government Publications
• Ask for Help

Chapter or Article in a Multi-Author Book (p. 708)

General Format 

1. Author First Name Surname, "Title of Chapter or Article," in  Book Title: Subtitle , ed. Editor First Name/Initial Surname (Place of Publication: Publisher, Year), page #.

Concise Note:  

2. Author Surname, "Title of Chapter or Article," page #.

Bibliography:

Author Surname, First Name. "Title of Chapter or Article." In  Book Title: Subtitle, edited by Editor First Name Surname,       page range of article/chapter. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year.

1. Noel Starblanket, "An Aboriginal Perspective on the Creation of the Star Blanket First Nation's Reserves," in  Urban Indian Reserves: Forging New Relationships in Saskatchewan , ed. F. L. Barron and J. Garcia (Saskatoon, SK: Purich Publishing, 1999), 240.  

Concise Note:

2. Starblanket, "Aboriginal Perspective," 240.

Starblanket, Noel. "An Aboriginal Perspective on the Creation of the Star Blanket First Nation's Reserves."      In  Urban Indian Reserves: Forging New Relationships in Saskatchewan, edited by F. L. Barron and J. Garcia,      231-242. Saskatoon, SK: Purich Publishing, 1999.

Formatting of papers in Chicago Style:

Citations and bibliographies in Chicago Style:

About Citing Books

This guide is intended to cover only the Notes and Bibliography system for citing books.

For each type of source in this guide, both the general form and a specific example will be provided.

The following format will be used:

Full Note  - use the first time that you cite a source. Concise Note  - use after the first time you cite a source. Bibliography  - use when you are compiling the Bibliography that appears at the end of your paper.

Information on citing and several of the examples were drawn from  The Chicago Manual of Style (17th ed.) . 

Numbers in parentheses refer to specific pages in the manual.

• << Previous: More Than Three Authors or Editors
• Next: Chapter or Article in a Multi-Volume Work >>
• Last Updated: Jul 12, 2024 4:49 PM
• URL: https://libguides.westsoundacademy.org/chicago-citation

• Free Tools for Students
• Chicago Citation Generator

Free Chicago Citation Generator

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.

Chicago (17th ed.) Style Guide: Book(s) in a Multivolume Set

• Book (1 author)
• Book (2 authors)
• Book (3 authors)
• Book (4 to 10 authors)
• Book (1 editor)
• Book (2 editors)
• Book (3 editors)
• Book (4 to 10 editors)
• Book Part (1 author, no editor)
• Book Part (2 authors, no editor)
• Book Part (3 authors, no editor)
• Book Part (4 to 10 authors, no editor)
• Book Part (1 author, 1 editor)
• Book Part (1 author, 2 editors)
• Book Part (1 author, 3 editors)
• Book Part (1 author, 4 to 10 editors)
• Book Part (2 to 10 authors, 1 to 10 editors)
• Book (1 to 10 translators)
• Book Intro, Preface, Afterword
• Book in a New Edition
• Book(s) in a Multivolume Set
• Journal Article (1 author)
• Journal Article (2 authors)
• Journal Article (3 authors)
• Journal Article (4 to 10 authors)
• Magazine Article (1 author)
• Magazine Article (2 authors)
• Magazine Article (3 authors)
• Newspaper Article (anonymous author)
• Newspaper Article (1 author)
• Newspaper Article (2 authors)
• Newspaper Article (3 authors)
• Streaming Videos
• Page Number Ranges
• Bibliography
• Help with Chicago Style

NOTES ENTRY — Book(s) in a Multivolume Set

     USED FOR:

• Citing a full multivolume book set, an individual volume in a multivolume set, or part of an individual volume in a book set.

     GUIDANCE:

With a notes entry for a full book set, indicate the total number of volumes before the city of publication.

With a notes entry for an individual volume, indicate the volume number before the city of publication. (See example 3 below.) But if each volume in the set begins with page 1, place the volume number instead with the page number(s). (See example 2 below.)

If the individual volumes of the book set each have a separate title, you can use either the individual volume's title or the book set's title. If you use the individual volume's title, then in the bibliographic citation you need to also identify the title of the book set. (See examples 4 and 8 below and their companion bibliography entries at the bottom of the page.)

With a notes entry for a part of an individual volume (chapter, essay), indicate the total number of volumes before the city of publication. (See example 7 below.) If each volume in the set begins with page 1, place the volume number instead with the page number(s).

    EXAMPLES:

