Chicago Style
Continue to main contentThe Chicago Manual of Style contains comprehensive guidelines about such issues as text formatting, citations, and quotation.
This section provides some general hints to using Chicago citations and the basic format of some simple, commonly used materials such as a book, an article found through an online database like ProQuest or Academic Search Complete, and a general website. For a more detailed reference guide, please see the other sections:
Foot/Endnote Citations:
Names are reversed in internal citations. When citing in the note the first time it would be:
Author First Last, Title (City: Publisher, Year), ##
Subsequent uses:
Author Last, Short Title, ##.
Bibliography:
Author Last, First. Title of Book. City: Publisher, Year.
Editor Last, First, ed. Title of Book. City: Publisher, Year.
Listed below are both the foot/endnote and the bibliography entry, in that order. Foot/endnotes receive a first line (one tab or .5"" indent, which should be automatic in Word), and the bibliography receives a hanging indent. Be sure you are looking at the correct one.
Book by a Single Author
Ekaterina V. Haskins, Logos and Power in Isocrates and Aristotle (Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 2004), 24.
Haskins, Ekaterina V. Logos and Power in Isocrates and Aristotle. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 2004.
Two to Three Authors
Alexander Musa and Fernando Bueno, Mass Effect 3: Official Game Guide (United States: Prima Games, 2012), 75.
Musa, Alexander, and Fernando Bueno. Mass Effect 3: Official Game Guide. United States: Prima Games, 2012.
Four or Ten Authors
The bibliography entry remains the same as before, but the note entry lists only the first name followed by et al.
Jane B. Reese et al., Campbell Biology. 9th ed. (Boston: Pearson Benjamin Cummings, 2008), 154.
Reese, Jane B., Lisa A. Urry, Michael L. Cain, Steven A Wasserman, Peter V. Minorsky, and Robert B. Jackson. Campbell Biology. 9th ed. Boston: Pearson Benjamin Cummings, 2008.
E-Book Not from a Website
Specify which version you are referring to: Kindle edition, Microsoft Reader e-book, iBook edition. Since e-books don’t have stable page numbers, use chapter or headings instead.
Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre: An Autobiography (London: Service & Paton, 1897), Kindle edition, chap. 3.
Bronte, Charlotte. Jane Eyre: An Autobiography. London: Service & Paton, 1897. Kindle edition.
Older Books Freely Available on a Website
Carroll, Lewis, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1916, Project Gutenberg, 2012) chap 9. http://www.gutenberg.org/files/11/11-h/11-h.htm#link2HCH0009
Carroll, Lewis. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Reprint of the 1916 edition, Project Gutenberg, 2012. http://www.gutenberg.org/files/11/11-h/11-h.htm#link2HCH0009
Two or More Books by the Same Author
If you have two or more books by the same author in the bibliography, list the first one like normal. The second one will have three em-dashes and a period in place of the author.
Booth, Wayne C. “From Modern Dogma and the Rhetoric of Assent.” The Rhetorical Tradition: Readings from Classical Times to the Present. Ed. Patricia Bizzell and Bruce Herzberg. 2nd ed. New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2000.
———. The Rhetoric of Fiction. 2nd ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1983.
Organization as Author
American Medical Association, Complete Medical Encyclopedia (New York: Random, 2003).
American Medical Association. Complete Medical Encyclopedia. New York: Random, 2003.
An Anthology or Compilation as a Whole
James Gunn, and Matthew Candelaria, eds. Speculations on Speculation: Theories of Science Fiction (Lanham, Maryland: The Scarecrow, 2005).
Gunn, James, and Matthew Candelaria, eds. Speculations on Speculation: Theories of Science Fiction. Lanham, Maryland: The Scarecrow, 2005.
A Work in an Anthology
James Gunn, ""Toward a Definition of Science Fiction,"" in Speculations on Speculation: Theories of Science Fiction, ed. James Gunn and Matthew Candelaria (Lanham, Maryland: The Scarecrow, 2005), 11.
Author of Work. “Title of Work.” In Title of Anthology, edited by Editor of Book, ##–##. City: Publisher, Year.
Gunn, James. ""Toward a Definition of Science Fiction."" In Speculations on Speculation: Theories of Science Fiction, edited by James Gunn and Matthew Candelaria. 5–12. Lanham, Maryland: The Scarecrow, 2005.
A Translation
Feodor Dostoevsky, Crime and Punishment, ed. George Gibian, trans. Jessie Coulson (New York: Norton, 1964).
Dostoevsky, Feodor. Crime and Punishment. Edited by George Gibian. Translated by Jessie Coulson. New York: Norton, 1964.
Second or Subsequent Edition, Revised Edition, or Abridged Edition.
For revised editions use “rev. ed.” For abridged, “abr. ed.”
