Chicago Style Citation Guide

Chicago style citations might seem complex at first glance, but they're actually like having a detailed roadmap for your sources. Once you understand the system, you'll navigate academic writing with confidence. Used extensively in humanities and social sciences, the Chicago style offers two distinct approaches to help you properly credit your sources and maintain academic integrity.

This guide will walk you through both citation systems with practical examples you can apply immediately, plus actionable tips to streamline your citation process.

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What Is Chicago Style?

The Chicago Manual of Style provides two main citation formats, each designed for different academic disciplines. The Notes & Bibliography system (NB) works best for humanities fields like history and literature, while the Author-Date system (AD) suits sciences and social sciences.

<ProTip title="💡 Pro Tip:" description="Check your syllabus first to confirm whether Notes and Bibliography or Author Date is required before you start formatting sources." />

Choosing the right system isn't just about following rules—it's about ensuring your readers can easily locate and verify your sources. Both formats will be covered with real examples you can adapt for your own work.

Notes and Bibliography System (NB)

The NB system uses numbered footnotes or endnotes paired with a comprehensive bibliography. This format gives you flexibility to provide detailed source information and additional commentary without cluttering your main text.

Footnotes and Endnotes

Footnotes appear at the bottom of each page, while endnotes collect at your document's end. Your first citation includes full details, but subsequent references to the same source use shortened versions.

<ProTip title="💡 Footnote Tip:" description="Use Ibid. when citing the same source consecutively Latin for in the same place to keep notes concise and save space." />

Bibliography Formatting

Your bibliography lists all sources alphabetically with hanging indents. Unlike footnotes, bibliography entries use periods instead of commas and reverse the author's name order.

Book Citation Example

First footnote: ¹ Malcolm Gladwell, Outliers: The Story of Success (New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2008), 45.

Shortened footnote: ² Gladwell, Outliers, 67.

Bibliography entry: Gladwell, Malcolm. Outliers: The Story of Success. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2008.

Journal Article Citation Example

First footnote: ³ Sarah Chen, "Digital Literacy in Higher Education," Journal of Academic Research 15, no. 3 (2023): 234, https://doi.org/10.1234/jar.2023.15.3.234.

Bibliography entry: Chen, Sarah. "Digital Literacy in Higher Education." Journal of Academic Research 15, no. 3 (2023): 230-245. https://doi.org/10.1234/jar.2023.15.3.234.

Website Citation Example

First footnote: ⁴ American Historical Association, "Guidelines for Ethical Conduct," accessed March 15, 2024, https://www.historians.org/jobs-and-professional-development/statements-and-policies-of-the-discipline/statement-on-standards-of-professional-conduct.

Bibliography entry: American Historical Association. "Guidelines for Ethical Conduct." Accessed March 15, 2024. https://www.historians.org/jobs-and-professional-development/statements-and-policies-of-the-discipline/statement-on-standards-of-professional-conduct.

Author-Date System (AD)

The AD system uses brief in-text citations with a detailed reference list. It's more concise than NB and works well when you're citing multiple sources frequently.

<ProTip title="📝 Quick Note:" description="In Author Date style add a page number only for direct quotes otherwise use Author Year for general references." />

In-Text Citation Format

Place citations in parentheses: (Author Year, Page). When there's no page number, simply use (Author Year).

Reference List Formatting

References appear alphabetically at your document's end, similar to a bibliography but with different formatting rules and punctuation.

Book Citation Example

In-text citation: Recent research suggests that practice alone doesn't guarantee expertise (Gladwell 2008, 45).

Reference entry: Gladwell, Malcolm. 2008. Outliers: The Story of Success. New York: Little, Brown and Company.

Journal Article Citation Example

In-text citation: Digital literacy significantly impacts student success (Chen 2023, 234).

Reference entry: Chen, Sarah. 2023. "Digital Literacy in Higher Education." Journal of Academic Research 15 (3): 230-245. https://doi.org/10.1234/jar.2023.15.3.234.

Website Citation Example

In-text citation: Professional conduct guidelines continue evolving (American Historical Association 2024).

Reference entry: American Historical Association. 2024. "Guidelines for Ethical Conduct." Accessed March 15, 2024. https://www.historians.org/jobs-and-professional-development/statements-and-policies-of-the-discipline/statement-on-standards-of-professional-conduct.

Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Chicago Citations

1. Gather Required Information

Before you start writing, collect all source details: author names, titles, publication dates, publishers, page numbers, and URLs or DOIs. Think of this like assembling ingredients before cooking—having everything ready makes the process smoother.

2. Choose the Correct Citation System

Check your assignment guidelines or ask your instructor which system to use. When in doubt, consider your field: humanities typically prefer NB, while sciences favor AD.

3. Format In-Text Citations

For NB, insert numbered superscripts where sources appear in your text. For AD, place parenthetical citations immediately after quoted or paraphrased material.

Understanding how to cite sources properly becomes second nature with practice, and recognizing the importance of citations in academic writing helps you avoid plagiarism while building credibility.

4. Create Bibliography or Reference List

Alphabetize all sources by author's last name, use hanging indents, and double-check formatting consistency. Pay attention to italics, capitalization, and punctuation, small details matter.

5. Ensure Consistency and Proofread

Review all citations for accuracy and consistent formatting. Even minor errors can undermine your credibility, so take time to verify each entry against your sources.

<ProTip title="💡 Revision Tip:" description="Run a final scan for italics commas and hanging indents to keep every Chicago entry consistent across your paper." />

Write Smarter with Proper Citations

You now have the essentials to use Notes-and-Bibliography or Author-Date and keep your sources clear and credible.

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