Chicago Style (17th ed.): Citation Guide

Citing Sources in Chicago Style

Unlike with APA and MLA, Chicago style uses footnotes within the paper itself to cite sources.

There are two parts to Chicago Style citations:

1. Footnotes (within the paper itself)
2. Bibliography (full citations at the end of the paper)

In order to be correctly citing your sources, you have to make sure to include both footnotes and bibliographic entries.

Footnotes/Endnotes

Unlike MLA and APA, Chicago uses notes for in-text documentation. 

• numbered notes that use a number in superscript to refer the reader to the citation in the note itself
• Include a note every time you use a source, whether paraphrasing, summarizing, or directly quoting.
• The first note referring to a note must include the full note style. Any note after the first can follow the subsequent note format.

 

What is the difference between Footnotes and Endnotes?

Both Footnotes and Endnotes follow the same format. The only difference is where they appear in your paper.

Footnotes will appear at the bottom, or foot, of the page where they are cited in the text.

Endnotes will all be at the end of the paper together, before the bibliography.

Be consistent and use one or the other throughout your paper. Always check with your instructor and paper guidelines to see which note format they prefer.

 

Formatting Footnotes

You can use the built-in Notes feature in Microsoft Word to help you format your notes.

To insert a note:

• Place your cursor at the end of the sentence that needs citing.
• Go to the References menu
• Click on Insert Footnote
• This will automatically assign the appropriate number in superscript at the end of the sentence and jump you down to the footnote at the bottom of the page.
• Type your footnote as needed based on the examples.

One good thing about using Word's footnote system is that it will automatically update footnote numbers as needed.

Full Note Format

The first time you cite a source in your paper, you need to use the full footnote format, which includes all elements of the citation.

Example:

¹ Felix Garfield, "Why Tabbies Have Stripes," Feline Quarterly 3, no. 1 (2022): 25-28. https://doi.org/CAT

 

Subsequent Note Format

Any additional times that you cite a work that you have already cited in your paper with the full note citation can then be cited using the shortened footnote, or the subsequent note format.

Example:

² Garfield, "Why Tabbies," 27.

Bibliography

• full citations for every work referenced in your paper
• cites the entire book, article, video, etc
• includes information about the source itself and where it can be located
• listed alphabetically

Bibliography entries will look very similar to your full-length footnotes (the first time a source is referenced in your paper). 

For examples of all of the different types of Footnotes and Bibliography entries, see Chicago Citation Examples

Elements of a Chicago Style Citation

Basic elements of a Chicago Style citation are author, title, and publication information.

Author(s)

Who created the work

If the work has editors instead of authors, use the editors in the author position.

Footnotes

Author is written First Name Last Name

Bibliography

Author is written Last Name, First Name

 

	Footnote	Bibliography
One Author	FirstName LastName ex- Isabel Allende	LastName, FirstName ex- Allende, Isabel
2 -3 Authors	FirstName LastName and FirstName LastName ex- Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman	LastName, FirstName, and FirstName Last Name ex- Pratchett, Terry and Neil Gaiman
4 to 10 Authors	List only the first author followed by "et al." in the Footnote. ex- John Lennon et al.	List all names for 4-10 authors in the Bibliography. ex- Lennon, John, and Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr.
10 or more Authors	List only the first author followed by "et al." in the Footnote.	List the first 7 authors followed by "et al."
Corporate Author	Group name ex- National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)	Group name ex- National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
No author	Begin the citation with the Title	Begin the citation with the Title

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Title

The name of the work.

Works that are part of a greater whole

e.g.- articles, chapters, webpages, songs

Use quotation marks around the title.

Example: "The Ice Cream Tastes of Today's Academics"

Works that stand alone

e.g.- books, journals, websites

Italicize the title.

Example: Nursing: A Concept Based Approach to Learning

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Publication Information

Where the information is found.

The information needed to describe the source varies by format and information type. See the examples page for more details.

Volume and Issue numbers

The volume and issue number follow the journal title.

ex- Gothic Studies 21, no. 1

Publication Place

The place where it was published comes before the publisher's name and is followed by a colon.

ex- New York:

Publisher

Always write out the full publisher's name.

Date

If a printed work doesn't have a date, use the abbreviation "n.d."

If an online resource doesn't have a date, include an access date.

Pages

If page numbers are not available, you can use other markers: chapter (chap.), section (sec.)

DOI or URL

Use the DOI whenever available.

When not available, cite a permanent or stable URL (shouldn't be hyperlinked)

Format

Include the format consulted. Includes both physical formats (CDs, DVDs) and digital formats (MPEG, MP2, WAV). 

Depending on the resource type, you may need to include the original format and/or a digitized format.