Chicago notes and bibliography style cites sources in numbered footnotes or endnotes, backed by an alphabetical bibliography. It is the standard in history, much of the humanities and many arts subjects.
This guide follows the 18th edition of The Chicago Manual of Style, published in 2024, and notes where it differs from the 17th. It covers full and shortened notes, bibliography entries, author rules and examples for the sources graduate writers cite most.
How Chicago Notes Work
Place a superscript number in the text after the clause or sentence that uses a source. The first note for a source gives full details; later notes use a shortened form. The bibliography lists every source alphabetically by author surname.
Note: 1. Hilary Mantel, Wolf Hall (Fourth Estate, 2009), 112.
Short note: 2. Mantel, Wolf Hall, 115.
Bibliography: Mantel, Hilary. Wolf Hall. Fourth Estate, 2009.
Notes-Bibliography or Author-Date?
Chicago has two systems. Notes-bibliography suits disciplines that cite archival material, primary texts and commentary. Author-date, with in-text citations such as (Mantel 2009, 112), suits the sciences and social sciences.
Your department or journal decides which to use. Never mix the two in one document.
Notes and Bibliography Entries Compared
| Feature | Note | Bibliography |
|---|---|---|
| Author name | First name first | Surname first |
| Separators | Commas, with publication details in brackets | Full stops between main elements |
| Page numbers | The specific page cited | Page range for articles and chapters only |
| Indentation | First line indented | Hanging indent |
What the 18th Edition Changed
- Place of publication is no longer required for books.
- Shortened notes remain the preferred form for repeat citations, and ibid. is discouraged.
- DOIs are preferred to URLs for articles where available.
Some departments still require the 17th edition, which includes the city of publication: (London: Fourth Estate, 2009). Check which edition your guide specifies.
Examples by Source Type
Book with One Author
1. Priya Satia, Time's Monster: How History Makes History (Belknap Press, 2020), 47.
2. Satia, Time's Monster, 52.
Satia, Priya. Time's Monster: How History Makes History. Belknap Press, 2020.
Book with Two or Three Authors
1. Anna Reid and Tom Hale, The Long Ward (Oxford University Press, 2018), 90.
Reid, Anna, and Tom Hale. The Long Ward. Oxford University Press, 2018.
In notes, list up to three authors; for four or more, give the first author followed by "et al." In the bibliography, list up to ten authors; for eleven or more, list the first seven followed by "et al."
Journal Article
1. Maria Okoro, "Hospital Visiting Rules in Victorian London," Social History of Medicine 33, no. 2 (2020): 415, https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx.
2. Okoro, "Hospital Visiting Rules," 418.
Okoro, Maria. "Hospital Visiting Rules in Victorian London." Social History of Medicine 33, no. 2 (2020): 401–22. https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx.
Chapter in an Edited Book
1. James Ito, "Nurses at War," in Care and Conflict, ed. Laura Price (Manchester University Press, 2017), 63.
Ito, James. "Nurses at War." In Care and Conflict, edited by Laura Price. Manchester University Press, 2017.
Many styles add the chapter's page range to the bibliography entry; follow your department's preference.
Website Content
1. "Florence Nightingale's Statistics," Science Museum, March 8, 2021, https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/xxxxx.
Science Museum. "Florence Nightingale's Statistics." March 8, 2021. https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/xxxxx.
Add an access date only when the page has no publication or revision date. The titles and URLs above are illustrative.
Shortened Notes and Ibid.
After the first full note, use a shortened note: the author's surname, a short form of the title of up to about four words, and the page number.
Chicago discourages ibid. in favor of shortened notes, which are clearer when notes are rearranged. Some instructors still accept it, so check your guide before using it.
Archival and Primary Sources
Archival notes move from the specific to the general: item, date, collection, box or folder, and repository.
1. Matron's report to the board, June 4, 1886, Board Minutes, box 3, folder 2, St. Bart's Hospital Archives, London.
In the bibliography, archival sources are usually listed by collection rather than by individual item.
Laying Out Notes and the Bibliography
- Number notes consecutively through a paper; in a thesis, numbering usually restarts with each chapter.
- Use your word processor's footnote tool so numbers update automatically.
- Single-space notes internally, with a blank line between them, unless your department says otherwise.
- Title the list "Bibliography" and arrange entries alphabetically by surname, with a hanging indent.
- For several works by the same author, arrange them alphabetically by title.
Common Chicago Notes Errors
- Putting the note number before punctuation; it normally follows commas and full stops.
- Using bibliography format, with surname first, in the notes.
- Repeating full notes for every citation instead of shortened forms.
- Mixing 17th and 18th edition rules on place of publication.
- Omitting page numbers from notes that cite a specific passage.
How IvyDrafts Helps with Chicago Notes and Bibliography
Send your document, the Chicago edition you need and any department guide. An editor formats every note and bibliography entry, converts repeat citations to shortened notes and flags sources with missing details.
Your identity is never shared with the editor, the price is shown before you pay, and free revisions within the scope of your original request are included.
Get Your Chicago Notes Right
Send your document, the Chicago edition you need and any department guide. An editor formats every note and bibliography entry and flags missing details.
Order Chicago FormattingFree revisions · Full refund if late · Written from scratch for your order
Frequently Asked Questions
A citation system using numbered footnotes or endnotes, with a full first note, shortened later notes and an alphabetical bibliography.
The 18th edition, published in 2024. Some departments still use the 17th, so check your guide.
Usually yes. Some instructors allow full notes without a bibliography, but most expect both.
Chicago discourages it and prefers shortened notes. Use ibid. only if your instructor asks for it.
Both are correct. Footnotes are more common in theses; follow your department's preference.
Usually at the end of the clause or sentence, after punctuation such as commas and full stops.
Give the first author's name followed by "et al." in the note. In the bibliography, list up to ten authors in full.