Chicago Style Guide

Overview

Chicago style is widely used in history, art history, music, and some humanities disciplines. The Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition) offers two documentation systems: Notes-Bibliography (preferred by humanities) and Author-Date (preferred by sciences and social sciences).

When to use Chicago: Chicago is typically required for history courses, art history, music theory, and some humanities research. Always check with your instructor which system (Notes-Bibliography or Author-Date) to use.

Two Documentation Systems

📝 Notes-Bibliography

Uses footnotes or endnotes plus a bibliography page.

Best for: History, art history, literature

📊 Author-Date

Uses in-text citations plus a reference list.

Best for: Sciences, social sciences, similar to APA

Notes-Bibliography System

The traditional Chicago style using footnotes or endnotes

How It Works

In-text: Superscript numbers (¹, ², ³) at the end of sentences
Notes: Footnotes (bottom of page) or endnotes (end of document)
Bibliography: Complete list at the end, alphabetical by author
First vs. short notes: Full info on first mention, shortened thereafter

Citation Examples

📚 Book

First Note:

1. First Name Last Name, Title of Book (Place: Publisher, Year), page.

Short Note:

2. Last Name, Short Title, page.

Bibliography Entry:

Last Name, First Name. Title of Book. Place: Publisher, Year.

Example:

1. Toni Morrison, Beloved (New York: Knopf, 1987), 45.

📄 Journal Article

First Note:

1. First Name Last Name, "Article Title," Journal Title vol, no. issue (Year): pages.

Bibliography Entry:

Last Name, First Name. "Article Title." Journal Title vol, no. issue (Year): pages. DOI or URL.

Example:

1. Robert Davis, "Social Media Effects," Modern Psychology 45, no. 3 (2023): 234.

🌐 Website

First Note:

1. Author Name, "Page Title," Website Name, date, URL.

Bibliography Entry:

Author Last Name, First Name. "Page Title." Website Name. Date. URL.

Example:

1. Maria Johnson, "Climate Change," National Geographic, March 15, 2023, https://www.natgeo.com/climate.

Author-Date System

Similar to APA, with parenthetical citations and a reference list

How It Works

In-text: (Author Year, Page) in parentheses
Reference List: Complete list at the end, alphabetical by author
Format: Very similar to APA style

Citation Examples

📚 Book

In-text Citation:

(Morrison 1987, 45)

Reference List Entry:

Morrison, Toni. 1987. Beloved. New York: Knopf.

📄 Journal Article

In-text Citation:

(Davis 2023, 240)

Reference List Entry:

Davis, Robert. 2023. "Social Media Effects." Modern Psychology 45 (3): 234-256. https://doi.org/10.1037/jmp123.

Basic Formatting Rules

Bibliography/Reference List

Title: "Bibliography" (Notes-Bibliography) or "Reference List" (Author-Date)
Order: Alphabetical by author's last name
Spacing: Single-spaced entries, blank line between entries
Indentation: Hanging indent (0.5 inches)

Capitalization

Book & article titles: Title Case (All Major Words Capitalized)
Journal titles: Title Case
Example: The Effects of Meditation on Stress Levels

Special Elements

Publication place: Include city (and state if needed)
Edition: Include if not first edition (2nd ed., rev. ed.)
Volume numbers: Use "vol." in notes, volume number only in bibliography
Page numbers: Use "p." or "pp." in notes, not in bibliography

Quick Comparison

Feature	Notes-Bibliography	Author-Date
In-text	Superscript numbers¹	(Author Year, Page)
Citation location	Footnotes/endnotes	Parenthetical
End list	Bibliography	Reference List
Name format (end list)	Last, First	Last, First
Date placement	After publisher	After author
Best for	Humanities, history	Sciences, social sciences

Quick Tips

✅ Do

• Use full author names in bibliography
• Include publication place for books
• Use Title Case for titles
• Single-space bibliography entries
• Provide full info in first note (NB)

❌ Don't

• Don't use sentence case for titles
• Don't abbreviate publisher names
• Don't forget hanging indents
• Don't mix the two systems
• Don't omit page numbers in notes

Common Mistakes to Avoid

❌ Wrong: Using sentence case

Morrison, Toni. The effects of social media. New York: Publisher, 2023.

✅ Correct: Using Title Case

Morrison, Toni. The Effects of Social Media. New York: Publisher, 2023.

❌ Wrong: Missing publication place

Smith, John. Research Methods. Publisher, 2023.

✅ Correct: Including place

Smith, John. Research Methods. Chicago: Publisher, 2023.

❌ Wrong: Mixing systems

Using footnotes AND (Author Year) citations together

✅ Correct: Choose one system

Use either Notes-Bibliography OR Author-Date, not both

Disclaimer: This guide provides general information about Chicago style. Always verify citations against the official Chicago Manual of Style (17th ed.) or your institution's specific requirements.

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