Author-Date Reference List

Chicago Style (Author-Date) References Formatting

This Chicago style requires a References list, which is the last page of the paper and should give the full information for all sources, with each source listed in alphabetical order. You may choose to use our formatted template, but keep in mind the following tips for the References page:

Page Format

Use the heading “References” centered 1 inch below the top edge of a new page, without underlining or using quotation marks.

Spacing

Double-space throughout the list.

Sources

Cite only the sources used in the paper.

Indentation

Do not indent the first line. Indent the second and subsequent lines of each entry one-half inch (this is called a hanging indent).

Alphabetizing

List the works alphabetically by author or by the first main word of the title if there is no author. Arrange two or more works by the same author from oldest to most recent, by year of publication.

Resources and Citation Generators around the Web

Chicago Manual of Style Website

Purdue Owl: just about every Works Cited scenario you can think of is here, complete with guides.

Easybib.org, Bibme, ZoteroBib, and CiteThisForMe are all citation generators that create Works Cited citations for you. Note: they're not always correct.

Google Doc Citation Generator. This video, created by Trisha Parsons, guides students through an easy citation generator built into Google Docs (she uses MLA, but Chicago author-date citations can be done as well).