Chicago citation guide

Choose between Chicago 18 notes and bibliography or author and date, with examples for journal articles, books and websites.

Choose the required Chicago system

Chicago offers two citation systems. Notes and bibliography uses numbered notes and usually a bibliography. The author and date system uses parenthetical citations and a reference list. Check your assignment before choosing; switching systems changes more than the bibliography’s punctuation. These examples use the eighteenth edition.

For notes, use the word processor’s footnote or endnote function to connect a superscript marker to its note. A formatted note copied as ordinary text does not itself create that document relationship. Citation offers the two Chicago styles as separate choices; inspect the note placement in your final document.

Cite a journal article in both systems

Record the authors, article title, journal, volume, issue, year, complete article page range and DOI. A note or parenthetical locator identifies the specific passage. The bibliography or reference list describes the whole article. Prefer the DOI URL for an article consulted online when one exists.

Author and date, with a page locator

In your text: (Watson and Crick 1953, 737)
Reference list: Watson, J. D., and F. H. C. Crick. 1953. “Molecular Structure of Nucleic Acids: A Structure for Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid.” Nature 171 (4356): 737–38. https://doi.org/10.1038/171737a0.

Full and later notes for the same article

Full note: J. D. Watson and F. H. C. Crick, “Molecular Structure of Nucleic Acids: A Structure for Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid,” Nature 171, no. 4356 (1953): 737, https://doi.org/10.1038/171737a0.
Later note: Watson and Crick, “Molecular Structure of Nucleic Acids: A Structure for Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid,” 738.
Bibliography: Watson, J. D., and F. H. C. Crick. “Molecular Structure of Nucleic Acids: A Structure for Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid.” Nature 171, no. 4356 (1953): 737–38. https://doi.org/10.1038/171737a0.

The later note omits publication details already supplied in the first full note. Keep enough of the title to distinguish the source from other works by the same author. When several sources share authors or titles, review the shortened notes for ambiguity.

Cite a book in both systems

Identify the edition you read, including its author, title, publisher and year, and any relevant edition or translator. Chicago 18 no longer generally requires a place of publication for modern books. The examples use the 1925 print edition. Add the page or chapter you actually consulted when citing a particular passage.

A book in an author and date reference list

In your text: (Fitzgerald 1925)
Reference list: Fitzgerald, F. Scott. 1925. The Great Gatsby. Charles Scribner’s Sons.

A book in notes and bibliography

Full note: F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby (Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1925).
Later note: Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby.
Bibliography: Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1925.

Cite a web page

Use the credited author or responsible organization, page title, website, publication or revision date and URL. The year is placed near the author in a reference list, while a note gives publication details later. Some informal website references can stay in the text or notes; include a full entry when your assignment requires one or the source needs a clearer record.

A dated page in the author and date system

In your text: (Modern Language Association 2021)
Reference list: Modern Language Association. 2021. “In-Text Citations: An Overview.” MLA Style Center, April 1. https://style.mla.org/in-text-citations-overview/.

The same page in notes and bibliography

Full note: Modern Language Association, “In-Text Citations: An Overview,” MLA Style Center, April 1, 2021, https://style.mla.org/in-text-citations-overview/.
Later note: Modern Language Association, “In-Text Citations: An Overview.”
Bibliography: Modern Language Association. “In-Text Citations: An Overview.” MLA Style Center, April 1, 2021. https://style.mla.org/in-text-citations-overview/.

Handle missing information

No personal author: look for the responsible organization. If there is no author, begin the entry with the title and use a short title in the citation.
No date in the author and date system: use n.d. in place of the year and include an access date for an undated website.
No date in a website note: give the date you accessed the page. Do not substitute the current year as its publication year.
No fixed page numbers: use a meaningful existing section, chapter or other locator where possible, or omit the locator. Do not invent pagination.

Review the final document

Keep one Chicago system consistent throughout the paper. Check note numbering and that every note points to the intended passage. Review alphabetical order, indentation and spacing in the bibliography or reference list against your course requirements. Preserve author order, proper names and the DOI exactly; a reference format does not establish that the source supports your argument.

Use Chicago in Citation

Open a document and choose the required style in the document toolbar.
In Cite, look up a source by DOI, ISBN, URL or title, or add its details manually.
Review the source type, authors, date, title and publication details before saving. Keep proper names and acronyms when correcting title capitalization.
Place your cursor beside the relevant claim and insert the saved source. Review any page locator against the passage you used.
Review the References area, then copy the bibliography or export the document. Check the final layout against your assignment instructions.