Chicago is a documentation syle that has been published by the Chicago University Press since 1906. This citation style incorporates rules of grammar and punctuation common in American English.
Typically, Chicago style presents two basic documentation systems:
Choosing between the two often depends on subject matter and the nature of sources cited, as each system is favored by different groups of scholars.
The notes and bibliography style is preferred by many in the humanities, including those in literature, history, and the arts. This style presents bibliographic information in notes and, often, a bibliography.
The contents of this guide include general information, guides for footnotes/endnotes, and bibliographies.
How is Chicago different from APA and MLA?
In Chicago style, superscript numbers in the text of the paper refer readers to notes with corresponding numbers either at the foot of the page (footnotes) or at the end of the paper (endnotes). A bibliography is often required and appears at the end of the paper. The bibliography is in alphabetical order by author last name and gives publication information for works cited in the notes.
General Guidelines for a Chicago-Style Paper:
General Citation Guidelines:
When indenting a citation make sure to note that a footnote/endnote is indented in the first line and the bibliography is indented in the second and subsequent lines.
After citing a source the first time, it is appropriate to use a shortened version of the citation when citing the same resource. The 17th edition discourages use of "Ibid."
Click the document below to access the Microsoft Word template for Chicago style formatting.
Professor directions for Chicago style are more important that the settings on this template. You need to make any necessary changes to match your professor's assignment.
Davidson, Hilda Ellis. Roles of the Northern Goddess. London: Routledge, 1998.
Davidson's book provides a thorough examination of the major roles filled by the numerous pagan goddesses of Northern Europe in everyday life, including their roles in hunting, agriculture, domestic arts like weaving, the household, and death. The author discusses relevant archaeological evidence, patterns of symbol and ritual, and previous research. The book includes a number of black and white photographs of relevant artifacts.
This annotation includes only one paragraph, a summary of the book. It provides a concise description of the project and the book's project and its major features.
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Print Book Note: Author First Name and Last Name, Title of Book (Publisher Location: Publisher, Date of Publication), page #. Example: 2. Brian Grazer and Charles Fishman, A Curious Mind: The Secret to a Bigger Life (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2015), 12. Bibliography: Author Last Name, Author First Name. Title of Book. Publisher Location: Publisher, Date of Publication. Example: Grazer, Brian, and Charles Fishman. A Curious Mind: The Secret to a Bigger Life. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2015. |
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Print Book With Two Authors Note: Author A First and Last Name and Author B First and Last Name, Title of Book (Publisher Location: Publisher, Date of Publication), page #. Example: 2. Geoffrey C. Ward and Ken Burns, The War: An Intimate History. 1941-1945 (New York: Knopf, 2007), 52. Bibliography: Author A Last Name, Author A First Name and Author B First Name Author B Last Name, Title of Book. Publisher Location: Publisher, Date of Publication. *Note: Only the first-listed name is inverted in bibliography entry Example: Ward, Geoffrey C., and Ken Burns. The War: An Intimate History. 1941-1945. New York: Knopf, 2007. |
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Print Book With Three Authors Note: Author A First and Last Name, Author B First and Last Name, and Author C First and Last Name, Title of Book (Publisher Location: Publisher, Date of Publication), page #. Example: John Smith, Phil Johnson, and Marcus Teller, The Book of Listings (New York: Penguin Press, 2019), 319-321. Bibliography: Author A Last Name, Author A First Name, Author B First and Last Name, and Author C First and Last Name, Title of Book. Publisher Location: Publisher, Date of Publication. *Note: Only the first-listed name is inverted in the bibliography entry Example: Smith, John, Phil Johnson, and Marcus Teller. The Book of Listings. New York: Penguin Press, 2019. |