Geoffrey Chaucer, The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer, ed. F.W. Robinson, 2nd ed. (Boston: Houghton, 1957), 51.
Chaucer, Geoffrey. The Works of Geoffrey Chaucer. Edited by F.W. Robinson. 2nd ed. Boston: Houghton, 1957.
An Article in an Encyclopedia or Dictionary (Print)
Common encyclopedias and dictionaries are only referenced in notes.
Who's Who in America, 52nd ed., s.v. ""Ginsburg, Ruth Bader.""
An Article in an Encyclopedia or Dictionary (Online)
Common encyclopedias and dictionaries are only referenced in notes.
Merriam-Webster Online, s.v. “Serendipity,” accessed August 19, 2013, http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/serendipity.
Entry with an Author in a Specialized Reference Book
David Alderton, Encyclopedia of Aquarium and Pond Fish, (London: Dorling Kindersley, 2008), s.v. “Catfish.”
Alderton, David. Encyclopedia of Aquarium and Pond Fish. London: Dorling Kindersley, 2008.
An Introduction, Preface, Foreword, or Afterword
E. L. Doctorow, introduction to Sister Carrie, by Theodore Dreiser (New York: Bantam Books, 1982). xi.
Doctorow, E. L. Introduction to Sister Carrie, by Theodore Dreiser, v–xi. New York: Bantam Books, 1982.
An Anonymous Book
Encyclopedia of Virginia (New York: Somerset, 1993).
Encyclopedia of Virginia. New York: Somerset, 1993.
An Illustrated Book
Neil Gaiman, Stardust: Being a Romance within the Realms of Faerie, illus. Charles Vess (New York: Vertigo, 1999).
Gaiman, Neil. Stardust: Being a Romance within the Realms of Faerie. Illustrated by Charles Vess. New York: Vertigo, 1999.
A Multivolume Work
If Citing the Whole Multivolume Work (Only in Bibliography):
Dewey, John. John Dewey: The Later Works. Edited by Jo Ann Boydston. 10 vols. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 1980–88.
If Using Only One Volume:
John Dewey, John Dewey: The Later Works, ed. Jo Ann Boydston, vol. 7, Ethics (Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 1984), 54–56.
Dewey, John. Ethics. Vol. 7 of John Dewey: The Later Works. Edited by Jo Ann Boydston. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 1984.
A Book in a Series
Pablo Neruda, Canto General, trans. Jack Schmitt, Latin Amer. Lit. and Culture 7 (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1991).
Neruda, Pablo. Canto General. Translated by Jack Schmitt. Latin Amer. Lit. and Culture 7. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1991.
A Republished Book
Author First Last, Title of Work, (Original publication City: Publisher, Year; New publication City: Publisher, Year), ##. Citations refer to the ______ edition.
Margaret Atwood, Surfacing, (Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1972; New York: Doubleday, 1998), 75. Citations refer to the Doubleday edition.
Atwood, Margaret. Surfacing. New York: Doubleday, 1998. First published 1972 by McClelland and Stewart.
A Book in a Language Other Than English
Unless it is translated or you are qualified to translate it, foreign information is best left as is.
Umberto Eco, Isola del giorno primo (Milano: Bpmpiani, 1994).
Eco, Umberto. Isola del giorno primo. Milano: Bpmpiani, 1994.
A Book Published Before 1900
You may omit publisher, placing a comma after the city instead of a colon.
Sir Thomas Smith, De Republica Anglorum: The maner of government or policie of the Realme of Englande (London, 1583).
Smith, Sir Thomas. De Republica Anglorum: The maner of government or policie of the Realme of Englande. London, 1583.
First Use: Author First Last, “Title of Article,” Title of Periodical xx, no. x (Year): pp.
Subsequent uses: Author Last, “Short Title,” pp.
Bibliography: Author Last, First. “Title of Article.” Title of Periodical xx, no. x (Year): pp–pp.
Listed below are both the foot/endnote and the bibliography entry, in that order. Foot/endnotes receive a first line (one tab or .5" indent, which should be automatic in Word), and the bibliography receives a hanging indent. Be sure you are looking at the correct one.
Article in a Journal
Elliot Krieger, "Social Relations and the Social Order in 'Much Ado About Nothing,'" Shakespeare Survey 32 (1979): 57.
Krieger, Elliot. "Social Relations and the Social Order in 'Much Ado About Nothing.'" Shakespeare Survey 32 (1979): 49-61.
Article in a Journal that Uses Only Issue Numbers
George Bowering, "Baseball and the Canadian Imagination," Canadian Literature, no. 108 (1986): 120.
Bowering, George. "Baseball and the Canadian Imagination." Canadian Literature, no. 108 (1986): 115–24.
