Chicago style in-text citation gives a great opportunity to inform your reader about cited sources right in the text by proving its credibility. It helps readers be more immersed in your writing and not get distracted by referring to a bibliography page or reference list on the last page.
Chicago Manual of Style (as well as Turabian) citation guide offers authors two options for in-text citations: author-date and notes & bibliography. Mind that you can use only one method throughout your text — no mixing possibilities are available.
Let’s get acquainted with these two methods and figure out how to properly use them.
Chicago Author-Date In-Text Citation
Chicago author-date in-text citation supposes putting your cited source in parentheses right in the middle of your text. Formatting such citations is pretty straightforward. Pay attention that there is no comma among Author’s last name and publication year. Put comma before a page number.
Look at a formula below:
In-text citation format | (Author’s Last Name Publication Year, Page Number) |
Example:
You can place author-date citation in two ways: at the end and in the middle of your sentence. First variant is more applicable when you cite a whole thought or part through all clauses or paragraphs with no additional authors or your own suppositions. Remember that you need to put a citation before the period.
Second variant is used in cases when you have your own or different author’s thoughts in your sentence. Thus, you can use two different author-date parentheses in one sentence.
If you name source's author last name in your text, there’s no need to put this last name in your citation. Look at the examles below:
Feel free to use semicolon in case of multiple sources citation:
While using Chicago author-date in-text citation, you need to create a reference list at the end of your paper and list all cited sources from your text.
Chicago Style Notes and Bibliography
Chicago style notes and bibliography citation variant supposes using either footnotes (with citation on the same page) or endnotes (citation on a separate page at paper’s end). Chicago style rules prescribe choosing one variant throughout one paper.
Footnotes formatting sticks to the following guidelines:
- Put a superscript numeral at the sentence or thought end.
- Place a footnote right after punctuation marks.
- Start notes with 1 and follow it consistently.
Example:
If you choose Chicago/Turabian footnotes for citation, you need to specify your source in a page's footer. Each source should conform with the number in your text. To specify your sources you can choose full notes or short notes.
Full Notes and Short Notes
Chicago style notes and bibliography variant creates room for using two types of notes. Full notes and short notes may be either mixed through the text or not. This depends on prescriptions your tutor or institution have so feel free to clarify this issue.
Full note starts with a note’s number (followed by a period) and includes ultimate information regarding your source that contains elements in consecutive order and separated with commas. Use brackets for a source’s title and italics for publication details. Publisher and publisher year should be written in parentheses.
Look at the following formula:
Full note format | Author Full Name, “Source’s Title,” Publication Details, Editor Full Name, (Publisher, Year), Page Number. |
Example:
Short note includes only author’s last name, source’s title in brackets, and page number if needed, all separated with commas. Here is a formula:
Short note format | Author’s Last Name, “Source’s title,” Page Number. |
Example:
Most likely your institution prescriptions mean using full notes for the first time any source mentioned and a short note for its consecutive repetitions.
Maybe you need a Chicago style bibliography example, open one more blog.
Chicago Style Footnotes and Endnotes
Difference between Chicago style footnotes and endnotes lies in a place cited sources appear. Footnotes specify cited sources in a page's footer. But you also need to add sources mentioned in footnotes on a bibliography page.
Endnotes are listed on a separate page at the text’s end and not present on a page where the corresponding source is mentioned.
Chicago Website: In-Text Citation
There’s nothing of a rocket science when we talk about Chicago style citation of a website in notes. It starts with a note number followed by a period. Web page title should be used in brackets. Don't forget to put a dot at the end after the URL. Simply follow this structure for a full note:
Full note format | Note Number. Author’s Full Name, “Web Page Title,” Website Title, Publication Date, URL. |
Example:
Look at a structure of a short note in-text citation for a website in Chicago style.
Short note format | Note Number. Author’s Last Name, “Web Page Title.” |
Example:
We have the whole blog dedicated to Chicago style citation website.
