Chicago Citation Style

Getting started with Chicago

The Chicago Manual of Style is often used to document sources for papers in the humanities (e.g. history, fine arts, and political science).

The purpose of documentation is to:

• Identify (cite) other people’s ideas and information used within your essay or term paper.

• Indicate the authors or sources of these in a Bibliography at the end of your paper.

The Chicago Manual of Style (17th ed.) recognizes two basic styles of citation: notes and bibliography and author-date. The notes and bibliography system is intended for the humanities including history, literature, and the arts. The author-date style is designed more for social sciences. This guide is intended as a guideline for the notes and bibliography system only. This guide will generally cover how to cite using the following formats for each type of source:

• Full Note - use the first time that you cite a source.

• Concise Note - use after the first time you cite a source.

• Bibliography - use when you are compiling the Bibliography that appears at the end of your paper.

Be sure to check with your instructor to find out which citation style you should use for an assignment.

The following sections in this guide will provide you with information and examples that will help you to cite the sources that you come across during your research. While this guide provides helpful examples, it may not be perfect. For more detailed information refer to The Chicago Manual of Style (17th ed.). You can also ask your instructor or a librarian.