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Print Book With Four or More Authors Note: However in the note, you cite the first author and follow it with et al. Example: 2. Dana Barnes et al., Plastics: Essays on American Corporate Ascendance in the 1960s, (New York: Putnam, 2018), 44-45. Bibliography: For books with four or more authors you must list all the authors in the bibliography entry. If more than ten authors, write out the first seven followed by et al. Example: Barnes, Dana, Tony Danzo, Moreland Philanthropic, Dezi Arnezi, and Cy Cobb. Plastics: Essays on American Corporate Ascendance in the 1960s. New York: Putnam, 2018. |
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Chapter/Section In Edited Book Note: Author First and Last Name, "Title of Chapter," in Title of Book, ed. Editor Name (Publisher Location: Publisher, Date of Publication), page #. Example: 1. Henry David Thoreau, “Walking,” in The Making of the American Essay, ed. John D’Agata (Minneapolis: Graywolf Press, 2016), 177–78. Bibliography: Author Last Name, Author First Name. "Title of Chapter." In Title of Book, edited by Editor Name, page #. Publisher Location: Publisher, Date of Publication. Example: Thoreau, Henry David. “Walking.” In The Making of the American Essay, edited by John D’Agata, 167–95. Minneapolis: Graywolf Press, 2016. |
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eBook Found Online Note:. Author First Author Last Name, Title of Book (Publisher Location: Publisher, Date of Publication), URL/doi. Example: 1. Elliot Antokolez, Musical Symbolism in the Operas of Debussy and Bartok (New York: Oxford University Press, 2008) doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195365825.001.0001. Bibliography: Author Last Name, Author First Name, and 2nd Author First and Last Name. Title of Book. Publisher Location: Publisher, Date of Publication. Accessed date. URL/doi. Example: Watson, Jonathan, and Stephen Platt. Researching Health Promotion. London: Routledge, 2000. Accessed March 14, 2017.http://public.eblib.com/choice/publicfullrecord.aspx?p=180186. |
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eBook Downloaded from Library or Bookseller Note: Author First and Last Name, Title of Book (Publisher Location: Publisher, Date of Publication), Format of Book, chapter #. Example: 4. Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice (New York: Penguin Classics, 2007), chap. 3, Kindle. Note: If you downloaded from a library database, follow this example. Example: 5. Brooke Borel, The Chicago Guide to Fact-Checking (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2016), 92, ProQuest Ebrary. Bibliography: Author Last Name, Author First Name. Title of Book. Publisher Location: Publisher, Date of Publication. Format of Book. Example: Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. New York: Penguin Classics, 2007. Kindle. *If you downloaded from a library database, follow this example. *Example: Borel, Brooke. The Chicago Guide to Fact-Checking. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2016. ProQuest Ebrary. |
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Print Encyclopedia and Dictionary Entry Major reference books are usually cited without any publication information and usually only in notes. Because most entries are small and do not have a specific author, you do not have to use an author name. For substantial entries such as "Egypt," it would be appropriate to cite the author like you would for a print book Note: Title, Edition, s.v. "Entry Title." Example: Encyclopedia Britannica, 15 ed., s.v. "salvation." Note: Author First and Last Name, "Title of Entry," in Title of Encyclopedia, ed. Editor Name. Publisher Location: Publisher, Date of Publication Example: 1. Tara Reddy Young, “Warhol, Andy,” In Encyclopedia of American Studies, ed. Simon Bronner, (Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2016), 109-121. |
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Encyclopedia Entry (Online/ Library Database) Note:Title of Book, s.v. "Title of Entry," access date, DOI/URL Example: 1. Encyclopedia Britannica Online, s.v. "Anubis," accessed January 22, 2018, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Anubis. |
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Journal Article (Print) Note: Author First and Last Name, "Title of Article," Title of Journal Volume #, no. Issue # (Date of Publication): Page #.Example: 13. Joel R. Philo, "Advances in Positive Organizational Psychology," Personal Psychology 68, no. 3 (September 2015): 701. Bibliography: Author Last Name, Author First Name. "Title of Article." Title of Journal Volume #, no. Issue # (Date of Publication): First Page #- Last Page #. Example: Philo, Joel R. "Advances in Positive Organizational Psychology." Personal Psychology 68, no. 3 (September 2015): 700-714. |