• Carl Sandburg, Abraham Lincoln: The War Years , 4 vols. (New York: Harcourt, Brace, 1939). [authored multivolume set; no page(s) cited]
• Antonio Rosmini,  A New Essay Concerning the Origin of Ideas , trans. Robert A. Murphy (Durham, UK: Rosmini House, 2001), 3:183.  [authored and translated book in a multivolume set; each volume begins with page 1]
• A. Russell Buchanan, The United States and World War II , vol. 2 (New York: Harper and Row, 1964), 519-20. [authored book in a multivolume set; this volume continues the page numbering begun in volume 1]
• John E. Steinmueller, Special Introduction to the Old Testament , rev. ed. (New York: Joseph F. Wagner, 1969), 2:220-21.  [authored book in a revised edition of a multivolume set; each volume begins with page 1]
• Jeffrey Jensen Arnett, ed., Encyclopedia of Children, Adolescents, and the Media , vol. 2 (Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2007), 600-601. [edited book in a multivolume set; this volume continues the page numbering begun in volume 1]
• Terry Mizrahi and Larry E. Davis, eds., Encyclopedia of Social Work , 20th ed. (Washington, DC: NASW Press; New York: Oxford University Press, 2008), 3:477.  [edited book in a new edition of a multivolume set; each volume begins with page 1]
• R. L. Prentice and J. D. Kalbflesch, "Survival Analysis: Overview," in  International Encyclopedia of the Social and Behavioral Sciences , ed. Neil J. Smelser and Paul B. Baltes, vol. 22 (Amsterdam: Elsevier, 2001), 15323.  [article in an edited book in a multivolume set; this volume continues the page numbering from the previous volumes]
• Elizabeth Endicott-West, "The Yuan Government and Society," in  The Cambridge History of China , ed. Herbert Franke and Denis Twitchett (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994), 6:587-88. [chapter in an edited book in a multivolume set; each volume begins with page 1]

SHORTENED NOTES ENTRY (REPEATED SOURCES) —  Book(s) in a Multivolume Set

     E XAMPLES:

• Sandburg, Abraham Lincoln . [no page(s) cited]
• Rosmini, Origin of Ideas , 3:189.
• Buchanan, United States , 530-31
• Steinmueller, Old Testament , 2:140-41.
• Arnett, Encyclopedia of Children , 601-2.
• Mizrahi and Davis, Encyclopedia of Social Work , 3:476.
• Prentice and Kalbflesch, "Survival Analysis," 15324.
• Endicott-West, "Yuan Government," 6:588-89.

BIBLIOGRAPHY ENTRY —  Book(s) in a Multivolume Set

If an individual volume's title is being used, the citation also needs to include the title of the book set. (See the fourth and eighth examples below and their companion notes entries at the top of the page.)

    E XAMPLES:

Sandburg, Carl.  Abraham Lincoln: The War Years . 4 vols. New York: Harcourt, Brace, 1939.  [authored multivolume set]

Rosmini, Antonio.  A New Essay Concerning the Origin of Ideas . Translated by Robert A. Murphy. Vol. 3. Durham, UK: Rosmini House, 2001. [authored and translated book in a multivolume set]

Buchanan, A. Russell. The United States and World War II . Vol. 2. New York: Harper and Row, 1964. [authored book in a multivolume set]

Steinmueller, John E. Special Introduction to the Old Testament . Rev. ed. Vol. 2 of  A Companion to Scripture Studies . New York: Joseph F. Wagner, 1969. [authored book in a revised edition of a multivolume set; each volume has its own title]

Arnett, Jeffrey Jensen, ed.  Encyclopedia of Children, Adolescents, and the Media . Vol. 2. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2007.  [edited book in a multivolume set]

Mizrahi, Terry, and Larry E. Davis, eds.  Encyclopedia of Social Work . 20th ed. Vol. 3. Washington, DC: NASW Press; New York: Oxford University Press, 2008. [edited book in a new edition of a multivolume set]

Prentice, R. L.,  and J. D. Kalbflesch. "Survival Analysis: Overview." In International Encyclopedia of the Social and Behavioral Sciences , edited by Neil J. Smelser and Paul B. Baltes, 15318-25. Vol. 22. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 2001.  [article in an edited book in a multivolume set]

Endicott-West, Elizabeth. "The Yuan Government and Society." In Alien Regimes and Border States, 907-1368 , edited by Herbert Franke and Denis Twitchett, 587-615. Vol. 6 of  The Cambridge History of China . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994. [chapter in an edited book in a multivolume set; each volume has its own title]

• << Previous: Book in a New Edition
• Next: E-Books >>
• Last Updated: Sep 9, 2024 1:56 PM
• URL: https://libraryguides.ursuline.edu/chicago

• Plagiarism and grammar
• Citation guides

Chicago Citation Generator

Don't let plagiarism errors spoil your paper, the ultimate guide to citing anything in chicago style, everything you ever needed to know about citing sources from the chicago manual of style, the basics of citing in chicago style.

The Chicago Manual of Style, currently in its 16th edition, was created to help researchers properly cite their sources. There are two types of referencing styles in Chicago: 1) Notes and Bibliography and 2) Author-Date.

This guide displays the Notes and Bibliography style of referencing and is not associated with the official publishers of the style.

Need help with other styles? Our thorough MLA format and APA format guides are available for all of your writing and citing needs!

Creating a Bibliography in Chicago Style

The bibliography is a list of all the sources used in the paper. The list includes the important publication details of the sources. The bibliography must also follow this format:

• The citation list or bibliography must be single spaced.
• The last names of the authors must be arranged alphabetically.
• The second line of the source must be indented.

Examples of Citing Different Sources in Chicago Style

Generally, Chicago citations require:

• Title of book/article
• Title of newspaper/journal
• Publication year
• Publication month and date
• City of publication
• Date of access
• Page numbers
• URL or Name of Database

How to Create Footnotes and Endnotes for Chicago Style

If you’re wondering how to format Chicago in-text citations, Notes and Bibliography formatting requires writers to use footnotes and endnotes. These footnotes and endnotes acknowledge the different sources used in the work.