Article in a Journal that Uses Only Year
Mihaela Irimia, “In search of ‘What’s in a Name’: The English Pessoa as Poet as Shakespeare, and the Case of Supercamões,” Word & Text: A Journal of Literary Studies & Linguistics, 2011, 75.
Irimia, Mihaela. “In search of ‘What’s in a Name’: The English Pessoa as Poet as Shakespeare, and the Case of Supercamões.” Word & Text: A Journal of Literary Studies & Linguistics, 2011, 73–83.
Article in a Journal with More than One Series
John Daniels, "Indian Population of North America in 1492," William and Mary Quarterly, 3rd ser., 49 (1992): 300.
Daniels, John. "Indian Population of North America in 1492." William and Mary Quarterly, 3rd ser., 49 (1992): 298-320.
Article in a Journal Retrieved from an Online Database with a DOI
Kathleen Ferraiolo, “Is State Gambling Policy ‘Morality Policy’? Framing Debates over State Lotteries,” Policy Studies Journal 41, no. 2 (May 2013): 232, doi: 10.1111/psj.12015.
Ferraiolo, Kathleen. “Is State Gambling Policy ‘Morality Policy’? Framing Debates over State Lotteries.” Policy Studies Journal 41, no. 2 (May 2013): 217–242. doi: 10.1111/psj.12015.
Article in a Journal Retrieved from an Online Database with a URL
Kenneth R. Chase, “Constructing Ethics through Rhetoric: Isocrates and Piety,” Quarterly Journal of Speech 95, no. 3 (2009): 248, http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=44032656&site=ehost-live.
Chase, Kenneth R. “Constructing Ethics through Rhetoric: Isocrates and Piety.” Quarterly Journal of Speech 95, no. 3 (2009): 239–262. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=44032656&site=ehost-live.
Article in a Journal Retrieved from an Online Database with a Database Name and Number
Kenneth R. Chase, “Constructing Ethics through Rhetoric: Isocrates and Piety,” Quarterly Journal of Speech 95, no. 3 (2009): 248, Academic Search Complete (Accession Number 44032656).
Chase, Kenneth R. “Constructing Ethics through Rhetoric: Isocrates and Piety.” Quarterly Journal of Speech 95, no. 3 (2009): 239–262. Academic Search Complete (Accession Number 44032656).
Article in a Newspaper
If there is a section title it is under, include that after the article title. If the edition is important, include it after the date.
Catherine Rampell, “Home Prices Rise, Putting Country in Buying Mood,” New York Times, May 28, 2013.
Rampell, Catherine. “Home Prices Rise, Putting Country in Buying Mood.” New York Times, May 28, 2013.
Article in an Online Newspaper
Catherine Rampell, “Home Prices Rise, Putting Country in Buying Mood,” New York Times, May 28, 2013. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/29/business/house-prices-show-largest-gain-in-years.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0.
Rampell, Catherine. “Home Prices Rise, Putting Country in Buying Mood.” New York Times, May 28, 2013. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/29/business/house-prices-show-largest-gain-in-years.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0.
Article in a Magazine
Unlike journals, volume #, issue #, and page range may be omitted from bibliography entries, but specific page numbers are still used in foot/endnotes.
Pratap Bhanu Mehta, “Exploding Myths,” New Republic, June 6, 1998, 19.
Mehta, Pratap Bhanu. "Exploding Myths." New Republic, June 6, 1998.
Article in an Online Magazine
Include a URL or DOI at the end of the citation.
S. L. Scott, “Zombies Are Easier,” Bewildering Stories, January 28, 2013, http://www.bewilderingstories.com/issue511/zombies_easier.html.
Scott, S. L. “Zombies Are Easier.” Bewildering Stories, January 28, 2013. http://www.bewilderingstories.com/issue511/zombies_easier.html.
Abstract
Tamara J. Ferguson and Susan L Crowley, “Gender Differences in the Organization of Guilt and Shame,” abstract, Sex Roles 37 (1997): 35.
Ferguson, Tamara J., and Susan L. Crowley. "Gender Differences in the Organization of Guilt and Shame." Abstract. Sex Roles 37 (1997): 19-44.
An Anonymous Article
"The Decade of the Spy," Newsweek, March 7, 1994.
Newsweek. "The Decade of the Spy." March 7, 1994.
Letter to the Editor
Cynthia Ozick, letter to the editor, Partisan Review, July 17, 1990.
Ozick, Cynthia. Letter to the editor. Partisan Review, July 17, 1990.
A Special Issue
Editor First Last, ed., “Title of Special Issue,” special issue, Title of Journal xx, no. x (Year).
Editor Last, First, ed. “Title of Special Issue.” Special issue, Title of Journal xx, no. x (Year).
Article from a Special Issue
Author of Article First Last, “Title of Article,” in “Title of Special Issue,” ed. First Last, special issue, Title of Journal xx, no. x (Year): xx.