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Journal Article (Library Database) Note: Author First and Last Name, "Title of Article," Title of Journal Volume #, no. Issue # (Date of Publication): Page #, DOI/URL Example: Shao-Hsun Keng, “Expanding College Access in Taiwan, 1978–2014: Effects on Graduate Quality and Income Inequality,” Journal of Human Capital 11, no. 1 (Spring 2017): 9–10, https://doi.org/10.1086/690235. Bibliography: Author Last Name, Author First Name. "Title of Article." Title of Journal Volume #, no. Issue # (Date of Publication): First Page Number-Last Page Number. Example: Keng, Shao-Hsun. “Expanding College Access in Taiwan, 1978–2014: Effects on Graduate Quality and Income Inequality.” Journal of Human Capital 11, no. 1 (Spring 2017): 1–34. https://doi.org/10.1086/690235. |
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Journal Article (Library Database): Two authors Note: 1st Author First and Last Name and 2nd Author First and Last Name, "Title of Article," Title Of Journal Volume #, no. Issue # (Date of Publication): Page #. DOI/URL Example:1. George Iacob and Ovidiu Gavrilovici, “Romania and the western world from the 1800s,” Journal of Organizational Change Management 19, no. 6 (2006): 699, http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/09534810610708341. Bibliography: 1st Author Last Name, 1st Author First Name and 2nd Author First and Last Name. "Title of Article." Title of Journal Volume #, no. Issue # (Date of Publication): Pages. DOI/URL. Example: Iacob, George, and Ovidiu Gavrilovici. “Romania and the western world from the 1800s.” Journal of Organizational Change Management 19, no. 6 (2006): 696-703. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/09534810610708341. |
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Magazine/Newspaper Note: Author First and Last Name, "Title of Article," Title of Publication, Date of Publication, page #. Example: 2. Farhad Manjoo, “Snap Makes a Bet on the Cultural Supremacy of the Camera,” New York Times, March 8, 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/08/technology/snap-makes-a-bet-on-the-cultural-supremacy-of-the-camera.html. *When citing a magazine or newspaper resource found online, add a DOI/URL at the end of the citation. Example: 4. Tanya Pai, “The Squishy, Sugary History of Peeps,” Vox, April 11, 2017, http://www.vox.com/culture/2017/4/11/15209084/peeps-easter. Bibliography: Author Last Name, Author First Name. "Title of Article." Title of Publication, Date of Publication. Example: Manjoo, Farhad. “Snap Makes a Bet on the Cultural Supremacy of the Camera.” New York Times, March 8, 2017. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/08/technology/snap-makes-a-bet-on-the-cultural-supremacy-of-the-camera.html. *When citing a magazine or newspaper resource found online, add a DOI/URL at the end of the citation. *Example: Pai, Tanya. “The Squishy, Sugary History of Peeps.” Vox, April 11, 2017. http://www.vox.com/culture/2017/4/11/15209084/peeps-easter. |
The citations for internet sources differ greatly depending on how much information is available and the specific format of the source. These are the general guidelines for each format. Keep in mind that when citing, it is better to include as much information as possible.
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Website Note: Author First and Last Name, "Title of Section/Article," Title of Website, Date of Publication, Date Modified. accessed Date, URL Example: 1. “Privacy Policy,” Privacy & Terms, Google, last modified April 17, 2017, https://www.google.com/policies/privacy/. Note: If the website does not have a listed publication or revision date, list the date you accessed the website. Example: 2. “About Yale: Yale Facts,” Yale University, accessed May 1, 2017, https://www.yale.edu/about-yale/yale-facts. Bibliography: Author Last Name, Author First Name. "Title of Web Page" Title of Website. Publishing Date/ Access Date. URL Example: Google. “Privacy Policy.” Privacy & Terms. Last modified April 17, 2017. https://www.google.com/policies/privacy/. *If the website does not have a listed publication or revision date, list the date you accessed the website. *Example: Yale University. “About Yale: Yale Facts.” Accessed May 1, 2017. https://www.yale.edu/about-yale/yale-facts.