When a source is used in a research paper, a roman numeral is placed at the end of the borrowed information as superscript (it is smaller than the normal line of text and raised). That number correlates with a footnote or endnote.

• Footnotes are found at the bottom of the page
• Endnotes are added at the end of the chapter or project
• A footnote or endnote contains the complete citation information
• The matching number in the footnote or endnote is normal sized and not raised
• It is up to the discretion of the writer to either place the citation at the bottom of the page where the superscript is placed (a footnote) or to place all citations together at the end of the work (endnotes)

One would wonder, "Would young Einstein be characterized as belonging somewhere on the autism spectrum? Would Erdos have been given a diagnosis of A.D.H.D.?" ¹

Chicago style footnotes are placed at the bottom of the page:

• Silver, Nate. "Beautiful Minds." The New York Times. July 13, 2013. Accessed August 04, 2015. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/14/books/review/the-boy-who-loved-math-and-on-a-beam-of-light.html?ref=books&_r=0 .

If a source is used more than once in a research project, follow these guidelines:

• When used again, instead of writing out the complete citation for a second time in the footnote, only include: the author’s last name, the title or a phrase for the title (if it’s more than four words), and the page number(s) that were used. This will reduce the bulk of citation information in the paper.
• Cohen, Micah, "Rubio is Losing Support Among Republican Voters." FiveThirtyEight. July 09, 2013. Accessed August 04, 2015. http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/rubio-is-losing-support-among-republican-voters/
• Wolf, Leon H. "Marco Rubio's Campaign Must Adapt or Die." RedState. August 04, 2015. Accessed August 04, 2015. http://www.redstate.com/2015/08/04/marco-rubios-campaign-must-adapt-die/ .
• Cohen, "Rubio Losing Support"

If a source is used consecutively, follow these guidelines for shortened citation and ibid :

If you are citing the same source continually throughout your text, use a shortened version of the full citation in your footnotes.

Previous versions of the style used the abbreviation “ibid,” short for “ibidem.” Ibidem is a Latin word that means “in the same place.” It was used when referring to a source that was just cited within a document (without other sources in between). Writers would use ibid instead of writing out the source information again. This was meant to save space since it’s fewer characters than citing the source again.

In the current version of Chicago, the 17th version, ibid is accepted but not preferred. This is because ibid requires readers to go back and search for the previous source cited, an inconvenience which outweighs the benefits of shortening the citation. Also, shortened citations are compact, so using ibid doesn’t always save line space.

Shortened citations

The first mention of a source should include all relevant information (e.g., full author name(s), full title, publisher, date published, etc.).

Subsequent mentions should be a shortened version using this formula:

Last Name, Title of the Work , page number(s).

Mentions after the shortened form can use the abbreviated formula:

Last Name, page number(s).

If there are two or three authors, list their full names in the order they appear in the source. If there are more than three authors, list the first author’s name followed by “et al.”

Examples of using shortened citations (preferred format in the 17th Edition):

• Philip R. Cateora et al., International Marketing (New York: McGraw Hill, 2020), 292-294.
• Cateora et al., International Marketing , 28-29.
• Cateora et al., 28-29.
• Cateora et al., 377.

Long titles that are more than four words are usually shortened. Focus on keeping key words from the title and omitting any beginning “a” or “the.” Examples:

• And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street = Mulberry Street
• Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe = Fried Green Tomatoes

If you are using the discontinued ibid notation, here are a few guidelines:

• When the same source is used consecutively, instead of typing in the citation information again, use the abbreviation “ibid.” Add the page numbers immediately following.
• If the same source AND same page number are used consecutively, simply write “Ibid.”

Same example above, but using ibid:

• Philip R. Cateora et al, International Marketing (New York: McGraw Hill, 2020), 292-294.

Another example with two sources that were mentioned earlier in the text:

• Anthony Doerr, All the Light We Cannot See (New York: Scribner, 2014), 82-84.
• Tatiana de Rosnay, Sarah's Key (New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2007), 24-27.
• Ibid., 133-134.
• Doerr, All the Light We Cannot See , 397-401.
• Ibid., 405.
• Ibid., 411.

For further clarification on the Chicago in-text citation style of footnotes and endnotes, consult the Chicago Manual of Style's website . This site is full of helpful pages, so if you’re tempted to head to Google to type in, “in-text citations Chicago,” take a peek at the official site first.

Creating Your Citations in Chicago Style

As mentioned, when you're following The Chicago Manual of Style, you'll be required to create a list of all sources used in your paper. Even though full bibliographic information can be found in the footnotes and endnotes, it is still acceptable, and often required by instructors, to create a bibliography. The bibliography is placed at the end of an assignment.

How to Cite a Print Book in Chicago Style

In the footnotes and endnotes:

First name Last name, Title of Book (Publication Place: Publisher, Year), page range.

In the bibliography:

Last name, First name. Title of book . Publication Place: Publisher, Year.

Example of Chicago Style for Books with One Author

Sam Staggs, Born to Be Hurt: The Untold Story of Imitation of Life (New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2009), 84.

Staggs, Sam. Born to Be Hurt: The Untold Story of Imitation of Life. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2009.

Don’t forget, Citation Machine allows you to generate Chicago citations for books quickly and accurately.

Example of Chicago Citation for Books with Multiple Authors

Ella Shohat and Robert Stam, Unthinking Eurocentrism: Multiculturalism and the Media (London: Routledge,1994) 24-28.