Author of Article Last, First. “Title of Article.” in “Title of Special Issue.” Ed. First Last. Special issue, Title of Journal xx, no. x (Year): xx-xx.
Reviews
In reviews, you want to include the name of reviewer (if any), title of review (if any), words review of followed by the work and author or sponsor, location and date (if a performance), and periodical information as given above (if in a magazine, follow magazine rules; if in a newspaper, follow newspaper rules). If it is a film, television show, play, or something without an author, you can include directors, composers, or performers in its place, in addition to any producer or sponsor.
Review of a Book
Steven Wertheim, “Hunter-Blatherer,” review of The World Until Yesterday: What Can We Learn from Traditional Societies?, by Jared Diamond, Nation 296, no. 16 (2013), 35.
Wertheim, Steven. “Hunter-Blatherer.” Review of The World Until Yesterday: What Can We Learn from Traditional Societies?, by Jared Diamond. Nation 296, no. 16 (2013): 35-37.
Review of a Motion Picture
Manohla Dargis, “Scruffy Space Cowboys Fighting Their Failings,” review of Serenity, Universal Pictures, New York Times, September 30, 2005, http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/30/movies/30sere.html.
Dargis, Manohla. “Scruffy Space Cowboys Fighting Their Failings.” Review of Serentity, Universal Pictures. New York Times, September 30, 2005. http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/30/movies/30sere.html.
Review of a Video Game
Susan Arendt, review of Mass Effect 3, Bioware, Escapist Magazine, March 6, 2012, http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/editorials/reviews/9458-Mass-Effect-3-Review.
Arendt, Susan. Review of Mass Effect 3. Bioware. Escapist Magazine, March 6, 2012. http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/editorials/reviews/9458-Mass-Effect-3-Review.
Listed below are both the foot/endnote and the bibliography entry, in that order. Foot/endnotes receive a first line (one tab or .5" indent, which should be automatic in Word), and the bibliography receives a hanging indent. Be sure you are looking at the correct one.
An Episode of a Television or Radio Program
The same format is used for DVDs or streaming services like Netflix or Amazon Instant Video. Simply change the medium to DVD or Netflix Streaming Video File.
Writers (if listed), “Episode Title,” Series Title, season #, episode #, directed by , aired date (Location: Production Company, copyright date), Medium.
Todd Harthan, “100 Clues,” Psych, season 7, episode 100, directed by Matt Shakman, aired March 27, 2013 (New York: USA Network, 2013), Television.
Harthan, Todd. “100 Clues.” Psych. Season 7. Episode 100. Directed by Matt Shakman. Aired March 27, 2013. New York: USA Network, 2013. Television.
A Film or Video Recording (DVD)
Indexed scenes are treated like chapters in a book and should be listed in quotation marks.
Ironman 3, directed by Shane Black (Burbank, CA: Warner Bros., 2013). Film.
Ironman 3. Directed by Shane Black. Burbank, CA: Warner Bros., 2013. Film.
A Song on a CD or MP3
Composer, writer, performer, or person responsible for content, Title punctuated appropriately (“song,” album, “song in a classical piece,” classical piece), Recoding Company or Publisher, identifying number of recording (if any), copyright date or date of performance, Medium.
Fun, “Some Nights,” Fueled by Ramen, 2012, compact disc.
Fun. “Some Nights.” Fueled by Ramen. 2012, compact disc.
A Recorded Speech, Lecture, or Reading
If it is not obvious from the title that it is a speech, lecture, or reading, include that in parentheses after the title.
Franklin D. Roosevelt, “First Inaugural Speech,” March 4, 1933, Adobe Flash Audio, 1:11, BBC News Online, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7831627.stm.
Roosevelt, Franklin D. “First Inaugural Speech.” March 4, 1993. Adobe Flash Audio, 1:11. BBC News Online. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7831627.stm.
A Performance Retrieved Online
William Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing, directed by Josie Rourke, performed September 2011 (London: Digital Theatre, 2011). Digital Theatre Video File.
Shakespeare, William. Much Ado About Nothing. Directed by Josie Rourke. Performed September 2011. London: Digital Theatre, 2011. Digital Theatre Video File.
A Cartoon or Comic Strip
If there is a title to the cartoon, include it after the artist’s name.
Cartoon by Roz Chast, New Yorker (April 7, 1997): 72.
A Painting, Sculpture, or Photograph (Visual Art)
Pictures or photos are cited only in the caption of the image, usually in parenthesis if there is already a note in the caption. You are not citing the actual piece of artwork but the location you retrieved it from. If you retrieved it from a website, you will cite that, if a photocopy from a book, cite the book.
