Chicago 17th Edition (Notes and Bibliography) Citation Style: Detailed Guide

Introduction

Chicago style, particularly the Notes and Bibliography system, is widely used in the humanities, including literature, history, and the arts. The Chicago Manual of Style, now in its 17th edition, provides comprehensive guidelines for citing sources and formatting academic papers. This document offers a concise overview of Chicago 17th Edition (Notes and Bibliography) formatting, aiming to simplify the process of understanding and applying its rules.

Notes and Bibliography System

The Chicago Notes and Bibliography system uses footnotes or endnotes to cite sources within the text, along with a comprehensive bibliography at the end of the document. This system is flexible and can accommodate a wide variety of sources.

Footnotes/Endnotes

• Full Note: The first time a source is cited, a full note is typically used, providing complete bibliographic information.
• Shortened Note: Subsequent citations of the same source use a shortened note, usually consisting of the author’s last name, a shortened title, and the page number(s).

Bibliography

• The bibliography lists all sources cited in the notes, in alphabetical order by the author’s last name.
• Bibliography entries provide more complete publication details than notes.

In-Text Citation Rules (Notes)

Chicago style (Notes and Bibliography) uses numbered footnotes or endnotes to refer to sources. A superscript number in the text corresponds to a numbered note at the bottom of the page (footnote) or at the end of the paper (endnote).

Basic Note Format

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

Shortened Note Format

2. Author Last Name, Shortened Title, page number(s).

Multiple Authors

• Two or Three Authors: List all authors in the note.

  Example: 1. Amy J. Binder and Jeffrey L. Kidder, The Channels of Student Activism: How the Left and Right Are Winning (and Losing) in Campus Politics Today (University of Chicago Press, 2022), 117–18.

• Four or More Authors: List the first author followed by "et al."

  Example: 1. Amiel A. Dror et al., "Pre-Infection 25-Hydroxyvitamin D3 Levels and Association with Severity of COVID-19 Illness," PLOS ONE 17, no. 2 (2022): 4–5.

Corporate Author

• Use the name of the corporate body as the author.

  Example: 1. National Institute of Mental Health, Anxiety Disorders (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2018), 10.

No Author

• If no author is listed, begin the note with the title of the work.

  Example: 1. "Title of Article," Journal Name volume, no. issue (Year): page number.

Direct Quotations

• Always include page numbers for direct quotations.

  Example: 1. Charles Yu, Interior Chinatown (Pantheon Books, 2020), 45.

Bibliography Format

Bibliography entries are listed alphabetically by the author’s last name. The first line of each entry is flush left, and subsequent lines are indented (hanging indent).

General Format for Bibliography Entries

Author Last Name, First Name. Title of Work. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year.

Publication Types and Formatting

Books

Basic Format:

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

Example:

Yu, Charles. Interior Chinatown. Pantheon Books, 2020.

Book with Two or More Authors:

Binder, Amy J., and Jeffrey L. Kidder. The Channels of Student Activism: How the Left and Right Are Winning (and Losing) in Campus Politics Today. University of Chicago Press, 2022.

Edited Book:

Marks, P. J. M., and Stephen Parkin, eds. The Book by Design: The Remarkable Story of the World’s Greatest Invention. University of Chicago Press, 2023.

Chapter in an Edited Book:

Doyle, Kathleen. "The Queen Mary Psalter." In The Book by Design: The Remarkable Story of the World’s Greatest Invention, edited by P. J. M. Marks and Stephen Parkin. University of Chicago Press, 2023.

Translated Book:

Liu Xinwu. The Wedding Party. Translated by Jeremy Tiang. Amazon Crossing, 2021.

Book Consulted in an Electronic Format:

Borel, Brooke. The Chicago Guide to Fact-Checking. 2nd ed. University of Chicago Press, 2023. EBSCOhost.

Melville, Herman. Moby-Dick; or, The Whale. New York, 1851. https://melville.electroniclibrary.org/moby-dick-side-by-side.

Journal Articles

Basic Format:

Author Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article." Journal Name Volume, no. Issue (Year): page range. DOI or URL.

Example:

Kwon, Hyeyoung. "Inclusion Work: Children of Immigrants Claiming Membership in Everyday Life." American Journal of Sociology 127, no. 6 (2022): 1818–59. https://doi.org/10.1086/720277.

Hebert, B. T. "The Island of Bolsö: A Study of Norwegian Life." Sociological Review 17, no. 4 (1925): 307–13. EBSCOhost.

Journal Article with Many Authors (more than 10):

Dror, Amiel A., Nicole Morozov, Amani Daoud, et al. "Pre-Infection 25-Hydroxyvitamin D3 Levels and Association with Severity of COVID-19 Illness." PLOS ONE 17, no. 2 (2022): e0263069. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0263069.

Webpages and Websites

Basic Format:

Author Last Name, First Name (if available). "Title of Page." Title of Website. Last modified Month Day, Year. URL.

Example:

"About Us." The Chicago Manual of Style Online. Accessed July 1, 2025. https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/about.html.

Blog Post:

Author Last Name, First Name. "Title of Blog Post." Blog Name (blog), Month Day, Year. URL.

Example:

Sagan, Carl. "Cosmos." The Sagan Blog (blog), October 20, 2020. https://www.carlsagan.com/blog/cosmos.

Other Common Source Types

News or Magazine Article:

Author Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article." News/Magazine Title, Month Day, Year. URL.

Example:

Goodman, Amy. "The Climate Crisis." Democracy Now!, June 25, 2025. https://www.democracynow.org/2025/6/25/climate_crisis.

Book Review:

Reviewer Last Name, First Name. "Review Title." Review of Book Title, by Author First Name Last Name. Journal/Magazine Title Volume, no. Issue (Year): page range.

Example:

James, David. "A Review of Modern Art." Review of Art Since 1900, by Hal Foster et al. Art Journal 65, no. 1 (2006): 120–22.

Interview:

Interviewee Last Name, First Name. Interview by Interviewer First Name Last Name. Month Day, Year. Location of interview (if applicable).

Example:

Obama, Barack. Interview by David Letterman. June 1, 2025. New York.

Thesis or Dissertation:

Author Last Name, First Name. "Title of Thesis/Dissertation." Type of thesis/dissertation, University, Year.

Example:

Smith, Jane. "The Impact of Social Media on Political Discourse." PhD diss., University of Chicago, 2020.

Social Media Content:

Author Last Name, First Name (or Account Name). "Content of Post (up to 160 characters)." Social Media Platform, Month Day, Year, Time. URL.

Example:

Chicago Manual of Style. "Is it "data are" or "data is"? Our latest Q&A addresses this common question." Facebook, June 20, 2025, 10:30 a.m. https://www.facebook.com/ChicagoManualofStyle/posts/1234567890.

Video or Podcast:

Creator Last Name, First Name (or Creator/Host). "Title of Video/Episode." Title of Series/Program, Month Day, Year. Video/Audio, Duration. URL.

Example:

NPR. "The Science of Sleep." Fresh Air, July 10, 2025. Audio, 45:00. https://www.npr.org/podcasts/fresh-air.

This guide provides a concise overview of Chicago 17th Edition (Notes and Bibliography) citation style. For more detailed information and specific examples, always consult the official Chicago Manual of Style or its online resources.