Shohat, Ella, and Robert Stam. Unthinking Eurocentrism: Multiculturalism and the Media . London: Routledge, 1994.

How to Cite Chapters or Articles from a Book in Chicago Style

First name, Last name of Chapter Author, “Chapter or Article Title,” in Book Title , ed. First Name Last Name of Editor (Publication Place: Publisher, Year), page range.

Last name, First name. "Chapter Title." In Book Title , edited by First Name Last Name, page range. Publication Place: Publisher, Year.

Looking for a simple and easy-to-use Chicago citation maker? Head to our homepage and start building your Chicago format references with ease!

Example of Chicago Citation for Chapters in a Book

Laura Aymerich-Franch and Maddalena Fedele, "Student's Privacy Concerns on the Use of Social Media in Higher Education," in Cutting-Edge Technologies and Social Media Use in Higher Education, ed. Vledlena Benson and Stephanie Morgan (Hershey, PA: Information Science Reference, 2014), 35-36.

Aymerich-Franch, Laura, and Maddalena Fedele. "Student's Privacy Concerns on the Use of Social Media in Higher Education." In Cutting-Edge Technologies and Social Media Use in Higher Education, edited by Vledlena Benson and Stephanie Morgan, 35-36. Hershey, PA: Information Science Reference, 2014.

How to Cite Online E-books in Chicago Style

When citing e-books, include the URL or the name of the database. The URL or database name should be the last part of the citation.

First name Last name, Title of e-book (Place of Publication: Publisher, Year), page range, URL, Database Name.

Last name, First name. Title of Book. Publication Place: Publisher, Year. URL, Name of Database.

Example of Chicago Citation for E-Books

Michael J. Baker, The Marketing Book (Burlington, MA: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2002), 89, https://htbiblio.yolasite.com/resources/Marketing%20Book.pdf .

Baker, Michael J. The Marketing Book. Burlington, MA: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2002. https://htbiblio.yolasite.com/resources/Marketing%20Book.pdf .

If you understand how to structure your references easily, thanks to this thorough guide, and are looking for help with the written portion of your paper, look no further! There are tons of Citation Machine grammar guides to help you write with ease. Here’s just one of our many useful pages: Positive & Negative Adjectives .

How to Cite E-books in Chicago Style E-books from a Kindle or E-book Reader

If there aren’t any clearly labeled page numbers, use chapter numbers or titles, section numbers or titles, or any other established numbering system in the text. It’s also acceptable to omit page information from Chicago style citations if there aren’t clearly labeled page numbers.

First name Last name, Title of the Book (Place of Publication: Publisher, Year), page range, Type of E-reader

Last name, First name. Title of book . Publication Place: Publisher, Year. Type of e-reader.

Example of Chicago Citation for Kindle or E-book Reader

Corina Bomann, The Moonlight Garden (Washington: AmazonCrossing, 2016), chap. 8, Kindle.

Bomann, Corina. The Moonlight Garden . Washington: AmazonCrossing, 2016. Kindle.

How to Cite Print Journals in Chicago Style

First name Last name, "Title of Article," Journal Title Volume Number, No. of issue (Year): Page range.

Chicago style citation in the bibliography:

Last name, First name. "Title of Article," Journal Title Volume Number, No. of issue (Year): Page range.

Example of Chicago Citation for Print Journals

Damien O'Brien and Brian Fitzgerald, "Digital Copyright Law in a YouTube World," Internet Law Bulletin 9, no. 6 (2007): 71-74.

O'Brien, Damien, and Brian Fitzgerald, "Digital Copyright Law in a YouTube World." Internet Law Bulletin 9, no. 6 (2007): 71-74.

If you’re come this far and you’re still searching for in-text citation Chicago information, remember, this style uses footnotes and endnotes! Scroll up to find out more!

How to Cite Online or Database Journals in Chicago Style

First name Last name, "Article Title," Journal Title Volume Number, Issue No.(Year): Page range. URL or Name of Database.

Last name, First name. "Article Title." Journal Title Volume Number, Issue No. (Year): Page range. URL or Name of Database.

Example of Chicago Citation for Online or Database Journals

Trine Schreiber, "Conceptualizing Students’ Written Assignments in the Context of Information Literacy and Schatzki’s Practice Theory," Journal of Documentation 70, no. 3 (2014): 346-363. https://doi.org/10.1108/JD-01-2013-0002 .

Schreiber, Trine. "Conceptualizing Students’ Written Assignments in the Context of Information Literacy and Schatzki’s Practice Theory." Journal of Documentation 70, no. 3 (2014): 346-363. https://doi.org/10.1108/JD-01-2013-0002 .

Our Citation Machine Chicago citation generator helps you create your references in just a few clicks. Give it a whirl and watch the magic unfold!

How to Cite Print Magazines in Chicago Style

First name Last name, "Article Title," Magazine Title, Full Date, page range.

Last name, First name. "Article Title." Magazine Title, Full Date.

Example of Chicago Citation for Print Magazines

George J. Church, "Sunny Mood at Midsummer: Americans Take a Brighter View of Reagan," _Time, July 18, 1983, 56-59.

Church, George J. "Sunny Mood at Midsummer: Americans Take a Brighter View of Reagan" Time, July 18, 1983.