Fig. 1. “Mona Lisa” painting by Leonardo da Vinci. (Photo courtesy of “Proof 'original' Mona Lisa was painted by Leonardo da Vinci,” The Telegraph online, last modified February 14, 2013, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/leonardo-da-vinci/9869357/Proof-original-Mona-Lisa-was-painted-by-Leonardo-da-Vinci.html)
Document in a Microform Collection
Documents in a microform collection are treated first as the original publication type, with the microform information in place of or following the publication information.
William Whately, "A bride-blush, or a wedding sermon," Early English Books 1475-1640 (Ann Arbor, MI: University Microfilms, 1956– ), P&R 25296.
Whately, William. "A bride-blush, or a wedding sermon." Early English Books 1475-1640. Ann Arbor, MI: University Microfilms, 1956– . P&R 25296.
Websites are much trickier than the other sources listed. When using a website, you must always judge the reliability of the source. Is it by a respectable group or organization or is it owned by a random person? Is the address one you can trust, like .edu or .gov, or an unknown free website like angelfire.com? Scholarly research isn’t simply about finding some information from whatever websites out there but finding reliable and verifiable information from trustworthy websites. Some key things to look for when judging a website’s authority are
- does it have an author (or organization as author)
- how credible is the author
- does it have a date of publication or update and is it recent
- is the site sponsored by a legitimate organization or agency
- is the sponsor organization generally considered to have bias
Ultimately, use common sense and ask yourself, “Why should I trust this information?”
You want to try and find as much information as possible when using a page off a website. You want to try and get author (if any), title or description of the page, owner or sponsor of the website, URL, and the date posted/updated. If there is no date or update listed, provide the access date. An organization can be an author. Find as much as possible, but you can only work with what is there. If you are missing any information, move on to the next piece.
The way this is listed depends a lot on what information you have. In the Date section, if you have a modified date, you would list it as last modified July 12, 2011; whereas, if you have no date or post or modified date, you would list it as accessed August 3, 2013.
Author Last, First. “Title of the page.” Title of Website/Sponsor. Date posted/updated. URL.
For materials such as video or audio files found online, see Multimedia. For online or electronic books, see Books. For journal articles found online, see Periodicals.
Listed below are both the foot/endnote and the bibliography entry, in that order. Foot/endnotes receive a first line (one tab or .5" indent, which should be automatic in Word), and the bibliography receives a hanging indent. Be sure you are looking at the correct one.
Website
Laws & Regulations,” epa.gov, last modified May 3, 2013, http://www2.epa.gov/laws-regulations.
Author Last, First. “Title of the page.” Title of Website/Sponsor. Date posted/updated. URL.
Environmental Protection Agency. “Laws & Regulations.” EPA.gov. Last modified May 3, 2013. http://www2.epa.gov/laws-regulations.
Facebook Post
Generally in academic writing you do not want to use a Facebook post as a source unless it is a valid group or author’s posting and the information is important to your research.
Center for Faulkner Studies at Southeast Missouri State University’s Facebook page, accessed July 19, 2013, http://www.facebook.com/pages/ Center-for-Faulkner-Studies-at-Southeast-Missouri-State-University/113034032064019.
Center for Faulkner Studies at Southeast Missouri State University’s Facebook page. Accessed July 19, 2013. http://www.facebook.com/pages/ Center-for-Faulkner-Studies-at-Southeast-Missouri-State-University/113034032064019.
Blog Post
If the word blog is a part of the title, you do not need to put (blog) behind it.Blog entries can be used only in foot/endnotes. If the blog is cited several times, you can include the blog itself in your bibliography.
Joshua de Vries, “A Procrastinating Post about Grading Fragrances,” The Mind of an English Major (blog), October 13, 2012, http://tmoaem.blogspot.com/2012/10/a-procrastinatory-post-about-grading.html
de Vries, Joshua. The Mind of an English Major (blog). October 13, 2012. http://tmoaem.blogspot.com/2012/10/a-procrastinatory-post-about-grading.html
Comment on a Blog Post
If the author is only known by a screen name, use that in place of the author name.Blog entries can be used only in foot/endnotes. If the blog is cited several times, you can include the blog itself in your bibliography.
Shana Scott, July 17, 2013, comment on Joshua de Vries, “A Procrastinating Post about Grading Fragrances,” The Mind of an English Major (blog), October 13, 2012, http://tmoaem.blogspot.com/2012/10/a-procrastinatory-post-about-grading.html
de Vries, Joshua. The Mind of an English Major (blog). October 13, 2012. http://tmoaem.blogspot.com/2012/10/a-procrastinatory-post-about-grading.html
Video Post
If the person posting the video is different from the creator, change posted to posted by include the poster’s name followed by a comma and the post date.
Tyler Moore, “Understanding Wordpress Plugins,” YouTube video, 4:56, posted December 5, 2012, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07rqFm0MRO0.
