Chicago Citation Style

Chicago Citation Style

Different disciplines (research subject areas) use different citation styles. It is important to use the citation style for the discipline you are writing for, so that you're consistent with the norms of that discipline, making it easier for people in that discipline to follow your research trail.   Chicago style is most commonly used by researchers in humanities fields.   The Chicago system (also known as the Turabian system) allows for two different systems of documentation. The notes system is suggested for use in the humanities, art, and history, and uses footnotes (notes at the bottom of the page) to document sources. The author-date system is suggested for use in the physical, natural, and social sciences and uses in-text parenthetical citations along with endnotes (notes at the end of the paper on a separate sheet) to document sources.

Note System v. Author-Date System

What distinguishes the author-date system from the notes system is that theauthor-date system inserts minimal source information directly into the text itself, surrounded by parentheses, and follows up with the rest of the source information in a list of references at the end of the paper.

An excerpt from a sentence in the text of a paper written using the author-date would look like this:

While some assert that the essential qualities a politician must possess
are, "passion, a feeling of responsibility, and a sense of proportion"
(Weber 1946, 33), others think that ...

The entry in the list of references would look like this:

Weber, Max. 1946. Politics as a Vocation. In  Essays in Sociology, ed.
     H.H. Garth and C. W. Mills, 26-45. New York: Macmillian.

The notes system, on the other hand, uses footnotes appearing directly at the bottom of each page. The excerpt from the paper might look like this:

While some assert that the essential qualities a politician must possess
are, "passion, a feeling of responsibility, and a sense of proportion,"1
others think that ...

And the corresponding note might look like this:

1. Max Weber, "Politics as a Vocation," in Essays in Sociology, ed.
Howard Garth and Cynthia Mills (New York: Macmillian, 1946), 26-45.

In the notes system, the format and content of the notes depends upon whether or not you include a full bibliography (one that lists all the sources you cite) with your paper. If you do not include a full bibliography, your notes must include the complete citation information. Be sure to find out what your instructor requires.

Notes and Full Bibliography. All notes can appear in the shortened form, even the first mention of a source, since a full bibliography will give the complete source information for every note you have in your paper. This is the recommended practice, which the Chicago Manual describes as "user-friendly and economical" because it minimizes repeated information. An excerpt from a sentence in the text of a paper written using the notes system with a full bibliography would look like this:

While some assert that the essential qualities a politician must possess
are, "passion, a feeling of responsibility, and a sense of proportion,"1
others think that ...

The note would look like this:

1. Weber, "Politics as a Vocation," 33.

The corresponding entry in the bibliography would look like this:

Weber, Max. "Politics as a Vocation." In Essays in Sociology, edited by
     H.H. Garth and C. Wright Mills, 26-45. New York: Macmillian, 1946.

Notes Only (No Bibliography or Selected Bibliography). In this case, the first mention of a source must be a full note (i.e., it must include all the necessary source citation information) since the reader can't refer to the bibliography for that information. The shortened form can then be used for subsequent references to the same source. Your first note for a source would look like this:

2. Max Weber, "Politics as a Vocation," in Essays in Sociology,
ed. Howard Garth and Cynthia Mills (New York: Macmillian, 1946), 26-45.

Any subsequent note (not necessarily consecutive) referring to that same source would look like this:

3. Weber, "Politics as a Vocation," 32.

How to construct a short note

The short form of the note will generally include the author's last name, a shortened version of the title, and the relevant page numbers (if available).

• Basic form. Give the author's last name, the title of the source, and page references.

  1. Harvey, Notes on Ireland, 45.

• Long titles. Remove the prepositions "a" and "the" appearing at the beginning and shorten the title if it is more than four words long. Titles of books should appear in italics; titles of articles should appear in quotation marks. For A Journey to the Center of the Earth, you would use:

  2. Verne, Journey to the Center, 56.

• Two to three authors. Include all last names.

  3. Sweet and Krolowsi, Last Train to Rehoboth, 34-35.

• More than three authors. Use only the first author's last name, followed by "et al."

  4. Smith et al., "Analysis of Panel Study," 45.

• Consecutive notes from the same source. When you have two notes from the same source appearing in a row, you can use the word "Ibid." (meaning "in the same place") followed by the new page number:

  5. Harvey, Notes on Ireland, 45.
  6. Ibid., 46.
  

  If the page number is also the same, only "Ibid." is required:

  7. Verne, Journey to the Center, 56.
  8. Ibid.

Common reference list examples

Remember, if you're using the notes only system, your full note will include this information. This guide shows the most common sources appearing in research bibliographies. For more specific needs, see the The Chicago Manual of Style Links to an external site..

Books

Book by a single author

In the note, the authors name will appear in the usual order; in the bibliography it will be given with the last name first.

Bagby, John W. Cyberlaw Handbook for E-Commerce. New York: 
     Harcourt Brace, 2003.

Book with multiple authors

If the book has two or three authors, include all authors in the note and the bibliography. If the book has more than three authors, include all authors in the bibliography but only the first author followed by "et al." in the note

Smith, John, Janice Brown, Chris W. Enkunde, and Lois Denmark. 
     The History of the World Wide Web. 2nd ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2004.