How to Cite Online Magazines in Chicago Style

First name, Last name, "Article Title," Title of Magazine, Full Date, URL.

Chicago style bibliography structure:

Last name, First name. "Article Title" Magazine Title, Full Date, URL.

Example of Chicago Citation for Online Magazines

Bill Donahue. “King of the Mountains,” Backpacker, September/October 2019, 76-82, http://backpacker.eoncontent.ebscohost.com/2226647#&pageSet=39

Donahue, Bill. “King of the Mountains.” Backpacker, September/October 2019. http://backpacker.eoncontent.ebscohost.com/2226647#&pageSet=39

How to Cite a Web Page in Chicago Style

Creating a footnote, endnote, or bibliographic information for web content isn’t always necessary. It’s acceptable to simply mention the source in the written portion of the paper. For example, “The Marco Polo page on History’s website, last updated on March 6, 2019, describes his travels along the Silk Road while....” Include formal Chicago citation style references if you or your professor prefers to do so.

A bit more:

• If the website page is missing a date of publication, include the date the source was last modified or accessed in the footnote and endnote.
• If the website page is missing the name of the author, begin the footnote with the “Title of the Article or Page.”

First name Last name of Author, "Title of Article or Page," Title of Website, Date published or last modified or accessed, URL.

Last name, First name or Organization Name. "Title of Article or Page." Title of Website. Date published or last modified or accessed. URL.

Figuring out how to style web references can be tricky, but thanks to our Chicago citation machine, we’ve made the whole process much easier for you. Try it out!

Example of Chicago Citation for a Web Page

Sujan Patel, "15 Must-have Marketing Tools for 2015," Entrepreneur, January 12, 2015. http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/241570 .

Patel, Sujan. “15 Must-have Marketing Tools for 2015.” Entrepreneur. January 12, 2015. http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/241570 .

Don’t forget, Citation Machine allows you to generate Chicago citations for websites quickly and accurately.

How to Cite The Bible or Religious Texts in Chicago Style

Bible references are often displayed in the text of a paper (similar to web content) or in footnotes and endnotes. Formal bible references in bibliographies are not necessary.

Abbreviated Title of Book, Chapter:Verse (Edition).

Example of Chicago Citation for Bible

2 Cor. 11:7 (New Standard Version).

If you’re looking for other resources to help you with the written portion of your paper, we have quite a few handy grammar guides. Two of our favorites? Adjectives starting with X and List of verbs .

How to Cite Blogs in Chicago Style

*According to the 17th edition of the manual, blogs are not typically cited in bibliographies. They are generally cited in the footnotes/endnotes section. Of course, if the writer or professor prefers a full bibliographic reference, one can be created.

Style notes and bibliographic references the same way as you would an online newspaper, but include (blog) in parentheses immediately following the title of the blog.

First name Last name, "Title of Blog Post," Title of Blog (blog), Title of Larger Blog, if part of a larger one, Month Day Year of post, URL.

Last Name, First Name. "Title of the Blog." Name of Blog Site (blog). Title of Larger Blog, if part of a larger one, Month Day Year of post. URL.

Example of Chicago Citation for Blogs

Shannon Miller, "Valentine Ideas Using Digital Tools, Hands, Creativity, and a Little Love for Padlet," The Library Voice (blog), January 20, 2016, http://vanmeterlibraryvoice.blogspot.com/2016/01/valentine-ideas-using-digital-tools.html .

Miller, Shannon. "Valentine Ideas Using Digital Tools, Hands, Creativity, and a Little Love for Padlet." The Library Voice, January 20, 2016. http://vanmeterlibraryvoice.blogspot.com/2016/01/valentine-ideas-using-digital-tools.html .

Chicago style bibliographies aren’t as complicated as they seem, especially when you have a generator to do the work for you. Head to our homepage and try ours out!

How to Cite TV Broadcasts in Chicago Style

Title of Series , episode number, “Title of Episode,” directed by First Name Last Name, written by First Name Last Name, featuring First Names Last Names of actors, aired Month Day, Year, on Station Name, URL.

Last Name, First Name, dir. Title of Series . Season Number, episode number, “Title of Episode.” Aired Month Day, Year, on Station Name. URL.

Example of Chicago Citation for Broadcasts

Riverdale , episode 15, “American Dreams,” directed by Gabriel Correra, written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, featuring KJ Apa, Lili Reinhart, and Cole Sprouse, aired March 13, 2019, on CW.

Bibliography Chicago style:

Correra, Gabriel, dir. Riverdale . Season 3, episode 15, “American Dreams.” Aired March 13, 2019, on CW.

How to Cite a Case Study in Chicago Style

First name Last name. Title of Case Study. (Publication Place: Publisher, Year).

Last name, First name. Title of Case Study.

Example of Chicago Citation for Case Study

Peter Finn. Disulfiram.

Finn, Peter. Disulfiram.

How to Cite Conference Proceedings in Chicago Style

First Name Last Name, “Title of Conference Paper” (format, Title of Conference, Location, Full Date).

Last name, First name. “Title of Conference Paper.” Format presented at Title of Conference, Location, Date. URL.

Example of Chicago Citation for Conference Paper

Craig Myerson, “Historical Markings in New Castle, Delaware” (Power-Point presentation, The University of Delaware, Newark, DE, June 18, 2019.