Moore, Tyler. “Understanding Wordpress Plugins.” YouTube video, 4:56. Posted December 5, 2012. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
They are usually only listed in foot/endnotes unless it is published somewhere.
Listed below are both the foot/endnote and the bibliography entry, in that order. Foot/endnotes receive a first line (one tab or .5" indent, which should be automatic in Word), and the bibliography receives a hanging indent. Be sure you are looking at the correct one.
Published or Broadcast Interview
If published online provide URL, and if multimedia (podcast, etc.) give that information after the program title.
Harry Blackmun, interview by Ted Koppel and Nina Totenberg, Nightline, ABC, April 5, 1994.
Blackmun, Harry. Interview by Ted Koppel and Nina Totenberg. Nightline. ABC. April 5, 1994.
Personal Interview
Joshua de Vries, interview by the author, May 15, 2013.
Personal Communication (E-mail, Letters, Text Messages)
Elizabeth Bennet, e-mail message to author, July 21, 2010.
Academic Sources
This section includes dissertations, theses, and archival materials.
A Dissertation or Master’s Thesis
A master’s thesis is cited the same way, with master’s thesis replacing PhD diss. Also, if found online, provide URL or database name and ID number at the end.
Anthony T. Boyle, "The Epistemological Evolution of Renaissance Utopian Literature, 1518-1657" (PhD diss., New York University, 1983).
Boyle, Anthony T. "The Epistemological Evolution of Renaissance Utopian Literature, 1518-1657." PhD diss., New York University, 1983.
A Lecture, Speech, Address, or Reading
Change paper depending on the type of work. (Lecture, speaker, poster etc.)
Speaker, “Title if any” (paper, Sponsoring organization/Conference, City, Date).
Speaker. “Title if any.” Paper presented at Sponsoring organization/Conference, City, Date.
Manuscripts and Archival Materials
Manuscripts are treated differently than other materials. Normally the specific piece is cited only in the foot/endnote. What is cited in the bibliography is the archive and collection it was retrieved from, unless only one item from an archive is cited. In that case cite the specific piece in the bibliography as well.
There is no uniform way to format manuscripts, so include as much information on the location and identification as possible and use that form consistently. Below is an example of the type of information you should be looking for. If the depository is a well-known institution, the city can be omitted. Dates can be Month Day, Year or, to avoid confusion, Day Month Year.
Foot/endnote
Author First Last, Title punctuated as necessary, Date of Manuscript, Collection Name (if any), Collection ID Information (this can be Box #, File #, etc), Name of Depository, City, ST (if obscure city).
Bibliography
Collection Name. Depository. City, ST (if obscure).
A Manuscript or Typescript
Goeffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury Tales, 1400-1410, MS Harley, 7334, British Library.
MS Harley. British Library.
An Unpublished Letter
The word letter may be omitted, but descriptions like memorandum or telegram should be included.
Thomas Hart Benton to Charles Fremont, 22 June 1847, John Charles Fremont Papers, Southwest Museum Library, Los Angeles.
John Charles Fremont Papers. Southwest Museum Library. Los Angeles.
A Letter in a Published Collection
Virginia Woolf to T. S. Eliot, 28 July 1920, in The Letters of Virginia Woolf, vol. 2, ed. Nigel Nicolson and Joanne Trautmann (New York: Harcourt, 1976) 437.
Woolf, Virginia. The Letters of Virginia Woolf. Vol 2. Edited by Nigel Nicolson and Joanne Trautmann. New York: Harcourt, 1976. 437-38.
Government and Legal Documents
This includes records of congress or reports issued by a department or committee, court cases, and acts of Congress. Legal material can be very complicated to cite if you aren’t familiar with it. The Chicago Manual of Style suggests if you need a lot of legal documents cited that you should reference The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation or the ALWD Citation Manual: A Professional System of Citation.
Like manuscripts, legal materials are generally cited in foot/endnotes only.
Congressional Record Post-1873
H stands for House, S stands for Senate. If the speaker is important, include in the parentheses.
# Cong. Rec. Page number. (Date).
159 Cong. Rec. 3015-24 (May 15, 2013).
Congressional Record Pre-1873
For year 1789-1824 congressional records were printed in Annals of Congress of the United States Debates, 1824-37 Register of Debates, and 1833-73 Congressional Globe. Abbreviations of these are used instead of Cong. Rec.
Cong. Globe, 39th Cong. 2d Sess. 39 (1866).
42 Annals of Cong. 1697 (1824).
3 Reg. Deb. 388 (1827).
Constitutions
§ refers to section, ¶ refers to paragraph, art. refers to article, amend. refers to amendment.
U.S. Const. art. I, § 4, cl. 2.
Law or Statues
Name of Act, Public Law No#, Statues at Large vol #. (Date enacted).
Pesticide Monitoring Improvements Act of 1988, Pub. L. 102.1412, Stat. 100-418 (August 23, 1988).