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Blog Post Note: Author First and Last Name OR Screename, "Title of Post," Title of Blog, Date of Publication, URL Example: 17. Todd A. Carpenter, "Enriching Book Metadata is Marketing in the Digital Age," The Scholarly Kitchen (blog), December 7, 2017, https://scholarlykitchen.sspnet.org/2017/12/07/enriching-metadata-is-marketing/ Bibliography: Author Last Name, Author First Name OR Screename. "Title of Post." Title of Blog (blog). Dated of Publication. URL Example: Carpenter. Todd A. "Enriching Book Metadata is Marketing in the Digital Age." The Scholarly Kitchen (blog). December 7, 2017. https://scholarlykitchen.sspnet.org/2017/12/07/enriching-metadata-is-marketing/ |
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YouTube Video Note: Author First and Last Name OR Screenname, "Title of Video," Upload Date. YouTube video, URL Example: 17. Frank Jones, “True Facts About The Angler Fish,” Uploaded December 27, 2012. YouTube video, 1:59, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-BbpaNXbxg Bibliography: Author Last Name, Author First Name OR Screenname. "Title of Video." Upload Date. YouTube video, URL Example: Jones, Frank. “True Facts About The Angler Fish.” Uploaded December 27, 2012. YouTube video. 1:59. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-BbpaNXbxg |
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Streaming Video Note: Title of Movie/TV Show, season or episode, "Episode Title," directed by Director First and Last Name, writer of episode, aired date or premiere date, Streaming Service, Time Stamp. Example: 1. Black Mirror, season 3, episode 4, “San Junipero,” directed by Owen Harris, written by Charlie Brooker, aired October 21, 2016, on Netflix, 38:42. Bibliography: Director Last Name, First Name, dir. Title of Movie/TV Show,. Written by First and Last Name, Aired date or Premiered date on Streaming Service. Length of movie or episode. Example: Owen Harris, dir. Black Mirror. Season 3, episode 4, “San Junipero.” Written by Charlie Brooker. Aired October 21, 2016, on Netflix. 1:01:24. |
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Movie (DVD/Blu-ray) Note: Title of Film, directed by Director First and Last Name, (Country of Publication: Production Company, Date of Publication), Format. Example: 1. The Usual Suspects, directed by Bryan Singer, (United States: Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, 1995), DVD. Bibliography: Director Last Name, First Name, dir. Film Title. Date of Publication; Country of Publication: Production Company, Format. Example: Singer, Bryan, dir. The Usual Suspects. 1995; United States: Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, 1995. DVD. *For movies found online, include the format (MPEG video, etc.) Date published/Date modified, and a URL |
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Music Note: Name of group or composer/ performer, "Title", Recording date, Recording company/Publisher, Track Number on Name of Album, Year of Release, Medium. Example: 28. Kiss, "Detroit Rock City," recorded September 1975, Mercury Records, track 1 on Destroyer, 1976, compact disc. Bibliography: Name of group/composer/performer. "Title." Recording date. Recording Company/Publisher. Medium. Example: Kiss. "Detroit Rock City." Recorded September 1975. Mercury Records. Compact Disc. |
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Photograph Note: Author first name author last name OR creator's first and last name, Title of Work, Date of creation or completion, Format, Source, URL (if found online). Example: Timothy O'Sullivan, Italy in Autumn, December 1994, Photograph, National Geographic, cover, March 1995, www.nationalgeographic.com/italyinautumn Bibliography: Author Last name, Author First name. Title of Work. Date of creation or completion. Format. Source, Collection. Medium, URL (if found online) Example: O’Sullivan, Timothy. Italy in Autumn. December 1994. Photograph. National Geographic, cover, March 1995, www.nationalgeographic.com/italyinautumn |
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Primary Sources Primary Sources (especially those found in a museum or library) have different styles of citations based on what type of object it is (letter, Latin poem, papyrus, manuscript collections, etc.) Check the Chicago Manual of Style 17th edition or contact a librarian for the specific way to cite your primary source! |
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Primary Sources found in Secondary Sources
Note: Generally it is better to try and track down where the secondary source found the primary source that you want to use. If you can't find it, make sure to cite both the primary and the secondary source. Example: Louis Zukofsky, " Sincerity and Objectification," Poetry 37 (February 1931): 269, quoted in Bonnie Costello, Marianne Moore: Imaginary Possessions (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1981), 78. Bibliography Example: Zukofsky, Louis. "Sincerity and Objectification." Poetry 37. February 1931: 269. Quoted in Bonnie Costello, Marianne Moore: Imaginary Possessions. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1981, 78. |
Personal Communication are usually explained in the text of your paragraph or in a note. A bibliographic entry does not need to be created.
Note: Author First Name and Last Name, Communication Type, Date of Publication or Date When Communication Took Place.
Examples:
1. Jane Doe, email message to author, August 17, 2020.
2. Snapchat sent to author, March 4, 2021.
Bibliography
Personal Communication does not need to be listed in the Bibliography.