Myerson, Craig. “Historical Markings in New Castle, Delaware.” Power-point presentation presented at The University of Delaware, Newark, DE, June 18, 2019.

How to Cite Court or Legal Cases in Chicago Style

The 17th edition of The Chicago Manual of Style recommends referring to The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation , or the ALWD Guide to Legal Citation to learn how to create court or legal references. Both guides are widely used by those in legal fields and have become the standard for referencing legal cases.

The examples below reflect the format found in The Bluebook .

Legal cases are rarely documented in bibliographies, usually only in notes.

Plaintiff v. Defendant, Court Case Number (Abbreviated Name of the Court. Year).

Example of Chicago Citation for Legal Cases

Michael Clum v. Jackson National Life Insurance Co., 10-000126-CL (Ingham Cty. 2011).

How to Cite Dictionary and Encyclopedia Entries in Chicago Style

According to The Chicago Manual of Style, 17th Edition, well-known reference books, including major dictionaries and encyclopedias, are normally cited in notes rather than bibliographies. Lesser known reference books can be cited in the bibliography.

The abbreviation "s.v." means sub verbo , which is Latin for "under the word."

Chicago style formatting in the footnotes and endnotes:

Name of dictionary or encyclopedia , Numbered ed. (Year), s.v. “term.”

If found online:

Name of dictionary or encyclopedia , s.v. "term," accessed Month Day Year, url.

Last name, First name of Author. Title of Dictionary or Encyclopedia . Numbered ed. Location of Publisher: Publisher, Year.

Example of Chicago Citation for Dictionary and Encyclopedia Entries

Encyclopedia Britannica , s.v. “pressure,” accessed September 15, 2019, https://www.britannica.com/science/pressure .

Gover, Emily. Encyclopedia of Birds . 4th ed. New York: Chegg, 2016.

How to Cite Dissertations in Chicago Style

First name Last name, "Title of Dissertation" (type of paper, school, year), url.

Last name, First name. "Title of Dissertation." Type of Paper, School, Year. URL or Database(Identification Number).

Example of Chicago Citation for Dissertations

Michele Kirschenbaum, "Young Students' Online Searching Capabilities" (master's thesis, Drexel University, 2009).

Kirschenbaum, Michele. "Young Students' Online Searching Capabilities." Master's thesis, Drexel University, 2009.

How to Cite DVDs, Video, and Film in Chicago Style

Title , directed by First Name Last name (Year; City, State Abbrev: Producer), Format.

Last Name, First Name, dir. Title . Year; City, State Abbrev: Producer, Year. Format.

Example of Chicago Citation for Film, DVDs, or Videos

_Home Lone , directed by Chris Columbus (1990; Los Angeles, CA: 20th Century Fox), DVD.

Columbus, Chris, dir. Home Alone . 1990; Los Angeles, CA: 20th Century Fox. DVD.

Don’t forget, Citation Machine allows you to generate Chicago citations for films quickly and accurately.

How to Cite Facebook Pages in Chicago Style

Title of Facebook Page, “Text of Post,” Facebook, Month Day, Year, URL.

Title of Facebook Page. “Text of Post.” Facebook, Month Day, Year. URL.

Example of Chicago Citation for Facebook Post

Awakenings, “Maceo Plex gave us goosebumps during Awakenings Festival! We can't wait to hear what he has in store during Maceo Plex x Lone Romantic | Awakenings ADE Elementenstraat on October 19:awak.enin.gs/2KMxDCH,” Facebook, September 12, 2019, https://www.facebook.com/pg/awakenings/posts/?ref=page_internal .

Awakenings. “Maceo Plex gave us goosebumps during Awakenings Festival! We can't wait to hear what he has in store during Maceo Plex x Lone Romantic | Awakenings ADE Elementenstraat on October 19:awak.enin.gs/2KMxDCH.” Facebook, September 12, 2019. https://www.facebook.com/pg/awakenings/posts/?ref=page_internal .

How to Cite Government Publications in Chicago Style

Title of Publication , prepared by Organization (City, State Abbrev, Year).

Firm/Department. Title of Publication . City, State Abbrev, Year.

Example of Chicago Citation for Government Publication

Audit of the Federal Bureau of Prisons Annual Financial Statements Fiscal Year 2014 , prepared by The Department of Justice (Washington, DC, 2014).

Department of Justice. Audit of the Federal Bureau of Prisons Annual Financial Statements Fiscal Year 2014 . Washington, DC, 2014.

How to Cite Interviews in Chicago Style

Published Interviews are treated in Chicago format style like an article in a magazine or a newspaper. Use one of those formats to cite your interview.

How to Cite an E-mail in Chicago Style

According to The Chicago Manual of Style , 17th edition, personal communications, such as letters, e-mails, text messages, and phone calls are usually referenced in the footnotes and endnotes or explained in the text of the paper. They are rarely listed in the Chicago style bibliography. In addition, an e-mail address belonging to an individual should be omitted, unless given permission by its owner.

Individual's First name Last name, type of communication, Month Day Year of correspondence.

Example of Chicago Citation for E-mail

Michele Kirschenbaum, e-mail message to author, January 18, 2016.

How to Cite Musical Recordings in Chicago Style

"Title of Song," Year of recording date, Platform, track number on Artist’s Name, Album Title, Producer, Year.

Last name, First name of performer. Title of Album. Recorded Year. Producer.