Bills or Resolution
Name of Act, Bill #, Congressional session, Section # (Year of Publication).
Homeland Security Act of 2002, H. R. 5005, 107th Cong. (2002).
Court Case
First plaintiff v. First defendant, Volume Name First page, Page of actual citation, (Name of court that decided the case Date).
Stevens v. National Broadcasting Co., 148 USPQ 755, 755. (CA Super. Ct. 1966).
Writing Lab
The Writing Lab is available to students to assist with all things writing. This unique service helps at any point during the writing process and can be useful to students in any course, plus you can submit questions online.
If you are having trouble with formatting your paper according to Chicago Style guidelines, the Writing Lab has several tutorials you can use as a template:
How is Chicago Style Different from MLA or APA?
Chicago is not used as much as MLA or APA in academic writing. It is used more in the publishing industry, so if you’re pursuing that Small Press minor, be prepared. At Southeast, it is also often seen in historic preservation studies and some specialized history fields. But no matter the class, if your professor asks for Chicago style, here are some things to understand.
- It’s not as scary as you think!
- Chicago does not use parenthetical internal citations, i.e., (Scott 124) or (Scott, 2013, p. 124) if the Notes/Bibliography method is used (Chicago also has an Author/Date method that does use parenthetical internal citations, more on that below). Instead it uses footnotes or endnotes. Word can do this pretty easily.
- You do not have to have both footnotes and endnotes unless your teacher requests it. One or the other is okay.
- You do still need a bibliography with your foot/endnotes.
- Sources are formatted differently in foot/endnotes than in the bibliography.
- Pictures only need to be cited in the caption.
If this is your first time working with Chicago, please look over the tutorials above. They will explain everything you need to know about formatting the paper.
Notes/Bibliography Style
Book
Bibliography: Author Last, First. Title of Book. City: Publisher, Year.
Editor Last, First, ed. Title of Book. City: Publisher, Year.
Above is the most basic format for a book. List the author’s name as written on the title page. If multiple authors or editors are listed, separate with commas and place an “and” before the final author or editor (Last, First, and First Last). Only the first name is reversed, the rest are written normally. If you have both author and editor, such as in an anthology, see Books.
Lovecraft, H. P. Supernatural Horror in Literature. New York: Dover, 1973.
Foot/Endnote Citations: Names are reversed in internal citations. When citing in the note the first time it would be:
- Author First Last, Title (City: Publisher, Year), page ##
- H. P. Lovecraft, Supernatural Horror in Literature (New York: Dover, 1973), 35.
- Lovecraft, Supernatural Horror, 35.
Bibliography: Articles in an online database are cited the same as print periodicals with the addition of the DOI or stable URL followed by a period. DOIs are unique to each article and can usually be found with the rest of the reference information. Not all articles have a DOI. If a stable URL is not listed by the database, give the database name and an identification number in parentheses. For a more comprehensive list, see Periodicals.
With a DOI:
Author Last, First. “Title of Article.” Title of Periodical xx, no. x (Year): pp–pp. doi:xx.xxxx/xxxxx.
Ferraiolo, Kathleen. “Is State Gambling Policy ‘Morality Policy’? Framing Debates over State Lotteries.” Policy Studies Journal 41, no. 2 (May 2013): 217–242. doi: 10.1111/psj.12015.
With a URL:
Author Last, First. “Title of Article.” Title of Periodical xx, no. x (Year): pp–pp. URL.
Chase, Kenneth R. “Constructing Ethics through Rhetoric: Isocrates and Piety.” Quarterly Journal of Speech 95, no. 3 (2009): 239–262. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=44032656&site=ehost-live.
With a Database Name and ID Number:
Author Last, First. “Title of Article.” Title of Periodical xx, no. x (Year): pp–pp. Database (ID Number).
Chase, Kenneth R. “Constructing Ethics through Rhetoric: Isocrates and Piety.” Quarterly Journal of Speech 95, no. 3 (2009): 239–262. Academic Search Complete (Accession Number 44032656).
Foot/Endnote Citations:
Names are reversed in internal citations. When citing the first time in the text it would be:
- Kathleen Ferraiolo, “Is State Gambling Policy ‘Morality Policy’? Framing Debates over State Lotteries,” Policy Studies Journal 41, no. 2 (May 2013): 232, doi: 10.1111/psj.12015.
- Kenneth R. Chase, “Constructing Ethics through Rhetoric: Isocrates and Piety,” Quarterly Journal of Speech 95, no. 3 (2009): 248, https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=44032656&site=ehost-live.
- Kenneth R. Chase, “Constructing Ethics through Rhetoric: Isocrates and Piety,” Quarterly Journal of Speech 95, no. 3 (2009): 248, Academic Search Complete (Accession Number 44032656).