Book with editors

Baumer, David L., Julius Poindexter, and Janice Brown, eds. Cyberlaw
     and E-Commerce. Boston: McGraw Hill, 2002.

Chapter in an edited book

Heller, Chris, and Andrea Gottlieb. "Gender Roles in Ethiopian Culture." In
      Gender in Cross-Cultural Perspective, edited by Sherry Collier, 45-56.
     Louisville, KY: Pilgrim Press, 2001.

Periodicals

Journal article (print)

Include the volume and issue number (if available). Give the range of page numbers on which the article appears in the bibliography and the specific page reference in the note (unless you are referring to the article as a whole).

James, Earl W.T., and Lucy Danker. "Obesity in American School Children: An
     Epidemic." Journal of Nursing 389, no. 12 (2000): 399-405.

Journal article retrieved online

Include a URL for articles retrieved online or through an academic database such as EBSCOhost. Include page numbers for the print version if they are given.

Stem, Caroline J., James P. Lassoie, David R. Lee, and David J. Dessler.
     "How 'Eco' is Ecotourism? A Comparative Case Study of Ecotourism in
     Costa Rica." Journal of Sustainable Tourism 11, no. 4 (2003):
     322-348. http://www.epnet.com/.  

You do not need to include the access date unless your instructor requires it or the information is very time-sensitive. If you do to include the date, put it in parentheses at the end of the citation:

Stem, Caroline J., James P. Lassoie, David R. Lee, and David J. Dessler.
     "How 'Eco' is Ecotourism? A Comparative Case Study of Ecotourism in
     Costa Rica." Journal of Sustainable Tourism 11, no. 4
     (2003): 322-348. http://www.epnet.com/ (accessed March 6, 2005).  

Magazine article

Monthly magazines are usually cited by date only, even if volume and issue information is available.

Elliott, Michael. "Gypsy Foklore Revisited."  Smithsonian, March
     2004, 23-29.

For a magazine article accessed online, include the URL for the article or database from which it was retrieved. Again, volume and issue information is typically not included. Include the date the material was accessed only if your instructor requires it or the information is very time-sensitive.

Roman, Monica. "Son of Nafta?"  Business Week, December 12, 2003.
     http://www.epnet.com/.

Newspaper article

Chicago style recommends not including page numbers, as they may change between editions, though it may be helpful to include a section number or name and the particular edition consulted.

Edward Epstein, "It's That Time Again: Lawmakers Revisit Daylight Saving,"
     San Francisco Chronicle, April 9, 2005, final edition.

If you access the article online through the newspaper's website, include the URL. If the URL for the specific article stops working, use the newspaper's homepage instead (e.g., http://www.nytimes.com/):

Lewin, Tamar, "College Enrollment Set Record in 2008," New York Times,
    October 29, 2009. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/30/education/
    30college.html. 

If you access the article through an academic database, include the home URL for that database service:

Daniel Howden, "Polio at Mecca Sparks Fear for Muslim Thousands,"
    Independent (London), February 12, 2005, first edition.
    http://www.lexisnexis.com/.

Other Sources

Unpublished dissertation

Fitzpatrick, Kerry J. "Effects of Mowing on the Selection of Raptor Foraging
     Habitat." PhD diss., University of Maryland, 2003.

Government document

This format may be used for reports, bulletins, circulars, and miscellaneous material issued by executive departments, bureaus, and agencies.

U.S. Department of Agriculture. Irrigation: A National Research Plan.
     Washington, DC: GPO, 2001.

If the government document is accessed online, include the URL and date it was accessed:

U.S. Department of Justice. Bureau of Justice Statistics. Analysis of
     Crime Patterns 1990-2000 by Shirley Marimer. Washington, DC: GPO, 2002.
     http://www.usdoj.gov/346576/cr2002.pdf (accessed April 14, 2005).

Personal communication

Personal communication such as e-mails, telephone calls, or unpublished interviews are usually cited in the text or a note, but rarely appear in the bibliography. For example:

"In an e-mail message received by the author on December, 12, 2203, Sheila
McCarthy stated that ..." 

Websites and Blogs

Include as much of the following information as you can: author, title of the specific article, title of the site, sponsor of the site, and URL. Chicago style only recommends including the access date if the material is especially time-sensitive (or if your instructor requires it). If no author's name is given, use the sponsor of the site in the author's position.

Sullivan, Danny. "Boolean Searching."  Search Engine Watch. 
    http://www.searchenginewatch.com/facts/article/2155991.html

Freakomics Blog;"Carrots and Sticks has landed," blog entry
    by Ian Ayres, September 22, 2010

Audiovisual Materials

Audiovisual materials are treated much like books, with the addition of the medium consulted (e.g., VHS, DVD).

Power! 1967-1968. VHS. Directed by Louis Massiah and Terry Kay
     Rockefeller. Boston, MA: Public Broadcasting System Video, 1999.

Search Smarter, Search Faster, YouTube video, 6:54, posted by
     uniofsydney, May 28,2008, http://www.youtube.comwatch?v=
     Oa66AxTbjxA&%20feature=related.