Your history teacher says, "Use Chicago style," and you open your paper to find no parentheses anywhere. Instead, tiny numbers float above the words, and notes sit at the bottom of the page. This can feel strange if you have only used APA or MLA before. The good news is that Chicago follows a clear pattern, and you can learn it in one sitting. This guide shows you how to cite a book, a journal article, and a website, plus how to build your notes and bibliography.
What Chicago Style Is
Chicago style comes from The Chicago Manual of Style, and it is common in history, literature, and the arts. It has two systems. The notes and bibliography system uses footnotes and a list of sources at the end, and it is the one most humanities classes ask for. The author and date system looks more like APA, with short citations in parentheses. This guide covers the notes and bibliography system, based on the 18th edition. Always ask your teacher which system your class uses.
The Two Parts of Chicago Citations
Every source you use goes in two places. The first is a note, which is a short citation at the bottom of the page or at the end of the paper. The second is a bibliography entry, which is a full citation in an alphabetical list at the end. A note appears any time you quote, paraphrase, or summarize a source. Your bibliography then gives your reader a clean list of everything you used.
How Notes Work
In your paper, place a small raised number at the end of the sentence or clause that uses the source. Put it after the punctuation, such as a period or comma. The matching note has the same number and explains where the information came from. Notes are numbered in order from the start of the paper to the end, and the numbers never restart. Each time you cite a source, even the same one again, you use a new number.
Full Notes and Short Notes
The first time you cite a source, write a full note with all the details. After that, use a short note, which has the author's last name, a shortened title, and the page number. A shortened title is usually four words or fewer. Older versions of Chicago used the word "ibid." for repeated sources, but this is no longer preferred. Use a short note instead, even when you cite the same source twice in a row.
How to Cite a Book
A full note for a book gives the author's name in normal order, the title in italics, the publisher and year in parentheses, and the page number. The 18th edition no longer asks for the city of publication, so you can leave it out. The bibliography entry flips the first author's name and uses periods between the main parts. Here is a made up example, with the full note first, then the short note, and then the bibliography entry.
- Tara R. Hughes and Neil Patel, The Student's Guide to Focus (Northbridge Press, 2022), 14.
- Hughes and Patel, Student's Guide, 28.
Hughes, Tara R., and Neil Patel. The Student's Guide to Focus. Northbridge Press, 2022.
How to Cite a Journal Article
For a journal article, the title of the article goes in quotation marks and the title of the journal goes in italics. After the journal name, write the volume number, the issue number, and the year in parentheses. The 18th edition says to leave out the month or season of the issue. In a note, give the specific page you used. In the bibliography, give the page range for the whole article, and add the DOI as a link if the article has one. Here is a made up example.
- Mei Chen, Jon Alvarez, and Kim Brooks, "Sleep and School Performance in First Year Students," Journal of Student Health 18, no. 2 (2023): 45, https://doi.org/10.1000/example4521.
- Chen, Alvarez, and Brooks, "Sleep and School Performance," 47.
Chen, Mei, Jon Alvarez, and Kim Brooks. "Sleep and School Performance in First Year Students." Journal of Student Health 18, no. 2 (2023): 40–52. https://doi.org/10.1000/example4521.
How to Cite a Website
For a webpage, start with the author if there is one, then the page title in quotation marks, then the website name. Next, add the date in the form month, day, year, and then the link. If the page has no author, begin with the page title instead. If the page has no date, you can add the day you visited, such as accessed June 24, 2024. In the bibliography, the main parts are separated by periods. Here is a made up example.
- Laura Rivera, "How to Build a Study Habit," Learning Lab, March 12, 2024, https://www.example.com/study-habit.
- Rivera, "Study Habit."
Rivera, Laura. "How to Build a Study Habit." Learning Lab. March 12, 2024. https://www.example.com/study-habit.
Notes Versus Bibliography: What Changes
The two parts hold the same information, but they are arranged differently. In a note, the author's name is in normal order, and the details are separated by commas. In a bibliography entry, the first author's name is flipped, and the main parts are separated by periods. Notes also include the exact page you used, while a bibliography entry for a book does not. Think of a note as a quick pointer and the bibliography as the full address.
Rules for Titles and Names
Chicago uses headline style for titles, which means you capitalize the main words, just like in MLA. Book titles and journal names are in italics, and article titles and webpage titles are in quotation marks. Dates are written with the month spelled out, such as March 12, 2024. For two or three authors, list all of them. For four or more authors, check the Chicago guide, because the rules differ between notes and the bibliography.
Formatting Your Pages
Place your bibliography on a new page at the end of your paper, with the title Bibliography at the top. List the entries in alphabetical order by the first author's last name. Use a hanging indent, which means the first line sits at the left edge and later lines are indented. Footnotes usually have a first line indent and are in a smaller font than your main text. Spacing rules vary, because Chicago guidelines often single space within entries while many class papers ask for double spacing, so follow your teacher's rule.
Mistakes to Avoid
The most common mistake is mixing Chicago with another style, such as putting the author's name in parentheses in the text. Another is using the full note every time instead of switching to short notes after the first one. Some students forget to number the notes in order, or they place the number before the punctuation instead of after it. Others leave out the bibliography, even though most Chicago papers need one. A few copy citations from a generator without checking, and these tools often make small errors. Always proofread the whole list, and our tutorial on How to edit and proofread your own writing shows a simple routine.
A Quick Checklist
- I confirmed that my teacher wants the notes and bibliography system.
- I placed a raised number after the punctuation of each cited sentence.
- My first note for each source is full, and later notes are short.
- I did not use "ibid." for repeated sources.
- My bibliography is alphabetical with a hanging indent.
- I used quotation marks for articles and italics for books and journals.
- I checked every link, name, and date.
Final Thoughts
Chicago style looks different from APA and MLA, but it follows the same simple idea. You give credit in a short note, and you give the full details in a bibliography. Learn the three patterns in this guide, use short notes after the first one, and keep your numbers in order. Once you do, Chicago citations will feel as easy as any other style. For more on the other styles, see our guides on how to cite common sources in APA 7 and how to cite common sources in MLA 9.