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Chicago Quick Citation Guide

Citing sources in Chicago Style.

Bibliography Guidelines

Purpose: provides a list of all the sources you read and used in your writing, so that others can find the same information. 

Bibliography entries should include: 

  • Author(s) 
  • Editor(s) and translator(s), if any 
  • Titles (of book, chapter or other book part, article, journal, newspaper, magazine, website, etc.) 
  • Publishing information (place of publication, publisher, and year) 
  • Page ranges (for sources that are part of a larger source, such as chapters and articles) 

Formatting the Bibliography: 

  • Single-spaced 
  • Hanging indent (the first line of each entry lines up on the left; if the entry is longer than one line, additional lines are indented) 
    • Note: some instructors may prefer paragraph style (indented first line). 
  • Alphabetical by the author’s last name (or title, if there is no author) 
  • Titles and Subtitles: capitalize first and last words plus any other major words (“headline style” capitalization) 
  • Authors: 
    • List authors in order used in the source (on the title page, in the table of contents, etc.) 
    • Cite the first author as Last-name, First-name. 
    • Cite additional author names as they appear in the source. 
    • If citing multiple sources by the same author, use “---.” in place of the author name for sources after the first one. 
    • If there is no author, alphabetize by the first word of the title (excluding initial articles like The, A, and An). 
  • DOIs are preferred over URLs. Include DOI as a link: https://doi.org/xx.xxxxxxxx 
  • URLs: follow guidelines for breaking URLs at the end of a line. Breaks should occur: 
    • After a colon (;) or double slash (//) 
    • Before a single slash (/), a tilde (~), a period (.), a comma (,), a hyphen (-), an underline (_), a question mark (?), a number sign (#), or a percent symbol (%) 
    • Before OR after an equal sign (=) or an ampersand (&) 

Bibliography Entries

Journal Articles: 

Last-name, First-name. “Title of Article: Subtitle.” Journal Title Volume, no. Issue (Date): page range. https://doi.org/xx.xxxxxxx or URL or Name of Database

Last-name, First-name, and First-name Last-name. “Title of Article: Subtitle.” Journal Title Volume, no. Issue (Date): page range. https://doi.org/xx.xxxxxxx or URL or Name of Database

Last-name, First-name, First-name Last-name, First-name Last-name, First-name Last-name, and First-name Last-name. “Title of Article: Subtitle.” Journal Title Volume, no. Issue (Date): page range. https://doi.org/xx.xxxxxxx or URL or Name of Database

Magazine Articles: 

Last-name, First-name. “Title of Article.” Magazine Title, Month Day, Year. URL (including https://) or Name of Database

Newspaper Articles: 

Last-name, First-name. “Title of Article.” Newspaper Title, Month Day, Year. URL (including https://) or Name of Database

Books: 

Last-name, First-name. Title of Book: Subtitle. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year. 

Last-name, First-name and First-name Last-name. Title of Book: Subtitle. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year. 

Last-name, First-name, ed. Title of Book: Subtitle. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year. 

Last-name, First-name. Title of Book: Subtitle. Translated by First-name Last-name. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year. 

Last-name, First-name. Title of Book: Subtitle. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year. URL or Name of Database

Book Chapters: 

Last-name, First-name. “Title of Part, Chapter, Essay, or Short Story.” In Book Title: Subtitle, edited by First-name Last-name, page range. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year. 

Websites: 

Website/Organization. “Page Title.” Section Title. Accessed Month Day, Year OR Last modified Month Day, Year. URL (including https://). 

Last-name, First-name. “Page Title.” Date, location, media type. URL (including https://).