Example of Chicago Citation for Recordings

"Sucker,” Spotify, track 1, on Jonas Brothers, Happiness Begins , Republic Records, 2019.

Jonas Brothers. Happiness Begins . 2019. Republic Records.

Still wondering how to style a Chicago in-text citation? Remember, this style uses footnotes and endnotes! Head to the top of this page to learn more!

How to Cite Online Videos in Chicago Style

First name Last name of individual who posted the video, “Title of Video,” Producer, published on Month Day, Year, Site video, Length, URL.

Last name, First name. "Title of Video." Producer. Published on Month Day, Year. Site video, Length. URL.

Example of Chicago Citation for Online Videos

“Habitats Work in Texas After Hurricane Harvey,” Habitat for Habitat for Humanity, published on September 11, 2019, YouTube video, 01:35, https://youtu.be/EPPALfWYGRo .

“Habitats Works in Texas After Hurricane Harvey.” Habitat for Humanity. Published on September 11, 2019. YouTube video, 01:35. https://youtu.be/EPPALfWYGRo .

How to Cite Images in Chicago Style

First name Last name, Title of Image , Year, format, Location, State, URL.

Last Name, First Name. Title of Image . Date. Format. Location, State, URL.

Example of Chicago Citation for Photographs and Images

Jerome Liebling, May Day , New York, 1948, photograph, The Jewish Museum, New York.

Liebling, Chris. May Day , New York. 1948. Photograph. The Jewish Museum, New York.

How to Cite Live Performances in Chicago Style

Since most live performances are not retrievable by the reader, simply refer to them in the text of the paper or in the notes, and omit it from the bibliography. If it’s a recorded performance, follow the Chicago style format for musical recordings.

Title of Play , music and lyrics by First Name Last Name, dir. First Name Last name, chor. Name of Theatre, City, State Abbrev, Date of Live Performance.

Example of Chicago Citation for Live Performances

The Lion King , Julie Taymor, dir. Garth Fagan, chor. Minskoff Theatre, New York, NY, August 8, 2019.

How to Cite Podcasts in Chicago Style

When citing podcasts in Chicago Style, treat it as an article in a periodical or a chapter in a book. If found online, include the url.

How to Cite Poems in Chicago Style

When citing poems in Chicago Style, cite it as you would a chapter in a book.

How to Cite Presentations and Lectures in Chicago Style

Follow the same guidelines as in the “Conference Papers” section above.

How to Cite Sheet Music in Chicago Style

According to the Chicago Manual of Style, 17th edition, cite sheet music the same way as you cite books.

Once you’ve styled each and every reference, take a minute to run your paper through our plagiarism checker . It’s the perfect go-to resource when you’re in need of another set of eyes to scan your paper!

Updated January 8, 2020

Written and edited by Michele Kirschenbaum and Wendy Ikemoto. Michele Kirschenbaum has been an awesome school librarian since 2006 and is an expert in citing sources. Wendy Ikemoto has a master’s degree in library and information science and has been working for Citation Machine since 2012.

• Citation Machine® Plus
• Citation Guides
• Chicago Style
• Harvard Referencing
• Terms of Use
• Global Privacy Policy
• Cookie Notice
• DO NOT SELL MY INFO

Generate accurate Chicago citations for free

• Knowledge Base
• Chicago Style
• Chicago Style Format for Papers | Requirements & Examples

Chicago Style Format for Papers | Requirements & Examples

Published on September 25, 2019 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on April 9, 2024.

The information in this article is largely drawn from Turabian style —a version of Chicago style aimed at students and researchers. When writing a paper in Chicago style, these are the guidelines to follow; for the sake of simplicity, the term “Chicago” is used here.

Chicago Citation Generator

To apply Chicago format:

• Use a standard font like 12 pt. Times New Roman.
• Double-space the text.
• Use 1 inch margins or larger.
• Indent new paragraphs by ½ inch.
• Place page numbers in the top right or bottom center.

Note that any specific formatting advice from your instructor or faculty overrules these guidelines. Template documents set up in Chicago style are available to download below. Just select the one with the citation style you’re following.

Author-date Notes and bibliography

Instantly correct all language mistakes in your text

Upload your document to correct all your mistakes in minutes

Table of contents

General formatting, block quotes, numbers and acronyms, in-text citations and notes, bibliography or reference list, frequently asked questions about chicago format.

Chicago doesn’t require a specific font or font size, but recommends using something simple and readable (e.g., 12 pt. Times New Roman). Use margins of at least 1 inch on all sides of the page.

The main text should be double-spaced, and each new paragraph should begin with a ½ inch indent. Text should be left-aligned and not “justified” (meaning that the right margin should look ragged).

Page numbers can be placed either in the top right or the bottom center of the page—one or the other, not both.

Receive feedback on language, structure, and formatting

Professional editors proofread and edit your paper by focusing on:

• Academic style
• Vague sentences
• Style consistency

See an example

A Chicago title page isn’t required—often it’s sufficient to just include your title at the top of the first page—but if you’re asked to include one, Turabian provides guidelines for how to present it.

All text on the title page should be center-aligned and double-spaced, and written in the same font as the rest of your text. The title should appear about ⅓ of the way down the page, in headline capitalization and in bold.

If you have a subtitle, the main title ends with a colon and the subtitle appears on the following line, also in bold and the same size as the main title.