- Ferraiolo, “State Gambling Policy,” 233.
- Chase, “Constructing Ethics,” 247.
A General Website
Websites are much trickier than the other sources listed. When using a website, you must always judge the reliability of the source. Is it by a respectable group or organization or is it owned by a random person? Is the address one you can trust, like .edu or .gov, or an unknown free website like angelfire.com? Scholarly research isn’t simply about finding some information from whatever websites out there, but finding reliable and verifiable information from trustworthy websites. Some key things to look for when judging a website’s authority are
- does it have an author (or organization as author),
- how credible is the author,
- does it have a date of publication or update and is it recent,
- is the site sponsored by a legitimate organization or agency, and
- is the sponsor organization generally considered to have bias.
Ultimately, use common sense and ask yourself, “Why should I trust this information?”
For a complete list of the different types of web-based sources, see Internet Sources.
Bibliography:
You want to try and find as much information as possible when using a page of a website. You want to try and get author (if any), title or description of the page, owner or sponsor of the website, URL, and the date posted/updated. If there is no date or update listed, provide the access date. An organization can be an author. Find as much as possible, but you can only work with what is there. If you are missing any information, move on to the next piece.
The way this is listed depends a lot on what information you have. In the Date section, if you have a modified date, you would list it as last modified July 12, 2011; whereas, if you have no date or post or modified date, you would list it as accessed August 3, 2013.
Author Last, First. “Title of the page.” Title of Website/Sponsor. Date posted/updated. URL.
Environmental Protection Agency. “Laws & Regulations.” EPA.gov. Last modified May 3, 2013. https://www2.epa.gov/laws-regulations.
Foot/Endnote Citations:
Names are reversed in internal citations. Unless the author is a person, you do not need to put it at the beginning. When citing the first time in the text it would be:
- “Laws & Regulations,” epa.gov, last modified May 3, 2013, https://www2.epa.gov/laws-regulations.
- Author, “Title of page.”
- “Laws & Regulations.”
What is the Author/Date Style, and How Does it Differ from the Notes/Bibliography Style?
While most subjects in the humanities and some in the social sciences use Chicago’s notes/bibliography style, The Chicago Manual of Style recommends that the physical, natural, and social sciences use the alternative author/date style. This style uses in-text citations rather than foot- or endnotes and a reference list rather than a bibliography, similar to APA style.
The in-text citations are placed at the end of the clause where the quote or borrowed information is given but before any punctuation ending that clause, including a period ending the sentence. Within the parentheses, the author(s) last/family name(s) is/are given, followed by a single space with no intervening punctuation and the year of publication. Two authors’ names are separated by an “and;” three names are separated by commas along with an “and”; and if the source contains four or more authors, then the first author’s name is given followed by “et al.”
If the source contains page numbers, then the page number(s) from where the cited information originated is/are given after the publication year, separated from it by a comma. A page range is indicated by a dash in between the numbers, and separate pages are indicated by a comma in between the numbers.
A General Website
(Smith 2016, 147).
(Jones and Robertson 2007, 265-67).
(Dewey, Cheatham, and Howe 2018, 42, 46).
(Brown et al. 2010, 7-9, 11).
If there are no individual authors are listed, then list a corporate author if applicable. If there is no corporate author, then list the work’s title in quotation marks. The title can be shortened if necessary, though the first word in the shortened title must match the first word of the full title.
(American Red Cross 2014).
(“Race for Governor Heats Up” 2016).
Another option for citation in author/date style is listing the author(s) in text, followed immediately by the year of publication in parentheses (even if the author is listed in the possessive form). Any page numbers would still be listed in parentheses at the end of the clause.
According to Jones and Robertson (2007), “The economy will almost certainly remain strong for years to come” (265-67).
Jones and Robertson (2007) predicted, “The economy will almost certainly remain strong for years to come” (265-67), but the 2008 financial crash ended their notoriety as trustworthy economists.
Jones and Robertson’s (2007) work on American economic trends was their last to be widely received.
If no date is given for publication, then put n.d. in place of the year of publication in both the in-text citation and the reference page. If the exact year of publication is uncertain, but an approximate year can be reasonably guessed, then a year may be inserted with a question mark and surrounded by brackets.
(Wickham [1652?]).
The reference page in author/date style is nearly identical to the notes/bibliography style, except that the page is titled as “References” or “Works Cited” rather than “Bibliography” and that the year of publication is placed between the author’s name and the title of the work, followed by a period. Unlike APA, the year is not placed in parentheses.
Dewey, Paul, Laura Cheatham, and Walter Howe. 2018. How to Succeed at Multi-Level
Marketing. Las Vegas: Populist Books.
More detailed information on the author/date style can be found in The Chicago Manual of Style, 17th Edition or A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, 9th Edition by Kate L. Turabian.