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Citation Examples: Chicago

Chicago style refers to the Chicago Manual of Style, 17th Edition (CMOS 17).

Citing sources in this style consists of two parts:

  1. An in-text citation
  2. A bibliography

The in-text citation points the reader to the full information about the source found in the bibliography at the end of the paper.

In-text Citations (Author-Date Format)

Basic Format

(Author Year, Page Number)

Detailed Examples and Cases

One Author

Include the author's last name and year, followed by a comma and the page number you are citing.

(Thelen 2004, 271)

"There is a consistently high correlation between the voting patterns of parents and the eventual voting patterns of their children, as demonstrated by Miller and Hastings" (Thelen 2004, 271).

Two Authors

Connect both authors' last names with "and," followed by the year, followed by a comma and the page number you are citing.

(Gourevitch and Shinn 2005, 59)

The Seattle Advertiser made some startling claims about interventions by corporate interests in the 2004 mayoral election (Gourevitch and Shinn 2005, 59).

Three Authors

List each author's last name separated with a comma, with "and" before the third author, followed by the year, followed by a comma and the page number you are citing.

(Boyd, Teale, and Takuma 1997, 13)
Four or More Authors

List the first author's last name, then include "et al." for "and others."

(de La Bédoyère et al. 2006, 101)

The theory that the Renaissance marked a radical break with previous history is now discounted by many, notably by Sadie Hawkins in her book The Myth of the Renaissance (de La Bédoyère et al. 2006, 101).

No Author or Date

List the title of the work in quotation marks and use "n.d." for "no date."

("Making the most of Generative AI," n.d.)
Two or More Authors with the Same Last Name

When the reference list has works by authors with the same last name, include their first initial in the in-text citation

(K. Thelen 2004)
Multiple Works by the Same Author in the Same Year

If an author has published multiple works in the same year, alphabetise the titles in the reference list and then add a, b, c, etc. to the year

(Sheringham 2010a)

(Sheringham 2010b)

Author's Name Appears in the Sentence

If the author's name appears in the sentence, do not include the name again in the parentheses.

Thelen (2004, 271) argues that institutional evolution is deeply rooted in historical contexts.

Multiple Citations

To cite more than one reference in a single in-text citation, separate the references by semicolons. If the works are by the same author, use just the year and separate with a comma. See CMOS 15.30 for details.

(Thelen 2004; Gourevitch and Shinn 2005)

(Thelen 2004, 2006; Gourevitch and Shinn 2005)

Figures
Artwork/Images

Images should appear shortly after you mention them in your paper, should be numbered (Figure 1, Figure 2, etc.), and should appear in the List of Figures of your research.

Chicago style also states that "a brief statement of the source of an illustration, known as a credit line, is usually appropriate." (CMOS 3.29: Sources and permissions) Chicago style does not prescribe the exact format of this statement. The style does not require that images included in a paper be included in the reference list.

If you wish to include an image in your paper, BI requires at least the following information:

  • author or creator's name
  • title, or brief description if no title exists
  • year (if available)
  • format (plan, photo, diagram, oil on canvas, etc.), if not apparent
  • origin (publication title, website, etc)
    • URL (for online sources only)
  • date of access (for online sources only) 

Additional data that add context, such as a caption, are encouraged.

Example

2020-09-18-Bauhaus-Dessau-Werkstattfluegel-Ecke-2.jpeg
Figure 1. The Bauhaus building in Dessau, Gunnar Klack, Bauhaus Dessau, Gropiusallee Ecke Bauhausstraße, Dessau-Roßlau, Werkstättenflügel Foto aus Richtung Südosten, 2020, Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2020-09-18-Bauhaus-Dessau-Werkstattfluegel-Ecke-2.jpg. CC BY-SA 4.0. 

In the example above the following elements:

Figure 1. The Bauhaus building in Dessau, Gunnar Klack, Bauhaus Dessau, Gropiusallee Ecke Bauhausstraße, Dessau-Roßlau, Werkstättenflügel Foto aus Richtung Südosten, 2020, Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2020-09-18-Bauhaus-Dessau-Werkstattfluegel-Ecke-2.jpg. CC BY-SA 4.0.

correspond to:

Figure 1. Caption, Author/Creator, Title, Date, Publisher/website, URL. License.

Bibliography / References / Works-Cited

Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI)
If you decide to incorporate generative AI tools into your work, it's crucial to carefully consider how you give credit to and cite the results generated by these tools in your content. Make sure to consult with your instructor before integrating AI into your coursework to ensure compliance with guidelines and expectations.

Note: For more information about using generative AI tools in your research, see Making the most of Generative AI (ChatGPT etc.).

Please note that guidelines for working with generative AI are both new and changing quickly. It's always a good idea to check the website of the style guide for the latest information.


Chicago Manual of Style, Citing Content Developed or Generated by Artificial Intelligence, Released in spring 2023

In Chicago style, when citing AI-generated content, acknowledge the AI tool as the author. You can include a note or parenthetical citation without listing it in your bibliography. Currently, Chicago advises treating AI content like private conversations, as shareable links are not typically available. Mention the prompt details in the text or as a footnote, and use the date of content generation in your citation. Note that guidance may evolve with new AI features.

Format

Author, Title, Publisher, Date, url for the tool.

Example (if information about the prompt has been included within the text of your paper)

Text generated by ChatGPT, OpenAI, March 7, 2023, https://chat.openai.com/chat. 

Example (including information about the prompt)

ChatGPT, response to "Provide step by step instructions on how to build a house," OpenAI, March 7, 2023, https://chat.openai.com/chat. 
Books/eBooks

Book (single author)

Author’s Last name, First name. year of publication. Title: Subtitle. Edition. Place of publication: Publisher.