About ⅔ of the way down the page, add any information your instructor requests you to include—your name, student code, the course name and code, the date, etc. Each new piece of information appears on a new line.

The title page should not have a page number, but should be included in the page count—in other words, the page numbering starts on page 2.

Headings should use headline capitalization:

• Summary of results
• Summary of Results

If you use different levels of heading (e.g., chapters, sections, subheadings), make sure your presentation makes clear which type of heading each one is.

All headings of one level should be presented the same way, and higher-level headings should stand out more from the text. For example, you might use a larger font for chapter headings, bold for section headings, and italics for subheadings:

Prose quotations of five or more lines (or more than 100 words), as well as poetry quotations of two or more lines, are presented as block quotes .

Block quotes do not use quotation marks . Instead, a blank line separates them from the surrounding text on both sides and they are indented by an additional ½ inch. Unlike the rest of the text, they are not double-spaced.

Prevent plagiarism. Run a free check.

Chicago recommends using words, not numerals, for numbers lower than 100. For example, you would write “ninety-five,” not “95.” But numerals should still be used when you’re referring to a specific measurement (e.g., “15 cm”) and when using decimals (e.g., “1.5”).

Acronyms should be introduced the first time you refer to the thing they stand for:

After this point, you can use the acronym alone.

Neither numerals nor acronyms should be used at the beginning of a sentence. Either rewrite the sentence so that the numeral or acronym appears elsewhere, or write out the full phrase or number:

• 100 people responded to the survey.
• One hundred people responded to the survey.
• The survey received 100 responses.

Chicago provides guidelines for not one but two citation styles : author-date and notes and bibliography.

In author-date style , citations are placed directly in the text in parentheses . In this style, you have some flexibility about how exactly to integrate the citation:

In notes and bibliography style, citations appear in Chicago footnotes or endnotes (the format is identical either way), and the reader is referred to them by superscript numbers in the text.

Footnote and endnote numbers appear at the end of the relevant clause or sentence, after any punctuation except a dash .

Endnotes appear on their own page just before the bibliography ; footnotes appear at the bottom of each page. Footnotes should be separated from the text by a short rule and be presented in the same font size as the main text, or smaller. Word’s footnote function automatically creates footnotes like this:

At the end of your paper, you’ll likely include a bibliography (for notes and bibliography style) or a reference list (for author-date).

Bibliographies and reference lists are not double-spaced, but leave a blank line between entries.

If an entry extends onto a second line, a ½ inch indent should be applied to all but the first line of the entry.

If you have to create a Chicago style annotated bibliography , follow the same format as a normal bibliography, but indent and double-space the annotations under each source reference.

Turabian style is a version of Chicago style designed specifically for students and researchers. It follows most Chicago conventions, but also adds extra guidelines for formatting research papers , theses and dissertations .

More information can be found in A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations by Kate L. Turabian, now in its ninth edition.

• 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 .

In Chicago author-date style , your text must include a reference list . It appears at the end of your paper and gives full details of every source you cited.

In notes and bibliography style, you use Chicago style footnotes to cite sources; a bibliography is optional but recommended. If you don’t include one, be sure to use a full note for the first citation of each source.

Footnotes appear at the bottom of the relevant page.  Endnotes appear in a list at the end of the text, just before the reference list or bibliography. Don’t mix footnotes and endnotes in the same document: choose one or the other and use them consistently.

In Chicago notes and bibliography style , you can use either footnotes or endnotes, and citations follow the same format in either case.

In APA and MLA style , footnotes or endnotes are not used for citations, but they can be used to provide additional information.

Chicago format doesn’t require you to use any specific font, as long as you choose something readable. A good standard choice is 12 pt Times New Roman.

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

Caulfield, J. (2024, April 09). Chicago Style Format for Papers | Requirements & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved September 11, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/chicago-style/format-paper/

Is this article helpful?

Jack Caulfield

Other students also liked, creating a chicago style bibliography | format & examples, chicago in-text citations | styles, format & examples, chicago style footnotes | citation format & examples, what is your plagiarism score.

Chicago-Style Citation Quick Guide

Chicago-style source citations come in two varieties: (1) notes and bibliography and (2) author-date. If you already know which system to use, follow one of the links above to see sample citations for a variety of common sources. If you are unsure about which system to use, or how the two systems are related, read on.

Notes and Bibliography or Author-Date?

In the notes and bibliography system, 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 notes and bibliography system, Chicago’s oldest and most flexible, can accommodate a wide variety of sources, including unusual ones that don’t fit neatly into the author-date system. For this reason, it is preferred by many working in the humanities, including literature, history, and the arts.

In the author-date system, sources are briefly cited in the text, usually 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. Because it credits researchers by name directly in the text while at the same time emphasizing the date of each source, the author-date system is preferred by many in the sciences and social sciences.

Aside from the use of numbered notes versus parenthetical references in the text, the two systems share the same style for authors’ names, titles of works, and other cited components. Follow the links at the top of this page to see examples of some of the more common source types cited in both systems.

Most authors choose the system used by others in their field or required by their publisher. Students should check with their instructor before deciding which system to use.

For a more comprehensive overview of Chicago’s two systems of source citation, see chapter 13 of The Chicago Manual of Style . For many more examples organized by type of source, consult chapter 14 .