Chicago 18 Notes & Bibliography System

The following information is an abridged version of the style and formatting guidelines found in the Publication Manual of the Chicago Manual of Style, 17th ed. (2017).  This sheet is to serve as a ready reference; more in-depth descriptions can be found in the handbook.

General Format for Endnotes & Footnotes

Superscript

  • To acknowledge a source in your paper, put a superscript number after the punctuation at the end of the sentence containing the quote or paraphrase. Do not put any punctuation after the number.

Placement

  • Endnotes are included on a separate page following the end of the text, with the title “Notes” centered at the top. The page numbering will continue on this page.
    • Footnotes are placed at the bottom of the page separated by a line.

Formatting

  • The numbers in the endnotes or footnotes correspond to the number used in the body of the paper. These numbers are in normal text (not raised), and are followed by a period and one space. The first line of the note is indented .5 inches, and the subsequent lines are flush left. The note itself is single-spaced, while the space between the notes is double-spaced.

Abbreviations

  • Include the page number, but do not use the word “page” or abbreviated “p.” or “pp.”

Abbreviated Citations for Subsequent Notes

  • The first time a source is cited, complete information for the source must be included, but in subsequent citations, it may be abbreviated.
  • For notes that are preceded immediately by the same source information, the citation may be abbreviated by citing only the author’s last name and page number.
    • Ex: 2. Smith, 64
  • If the subsequent citation does not immediately follow the same source, “Ibid.” cannot be used. Rather, the subsequent note must be referenced by the abbreviated form of author’s last name and page number.

Notes as Supplement to Research

  • Notes can be used to supplement a Chicago-style paper with additional information. Substantive notes may merely amplify the text and include no sources, or the note itself may contain quotes or paraphrasing requiring citation.
  • When a note contains the source and substantive material, the source appears first, followed by a period.
    • Ex: Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, act 3, sc. 1. Caesar’s claim of constancy should be taken with a grain of salt.
  • When the substantive note contains a quote or paraphrase requiring citation, the source follows the ending punctuation of the quote.
    • Ex: 12. One estimate of the size of the reading public at this time was that of Sydney Smith: “Readers are fourfold in number compared with what they were before the beginning of the French war.” Letters, ed. Nowell C. Smith (New York: Oxford University Press, 1953), 1:341, 343.

Citation Formats for Endnotes & Footnotes

Note: The citations of online journals, magazines, and newspapers follow the same format as the print version, but the URL should be added. Also, if the material is time-sensitive, an access date should be added as well.

A book with one author

  • Author’s First and Last Name, Title (Publisher, Year of Publication), Page number(s).
  • If a book has no author begin with the title.
  • Ex:
    • Note: 15. Judith A. Stanford, Connections, A Multicultural Reader for Writers (Mayfield Publishing Co., 1993), 34.
    • Shortened Note: 15. Stanford, Connections, 34.
      • (If you are citing the same source in subsequent notes, then a short form of the citation may be used in the footnote.)
    • Bibliography Entry: Stanford, Judith A. Connections, A Multicultural Reader for Writers. Mayfield Publishing Co., 1993.

A book with two or three authors

  • Author 1 and Author 2, Title (Publisher, Year of Publication), Page number(s).
  • Ex:
    • Note: 16. John D. Ramage and John C. Bean, The Allyn and Bacon Guide to Writing (Allyn & Bacon, 1997), 96.
    • Shortened Note: 16. Ramage and Bean, The Allyn and Bacon, 96.
    • Bibliography Entry: Ramage, John D., and John C. Bean. The Allyn and Bacon Guide to Writing. Allyn & Bacon, 1997.

A book with four or more authors

  • Up to six authors are now listed in a bibliography or reference list entry.
    • For a work with more than six, only the first three are listed, followed by “et al.”
  • Ex:
    • Note: 17.  Julie Evans et al., Equal Subjects, Unequal Rights: Indigenous Peoples in British Settler Societies (Manchester University Press, 2003), 29.
    • Shortened Note: 17. Evans et al., Equal Subjects, 29.
    • Bibliography Entry: Evans, Julie, Patricia Grimshaw, David Philips, and Shurlee Swain. Equal Subjects, Unequal Rights: Indigenous Peoples in British Settler Societies. Manchester University Press, 2003.

A book with a translator or editor

  • Author’s First and Last Name, Title, Translator/Editor(Publisher, Year of Publication), Page number(s).
  • If there is no author, as with the following example, start with the editor or translator followed by ed. or trans.
  • Ex:
    • Note: 18. Edwin Morgan, trans., Beowulf (University of California Press, 1952), 57.
    • Shortened Note: 18. Morgan, Beowulf, 57.
    • Bibliography Entry: Morgan, Edwin. trans., Beowulf. University of California Press, 1954.

An article or chapter in an edited book or anthology

  • Author’s First and Last Name, “Title,” in Book Title, Editor(Publisher, Year of Publication), Page number(s).
  • Ex:
    • Note: 19. Brian Rogoff, “Memory Development in Cultural Context,” in Cognitive Learning and Memory in Children, ed. Michael Pressley (Springer-Verlag, 1985), 117-142.
    • Shortened Note: 19. Rogoff, “Memory Development,” 117-142.
    • Bibliography Entry: Rogoff, Brian. “Memory Development in Cultural Context.” In Cognitive Learning and Memory in Children, edited by Michael Pressley, Springer-Verlag, 1985.

An article in a journal

  • Author’s First and Last Name, “Title,” Journal Title Volume, issue no. (Year of Publication): Page number(s).
  • Ex:
    • Note: 20. Robert Krolik, “Inventing Instant TV Traditions: George Stevens, Jr., Honoring Just About Everybody in Sight,” Television Quarterly 27, no. 2 (1994): 69-75.
    • Shortened Note: 20. Krolik, “Inventing Instant TV,” 69-75.
    • Bibliography Entry: Krolik, Robert. “Inventing Instant TV Traditions: George Stevens, Jr., Honoring Just About Everybody in Sight.” Television Quarterly 27, no. 2 (1994): 69-75.

An article in a magazine or newspaper

  • Author’s First and Last Name, “Title,” Magazine Title, Publication Date, Page number(s).
  • Ex:
    • Note: 21. Chris Ezzell, “The Business of the Human Genome,” Scientific American, July 2000, 48.
    • Shortened Note: 21. Ezzell, “The Business,” 48.
    • Bibliography Entry: Ezzell, Chris. “The Business of the Human Genome.” Scientific American, July 2000.

A web page or document from Web site

  • Author’s First and Last Name (if known), “Title of Page/Document,” Owner or Sponsor of Site, URL (date accessed).
  • Ex:
    • Note: 22. The University of Chicago, “The Chicago Manual of Style Online,” Accessed January 19, 2007, http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org.
      • (If no author, owner of site may be used instead)
    • Shortened Note: 22. The University of Chicago, “The Chicago Manual.”
    • Bibliography Entry: The University of Chicago. “The Chicago Manual of Style Online.” Accessed January 19, 2007. http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org (accessed January 19, 2007).