Thelen, Kathleen. 2004. How Institutions Evolve: The Political Economy of Skills in Germany. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Book (two or three authors)

First author Last name, First name, and second author First name Last name. year of publication. Title: Subtitle. Edition. Place of publication: Publisher.

Gourevitch, Peter, and James Shinn. 2005. Political Power and Corporate Control: The New Global Politics of Corporate Governance. New Jersey: Princeton University Press.

Book (four or more authors)

First Author Last name, First name, remaining authors’ First name Last name. year of publication. Title: Subtitle. Edition. Place of Publication: Publisher.

De la Bédoyère, Camilla, Ihor Holubizky, Julia Kelly, Michael Kerrigan, James Mackay, William Matar, Tom Middlemos, Michael Robinson, and Iain Zaczek. 2006. A Brief History of Art. London: Flame Tree Publishing.

eBooks

Author(s) Last name, First name. year of publication. Title: Subtitle, edition. Place of Publication: Publisher. url (if available)/database name/device/format.

Beaumont, Lesley A. 2012. Childhood in Ancient Athens: Iconography and Social History. London: Routledge. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ucd/detail.action?docID=1114632.


Note: If a book is available in print and online you must cite the version of the book you consulted for your work. Access dates are only included if no publication date information is available. Also note that a place of publication may not be available for an e-book. If this is the case, write "n.p." ("no place") where you would have recorded the place of publication.

Note: If you access your book on an eReader or other type of platform, insert that instead of the url (e.g. Kindle, Google Play Books, Apple Books etc.).

Note: Where page numbers are not available or where they change depending on the device used to view the eBook, the CMOS, 17th Edition advises including chapter numbers or section headings instead. If a scanned version of an original book is available online to read, this version is preferable for citation.

Book chapters

Author(s) Last name, First name Initial(s). year of publication. “Title of chapter.” In Book Title, edited by First name Last name, Pages. Place of publication: Publisher.

Sheringham, Michael. 2010. “Archiving.” In Restless Cities, edited by Matthew Beaumont and Gregory Dart, 10-24. London: Verso.

Journal articles

Journal article (single author)

Author(s) Last name, First name. year of publication. “Title of Article.” Journal Title Volume, Issue no. (month or season): pages.

Barber, Marcus. 2024. “Global Warming and the Political Ecology of Health: Emerging Crises and Systemic Solutions.” The Australian Journal of Anthropology 21, no. 3 (Winter): 390 – 391.

Journal article (two or three authors)

First Author Last name, First name, remaining authors First name Last name. year of publication. “Title of Article.” Journal Title Volume, Issue no. (month or season): pages.

Morgan, Sylvia, Danny Carswell, and Lynda Lamore. 2010. “The Rise of Political Correctness in Post-War Britain.” Twentieth Century Britain 25, no. 3 (March): 412-416.

Journal article (more than three authors)

First Author(s) Last name, First name, remaining authors First name Last name. year of publication. “Title of Article.” Journal Title Volume, Issue no.(month or season): pages.

Virtue, Simon, Holly Wright, Dale Diamond, and Sheila Murphy. 1943. “Was Mark Twain a Nihilist?” American Literary Essays 3, no. 88 (Winter): 13-27.

eJournal article

Author(s) Last name, First name. year of publication. “Title of Article.” Journal Title Volume, Issue no. (month or season): Pages. DOI/URL/Database name.

Mulvin, Lynda,  and Steven E. Sidebotham. 2004. "Roman Game Boards from Abu Sha'ar (Red Sea Coast, Egypt)." Antiquity 78, no. 301 (September): 602-617. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0003598X00113250.

Note: 17th edition of the CMOS advises to only include an access date if no publication date is provided. This is a change from the 16th edition.

Note: Month of publication only needs to be included where given in source citation.

Note: For more than three authors, list all of the authors in the bibliography; in the footnote, list only the first author, followed by et al., (“and others”). For more than ten authors, list the first seven in the bibliography followed by et al.. List only the first author followed by et al., in the footnote. 

Artworks/Images

Note: The 17th Edition of the CMOS states that paintings, sculptures and photographs can normally be simply cited in the text, so long as full source details are given. A Bibliography entry is not a requirement. (CMOS 14.235: Citing paintings, photographs, and sculpture)

Creator/Artist(s) Last name, First name. Title. date of creation/completion. Medium, Dimensions (dimensions conversion). Location of work. URL/Database name.

Gloag, Isobel. The Woman with the Puppets. 1915. Oil on canvas, 64.5 x 82.5 cm (25.39 x 32.48 in). Huge Lane Gallery, Dublin, Ireland. http://emuseum.pointblank.ie/online_catalogue/work-detail.php?objectid=619.

Webpage

Author Last name, First name. “Title of Web Page." Website name or Publishing organisation. Publication date or last modified date, year. Access date if no other date available. URL.

Hayden, Meadhbh. “My Tips for Swimming in the Irish Sea." SpunOut.ie. February 23, 2021. https://spunout.ie/voices/advice/my-tips-swimming-irish-sea.

Note: If no author is available, publishing organisation can be used instead. If neither are available, list the web page title first. Use the first word to choose where to place the reference in your alphabetical listing. Ignore articles such as “A”, “The” or “An” when choosing the location.

Note: Only provide an access date, if date published or last modified dates are unavailable.

Note: Publishing organisation does not need to be included if it is the same body as the website name/title/author, as in the case above.


Thanks to the following sources for providing partial inspiration/content for this page: Concordia University Chicago, Klinck Memorial Library and UCD Library - University College Dublin.