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.

Please note that this is what is often referred to as the "Humanities" style, or "Notes-Bibliography" format. 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:

1. Did I find the full text of this article in print? If yes, no URL is needed.
2. 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. "Title of article." Title of Journal volume,

no. (issue date): pages, URL.

Example:

Klyberg, Albert T. "Collecting, preserving, and sharing

Rhode Island history: 175 years." Rhode Island History

55, no. 3 (August 1997): 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. "Title of Article." Title of Journal volume, no.

(issue date): pages.

Example:

Klyberg, Albert T. "Collecting, preserving, and sharing

Rhode Island history: 175 years." Rhode Island History

55, no. 3 (August 1997): 88-99.

 

Article (online) with two authors:

Lastname, First M., and Firstname M. Surname.  "Title of article." 

Title of Journal volume, no. (issue date): pages,

 URL. 

Example:

Saunders, Laura S., and John A. Saunders. "Early public transportation

to the islands of Rhode Island." Log of Mystic Seaport 42, no. 3 (1990):

70-76, 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.  

"Title of article." Title of Journal volume, no. (issue date): pages,

URL as applicable.   

  

Books

Book with one author:

Lastname, First M. Title of Book: Subtitle of Book. Publication Location:

Publisher, Year.

Example:

Lemons, J. Stanley.  The First Baptist Church in America.  

 Providence, R.I.: Charitable Baptist Society, 1988. 

 

Books with multiple authors:

The format follows the author format as listed under articles.

 

An edited book:

Editor, First M., ed.  Title of Book: Subtitle of Book. Publication Location:

Publisher, Year.

Example:

Livingston, Carolyn, and Dawn Elizabeth Smith, eds. Rhode Island's

musical heritage: An exploration. Sterling Heights, MI: Harmonie

Park Press, 2008. 

 

Web Sites

Web site with one author:

Lastname, First M. "Title of page." Publisher. URL.

Example:

Gelles, Jason. "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. "Title of page." Publisher. URL.

Example:

UNH Dimond Library, Documents Department & Data Center. 

Historic USGS maps of New England & New York: Providence, MA-RI

Quadrangle. University of New Hampshire. http://docs.unh.edu/

nhtopos/Providence.htm.

 

Images

In this format, images are only listed in the Notes, not in the Bibliography.

Image from an online source with a creator listed:

Creator, First M., Title of Image, Date Created, URL.

Example:

Swanbrow, D., A Happiness Ranking of 97 Nations, 23 Jul. 2008,

http://www.ur.umich.edu/0708/Jul14_08/23.php.

 

Image from an online source with no creator listed:

Title of Image, Date Created, URL.

 

Image from a print source with a creator listed:

Creator, First M., Title of Image, Date Created, in [Continue the remainder

of the citation with citation information of the book or article as appropriate.]

Citation and research tips and tricks from the Chicago Manual of Style Shop Talk Blog.