Chicago Style In-Text Citation: Book
Chicago style book citation is also pretty straightforward and follows the website’s note structure. For a full note, you should start with a note number. The title of a book should be italicized. Use publisher and year in parentheses. Follow this structure:
Full note format | Note Number. Author’s Full Name, Book’s Title, (Publisher, Year), Page Number. |
Example:
For a Chicago in-text citation of a book in a short note follow this structure:
Short note format | Note Number. Author’s Last Name, Book’s Title, Page Number. |
Example:
In-Text Citation for Youtube Video: Chicago Style
Yes, plenty of people seek for an answer on how to use in-text citation for YouTube video in Chicago style. Once again: these brave new world stormy times sometimes make us cite YouTube videos! A full citation shoud start with a note number. Use brackets for a video title. Let’s see the order of a full citation (all separated with periods):
Full citation format | Note Number. Author Full Name, “Video Title,” Additional information, Month Day, Year, Format, Video length or Timestamp(s), URL. |
Example:
Chicago Citation: Journal Article
It would be quite confusing and a bit cyberpunk if one paper contained a Chicago citation of a Youtube video and a printed journal simultaneously. Anyway, we cannot omit informing you on how to format in-text citation of a journal in Chicago style. The order is the following:
Full citation format | Note Number. Author’s Full Name, “Article Title,” Journal Name Volume, (Date Published): Page Number. |
Example:
Citing an Image: Chicago Style
There are myriad ways of obtaining information as well as situations when you need to cite an image. Would you like to know how to cite an image Chicago? We’re here to help you get to know its formatting. Write everything with a comma and follow the order as it shows at a structure. Let’s see how you need to list information:
Full note format | Note Number. Author’s Full Name, Imagine Title, Format, Website Name, Month Date, Year, URL. |
Example:
Chicago In-Text Citation: Multiple Authors
When it comes to Chicago style in-text citation of multiple authors in notes and bibliography style, start with a note number. Use “and” between the second author and the third one. Put comma after every last name. Source title should be used in brackets. You need to follow this structure:
2-3 Authors
In-text citation | Note number. First Author’s Last Name, Second Author’s Last Name, and Third Author’s Last Name, “Source Title,” Page number. |
Example:
4 and More Authors
For Chicago in-text citation with 4 and more authors use “et al.” after the first author’s last name. Source title should be in brackets. Here is a structure:
In-text citation format | Note Number. First Author’s Last Name et al., “Source title,” Page Number. |
Example:
Multiple authors in-text citation for Chicago style author-date method is provided in a corresponding section earlier in this article.
Chicago In-Text Citation: Additional
There are certain situations when you don’t have full information needed for citing a source using Chicago style in-text citation. Let’s take a look at how to cope with these occasions.
In case you don’t have a page number of a source you are referring to, you can simply omit it. Chicago style doesn’t require using a page number every time and leaves it to an author’s consideration.
But if you feel the need to specify the location of the clause you are referring to, pick chapter name, heading, or the other not-numerical information that can give an understanding of where your information can be found.
Follow this structure:
In-text citation format | (Author’s Last Name Year of Publication, Chapter Name) |
Example:
Notes and bibliography structure:
In-text citation format | Note Number. Autor’s Last Name, “Title,” Chapter “Name” |
Example:
If you understand that you cannot find a publication date in your source, simply replace expected date with “n.d”.
Author-date structure:
In-text citation format | (Author’s Last Name, n.d.) |
Example:
Notes and bibliography structure:
In-text citation format | Note Number. Author’s Last Name, Title, (City: Publisher, n.d.), Page Number. |
Example:
And when there’s no specified author of your source, omit the name and designate the resource’s name.
Author-date structure:
In-text citation format | (Organization Name, Year) |
Example:
Notes and bibliography structure:
In-text citation | Note Number. Organization Name, “Title.” |
Example:
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Frequently Asked Questions
1. Are Chicago style footnotes double spaced?
Yes, you need to double-space both footnotes and endnotes in Chicago style citation.
2. Where to insert footnotes in Chicago style?
Chicago style footnotes consist of two parts: superscript note number and note with source information in the page's footer. Note number is located right in the text where you cite a source. Note with information is in the footer. Remember that you need to format footnotes in consecutive order while formatting footnotes.
3. What is the difference between Chicago manual of style reference list vs bibliography?
Since there are two methods for in-text citations in Chicago style, there are two different pages that include the list of all cited sources throughout the paper. When you use author-date style, you need to create a reference list as a separate page at the very end of your paper. Include all in-text cited sources in this list.
When you choose notes and bibliography citation style, you need to create a bibliography page at the very end of your paper. The note formatting is nearly the same as in the footer on each page of cited sources.
Emma Flores knows all about formatting standards. She shares with StudyCrumb readers tips on creating academic papers that will meet high-quality standards.
Comments
Yes, it would be advisable to use a citation here. Mainly because, if this quote is found by your professor or a plagiarism checker, it would be hard for you to prove that it is an original piece. Just use a standard Chicago citation, and you're golden.
Is a thesis you need to cite in footnotes unpublished? If so, use Notes-Bibliography style. Here, it will look like First-name Last-name, "Title of Thesis: Subtitle," (Publisher, Year). Unpublished thesis will require you to add type of thesis and the Name of University. It will look like Note #. First-name Last-name, "Title of Thesis: Subtitle," Unpublished thesis type, University. Year.
For citing thesis in-text you should use Author-Date style. Both published and unpublished theses will have a general format (Last-name Year).
We hope this helps!