Skip to Main Content

Art and Design

Research tips and resources for art history, studio art, and design topics

About Chicago Style

This guide is a quick introduction to Chicago citation style and common citations. Be sure to consult The Chicago Manual of Style or the online quick guide for detailed standards and procedures. 

There are two different systems for citing sources in Chicago Style: Notes and Bibliography and Author-Date. Be sure to check your assignment to determine which citation style you should use.

Notes and Bibliography

In the Notes and Bibliography system, add a numbered footnote at the bottom of the page to cite another source in-text. Then, include the complete citation information in a bibliography at the end of your paper. 

General format:

Notes
1. First and Last Name(s) of Authors, Title of the Source, and other publication details like the publisher, journal information, date, page numbers, etc. 

In the notes, elements of a reference are separate by a comma. A book publisher and/or year are included in parenthesis ( ).

Shortened Notes

2. Ibid., page number(s).

3. Last Name, Shortened Title, page number(s). 

Use "Ibid.," which means "in the same place," when you are citing the same source immediately after another note. Use a shortened note the second time you cite the same source elsewhere.

Bibliography

Last Name, First Name and First Name Last Name. "Title of an Article." Title of the Source and other publication details like the publisher, journal information, date, page numbers, etc. 

In the bibliography at the end of your paper, elements of a reference are separated by a period. Include a comma , before the year.

I'm citing a...

Journal Article

  1. Author(s) In the notes, list all authors as normal. In the bibliography, list the first author's last name first.
  2. "Title of the Article" Use headline capitalization and quotation marks.
  3. Title of the Journal Use title capitalization and italicize.
  4. Volume Include the volume number of the journal.
  5. Issue Number If there are multiple issues in a journal, include a comma , after the volume and no.#.
  6. (Year): Include the year the article was published in parentheses, followed by a colon :
  7. Page range xx-xx.
  8. DOI (Digital Object Identifier) If the journal article has a DOI, include it last.
Notes
1. Hester Baer and Ryan Fred Long, "Transnational Cinema and the Mexican State in Alfonso Cuarón's Y tu Mamá También," South Central Review 21, no. 3 (2004): 155.
Bibliography
Baer, Hester, and Ryan Fred Long. "Transnational Cinema and the Mexican State in Alfonso Cuarón's Y tu Mamá También." South Central Review 21, no. 3 (2004): 150-168.

News/Magazine Article

  1. Author(s) In the notes, list all authors as normal. In the bibliography, list the first author's last name first.
  2. "Title of the Article" Use headline capitalization and quotation marks.
  3. Title of the Newspaper or Magazine Use title capitalization and italicize.
  4. Date Include the Month Day, Year the article was published.
  5. URL Include a link to the article if available online.

 

Notes
1. Amanda Petrusich, "Taylor Swift's Self-Scrutiny in 'Miss Americana,'" The New Yorker, February 4, 2020, https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/taylor-swifts-self-scrutiny-in-miss-americana.
Bibliography
Petrusich, Amanda. "Taylor Swift's Self-Scrutiny in 'Miss Americana." The New Yorker, Februrary 4, 2020. https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/taylor-swifts-self-scrutiny-in-miss-americana.

Book

  1. Author(s) In the notes, list all authors as normal. In the bibliography, list the first author's last name first.
  2. Title of the Book Use headline capitalization and italics.
  3. Place of publication: List the state (if from the U.S.) or the country associated with the published, then a colon :.
  4. Publisher List the publisher of the book. This is usually listed on the copyright page.
  5. Year Include the year in which the book you are citing was published.
  6. Page number Include any relevant page numbers you are citing in the notes only.
Notes
1. Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (New York: Random House, 2002), 102.
Bibliography
Angelou, Maya. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. New York: Random House, 2002.

Book Chapter with Editor(s)

  1. Author(s) of the Chapter. In the notes, list all authors as normal. In the bibliography, list the first author's last name first.
  2. "Title of the Chapter or Essay" Use headline capitalization and quotation marks.
  3. Title of the Book Include "in" then the the book in headline capitalization and italics.
  4. Name of the Editor(s) Include "ed." or "eds." in the notes and "edited by" in the bibliography before the name of the editor(s).
  5. Place of publication: List the state (if from the U.S.) or the country associated with the published, then a colon :.
  6. Publisher List the publisher of the book. This is usually listed on the copyright page.
  7. Year Include the year in which the book you are citing was published.
  8. Page numbers Include the page range of the chapter you are citing in the notes only.
Notes
1. Richard Rodriguez, "Aria: A Memoir of a Bilingual Childhood," in The Best American Essays of the Century, ed. Joyce Carol Oats (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 2000), 447-466.
Bibliography
Richard Rodriguez. "Aria: A Memoir of a Bilingual Childhood." In The Best American Essays of the Century, edited by Joyce Carol Oats. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 2000.

Web Page

  1. Author In the notes, include the author, or if there is no specific author, list the title of the web page you are citing in quotation marks. In the bibliography, list the organization responsible for the website first.
  2. Name of the Website If the name of the site is different from the author or the title of the page.
  3. Date If there is a date of last review or last modified, list it here. If there is no date, list the date you accessed the web page.
  4. URL.
Notes
1. "Conversation," Los Angeles County Museum of Art, accessed March 10, 2020, https://www.lacma.org/learn/conservation.
Bibliography
Los Angeles County Museum of Art. "Conversation." Accessed March 10, 2020. https://www.lacma.org/learn/conservation.

