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Examples of Chicago Style, 16th ed., Author-Date
Below are examples of common Chicago style citation formats. For the most authoritative guide to Chicago style, please consult the style manual, which is linked below. Chicago also provides a Chicago-Style Citation Quick Guide.
- Chicago Manual of Style, 17th Ed. (University of Chicago) This link opens in a new window
This link opens in a new window
- What's included? Information on manuscript preparation, punctuation, spelling, quotations, captions, tables, abbreviations, references, bibliographies, notes, and indexes, with sections on journals and electronic media.
Please note that this is the author-date format used in a reference list. Your professor will specify which format you should use for your citations.
A note about online sources: For any article or material you find online you will need the item's URL.
To create correct citations, ask yourself:
- Did I find the full text of this article in print? If yes, no URL is needed.
- Did I find the full text of this article in a database or on the open web? If yes, the URL is needed.
Articles
Article found in a database or online, with one author:
Lastname, First M. Year. Title of article. Title of Journal volume,
issue no. (issue date): pages, URL.
Example:
Klyberg, Albert T. 1997. Collecting, preserving, and sharing
Rhode Island history: 175 years. Rhode Island History
55, no. 3 (August): 88-99, http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=ahl&AN=A000459246.01&site=ehost-live.
Article from a print periodical with one author:
Lastname, First M. Year. Title of Article. Title of Journal volume, issue no.
(issue date), pages.
Example:
Klyberg, Albert T. 1997. Collecting, preserving, and sharing
Rhode Island history: 175 years. Rhode Island History
55, no. 3 (August), 88-99.
Article (online) with two authors:
Lastname, First M., and Firstname M. Surname. Year. Title of article.
Title of Journal volume, issue no. (issue date): pages, URL.
Example:
Saunders, Laura S., and John A. Saunders. 1990. Early public transportation
to the islands of Rhode Island. Log of Mystic Seaport 42, no. 3 (1990):
70-6, http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ahl&AN=
A000331184.01&site=ehost-live.
Article with three or more authors (list all authors in the order listed on
the publication):
Lastname, Frank M., Frances M. Surname, John R. Smith, and Jane M. Doe.
Year. Title of article. Title of Journal volume, issue no. (issue date),
pages, URL as applicable.
Books
Book with one author:
Lastname, First M. Year. Title of book: Subtitle of book. Publication Location:
Publisher.
Example:
Lemons, J. Stanley. 1988. The first Baptist church in America.
Providence, R.I.: Charitable Baptist Society.
Books with multiple authors:
The format follows the author format as listed under articles.
An edited book:
Editor, First M., ed. Year. Title of book: Subtitle of book. Publication Location:
Publisher.
Example:
Livingston, Carolyn, and Dawn Elizabeth Smith, eds. 2008. Rhode Island's
musical heritage: An exploration. Sterling Heights, MI: Harmonie Park Press.
Web Sites
Web site with one author:
Lastname, F. M. Date published. Title of page. Publisher. URL.
Example:
Gelles, Jason. 1995. URI scientist helps the Navy tame Quonset.
Brown University. http://www.stg.brown.edu/projects/WWII_Women
/ScientistHelps.html.
Web site with a corporate or organizational author:
Organization Name. (Date published). Title of page. Publisher. URL.
Example:
UNH Dimond Library, Documents Department & Data Center. 2002.
Historic USGS maps of New England & New York: Providence, MA-RI
Quadrangle. University of New Hampshire. http://docs.unh.edu/
nhtopos/Providence.htm.
Images
Image from an online source with a creator listed:
Creator, First M. Date created. Title of Image. From Site Title, URL.
Example:
Swanbrow, D. July 23, 2008. A Happiness Ranking of 97 Nations. From The University
Record Online, http://www.ur.umich.edu/0708/Jul14_08/23.php.
Image from an online source with no creator listed:
Title of Image. Date created. From Site Title, URL.
Image from a print source with a creator listed:
Creator, First M. Date created. Title of Image. In [Continue the remainder
of the citation with citation information of the book or article as appropriate.]
Posts from the CMOS Shop Talk Blog
Citation and research tips and tricks from the Chicago Manual of Style Shop Talk Blog.