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Chicago Style

How do I format in-text citations in Chicago Style?

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When using paraphrases and quotations in a paper, it is necessary to cite the source with an in-text citation. Correctly formatting in-text citations is important because they give credit to the source and help you avoid accidental plagiarism. Chicago Style citations can be formatted in two styles: Notes and Bibliography and Author-Date. Notes and Bibliography style is often used in the humanities while the Author-Date style is used more frequently in the physical, natural, and social sciences. Check with your instructor if you do not know which style to use.

Notes and Bibliography and Author-Date

Notes and Bibliography

Include a note when you reference a source through a quotation or paraphrase. The note corresponds to a footnote that appears at the bottom of the page. To format a footnote in Microsoft Word, place the cursor at the end of the quotation or paraphrase. Next, click the References tab and click Insert Footnote. You will then see a superscript number after the quotation or paraphrase that connects to a footnote at the bottom of the page.

  • On first reference, cite the author’s full name, source title, and facts of publication.

1. Heather Tanana, “Indigenous Science and Climate Responses,” Human Rights 49, no. 3 (April 2024): 18–25, https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspxdirect=true&AuthType=ip,shib&db=asn&AN=175323463&site=ehost-live.

  • For subsequent references, the note consists of the author’s last name, a shortened form of the source title, and page number.

Tanana, “Indigenous Science,” 18.

  • Consecutive references to the same source only feature the author’s last name and page number.

Tanana, 19.

The following models demonstrate how to format a footnote for common source entries.

Source with one author

2. Andrew Hamilton, “Rethinking Social Justice,” Eureka Street 33, no. 16 (August 21, 2023): 10–11, https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,shib&db=asn&AN=174094089&site=ehost-live.

Source with two or three authors

3. Abiodun Omotayo Oladejo, Nick Malherbe, and Ashley Van Niekerk, “Climate Justice, Capitalism, and the Political Role of the Psychological Professions,” Review of General Psychology 28, no. 1 (March 2024): 3–16, doi:10.1177/10892680231175394.

Source with four or more authors

4. Jesse Bliss et al. “Exploring Perceptions on Climate Change Through the American Climate Metrics Survey, 2016-2019,” Journal of Environmental Health 86, no. 7 (March 2024): 8–17, https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,shib&db=asn&AN=175488187&site=ehost-live.

Unknown author

5. “Students Are Listening on Climate,” Washington Post, 2024, 2AD, https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,shib&db=nfh&AN=wapo.ba71a01a-d274-11ee-a648-f1e7e46a6f9d&site=ehost-live.

Author-date

The author-date version of Chicago Style features parenthetical citation after a source is referenced rather than footnotes. These in-text citations are brief (featuring the author’s last name, year published, and page number) since the full citation information is listed on a References page at the end of the paper.

Source with one author

  • If the year is mentioned after the author’s name, only the page number is needed in the in-text citation.

Hamilton (2023) explains, “The threat of climate change is of a different order than the previous challenges to human flourishing” (10).

  • When the author and year are not featured before the quotation or paraphrase, include this information in the in-text citation.

Consequently, “The threat of climate change is of a different order than the previous challenges to human flourishing” (Hamilton 2023, 10).

Source with two or three authors

(Oladejo, Malherbe, and Van Niekerk 2024, 15).

Source with four or more authors

(Bliss et al. 2024, 9).

Organization as author

  • If no person is listed as the author, cite the organization who published the material.

(Mayo Clinic 2023, 18).

Unknown author

  • If a source has no author, cite a shortened version of its title (the full title will appear on the References page).

(“Students” 2024, 17).

No Date/No Page

  • If a source has no date listed, use “n.d.”
  • If no page is given, cite a marker like the section, chapter, or paragraph.

(Yale University, n.d., sec. 8).

Sources consulted: The Chicago Manual of Style, Purdue Owl Website

Guide created by: C. Jones 3/5/2024

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