Citing a letter, photograph, text document, graphic material, or ephemera? Consult the Gerth Archives Chicago Citation Guide for Archival Materials.

Author-Date In-text Citations

Basic Format:
(Author Year, Page Number)

I'm citing a source with...

1 Author

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

(Angelou 2002, 102)

2 Authors

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

(Baer and Long 2004, 167)

3 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.

(Mulvey, Rogers, and van Den Oever 2015, 78)

4 or More Authors

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

(Ashing‐Giwa et al. 2018, 408)

No Author or Date

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

("Conversation," n.d.)

Author-Date Reference List

Basic Format:
Author Last Name, First Name Middle Name or Initial. Year. Title of Longer Work or "Title of Shorter Work." Publication details like the publisher, editors, journal information, page numbers, etc.. URL or DOI.

I'm citing a...

Journal Article

  1. Author(s) List the first author's last name first, followed by their first name and middle name or initial if listed. Then list all other authors as normal, separate them with a comma, and use "and" before the last author.
  2. Year. Include the year the article was published.
  3. "Title of the Article" Use headline capitalization and quotation marks.
  4. Title of the Journal Use title capitalization and italicize.
  5. Volume Include the volume number of the journal. If there is only a volume, include a colon : after the volume.
  6. Issue Number If there are multiple issues in a journal, include the issue number in parentheses, then include a colon : after the issue.
  7. Page range xx-xx.
  8. DOI (Digital Object Identifier) If the journal article has a DOI, include it last.
Baer, Hester, and Ryan Fred Long. 2004. "Transnational Cinema and the Mexican State in Alfonso Cuarón's Y tu Mamá También." South Central Review 21(3): 150-168.

News/Magazine Article

  1. Author(s) List the first author's last name first, followed by their first name and middle name or initial if listed. Then list all other authors as normal, separate them with a comma, and use "and" before the last author.
  2. Year. Include the year the article was published.
  3. "Title of the Article" Use headline capitalization and quotation marks.
  4. Title of the Newspaper or Magazine Use title capitalization and italicize, followed by a comma.
  5. Date Include the Month Day, Year the article was published.
  6. URL Include a link to the article if available online.
Petrusich, Amanda. 2020. "Taylor Swift's Self-Scrutiny in 'Miss Americana." The New Yorker, Februrary 4, 2020. https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/taylor-swifts-self-scrutiny-in-miss-americana.

Book

  1. Author(s) List the first author's last name first, followed by their first name and middle name or initial if listed.
  2. Year Include the year in which the book you are citing was published.
  3. Title of the Book Use headline capitalization and italics.
  4. Place of publication: List the state (if from the U.S.) or the country associated with the published, then a colon :.
  5. Publisher List the publisher of the book. This is usually listed on the copyright page.
Angelou, Maya. 2002. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. New York: Random House.

Book Chapter with Editor(s)

  1. Author(s) of the Chapter List the first author's last name first, followed by their first name and middle name or initial if listed. Then list all other authors as normal, separate them with a comma, and use "and" before the last author.
  2. Year Include the year in which the book you are citing was published.
  3. "Title of the Chapter or Essay" Use headline capitalization and quotation marks.
  4. Title of the Book Include "In" then the the book in headline capitalization and italics.
  5. Name of the Editor(s) Include "edited by" or "translated by" in the bibliography before the name of the editor(s) or translator, followed by a comma.
  6. Page numbers Include the page range of the chapter you are citing.
  7. Place of publication: List the state (if from the U.S.) or the country associated with the published, then a colon :.
  8. Publisher List the publisher of the book. This is usually listed on the copyright page.
Richard Rodriguez. 2000. "Aria: A Memoir of a Bilingual Childhood." In The Best American Essays of the Century, edited by Joyce Carol Oats, 447-466. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co.

Web Page

  1. AuthorInclude the author, or if there is no specific author, list the organization responsible for the website.
  2. Date If there is a specific date, list it here. If there is no date, use "n.d." for "no date."
  3. "Title of the Page" Use headline capitalization and quotation marks.
  4. Date If there is a date of last review or last modified, list it here. If there is no date, list the date you accessed the web page.
  5. URL.
Los Angeles County Museum of Art. n.d. "Conversation." Accessed March 10, 2020. https://www.lacma.org/learn/conservation.

Formatting Your Paper

How do I add a footnote in Word?

For the Chicago Style notes and bibliography system, you'll need to add a footnote for each paraphrase and direct quote.

1. Go to References.

2. Select Insert footnote. 

3. Then, add your notes citation next to the appropriate number.

Animated gif of going to References and Insert footnote in Word.

How do I make a hanging indent in Word?

1. Highlight the citaiton with your cursor. 

2. Right click. 

3. Select Paragraph.

4. Under Indentation, select Special and Hanging.

Animated gif of creating a hanging indent in Word. Highlight the full citation. Right click. Go to Paragraph. To to the Special drop down menu, select Hanging. Select Okay.

How can I save time formatting my paper? 

Microsoft Word and Google Docs have a Format Painter tool that will copy and apply basic formatting to any text! 

1. Highlight the formatting you want to apply. 

2. Select Format Painter. 

3. Highlight the text you want to change. 

Note: If using the Format Painter on the Reference List, you'll need to go back and add italics. 

Animated gif of using the Format Painter tool in Word.

Creative Commons License CC by NC 4.0 This guide was created by Tessa Withorn at CSUDH Library and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.