Chicago Citations: Author-Date System
The Chicago style is composed of two different documentation systems: the notes-bibliography style, preferred by those in the humanities, and the author-date system, preferred by those in the sciences. Be sure to find out from your professor which Chicago documentation system they would like you to use*. The examples on this page are in the author-date style.
*Note: The Fairfield University History Department requires its students to use Notes-Bibliography style.
Examples of How to Document Sources
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Articles |
Electronic Sources |
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Need more in-text citation help? Here is some additional information and examples:
Basic Form | Placement of In-text Citations | Multiple References
Need more help? Try Asking a Librarian and other resources.
Examples
Book with One Author
Chicago Manual 15.9
Reference List Format:
Author's Last Name, Author's First Name. Year of Publication. Title of Book. Place of Publication: Name of Publisher.
Reference List Example:
Zelizer, Barbie. 2003. Remembering to Forget: Holocaust Memory through the Camera's Eye. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
In-text Citation Example:
(Zelizer 2003, 11)
Book with Two Authors
Chicago Manual 15.9
Reference List Format:
First Author's Last Name, First Author's First Name, and Second Author's First Name and Last Name. Year of Publication. Title of Book. Place of Publication: Name of Publisher.
Reference List Example:
Mock, Douglas W., and Geoffrey A. Parker. 1997. The Evolution of Sibling Rivalry. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
In-text Citation Example:
(Mock and Parker 1997, 73)
Book with Four or More Authors
Chicago Manual 15.9
Reference List Format:
First Author's Last Name, First Author's First Name, Second Author's First Name and Last Name, Third Author's First Name and Last Name, Fourth Author's First Name and Last Name, Fifth Author's First Name and Last Name, and Sixth Author's First Name and Last Name. Year of Publication. Title of Book. Place of Publication: Name of Publisher.
Reference List Example:
Dacso, Sheryl Tatar, Clifford C. Dacso, Connie U. Brelhan, Kirk C. Harlow, Margaret S. Jaffee-Neer, Marilyn Rumsey, and Ellison H. Wittels. 1995. Managed Care Answer Book. New York: Panel Publishers.
In-text Citation Example:
(Dacso et al. 1995, 122)
Book Chapter (Contribution to a Multiauthor Book)
Chicago Manual 15.9 and 14.111-14.117
The format and example below are for how to cite a chapter within a book that contains chapters written by different authors. If you are citing one chapter in a book written by a single author, see 14.111 in The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th ed. for the appropriate citation example.
Reference List Format:
Author's Last Name, Author's First Name. Year of Publication. "Title of Chapter." In Title of Book, edited by Name of Editor, inclusive page numbers. Place of Publication: Name of Publisher.
Reference List Example:
Benedict, Karen. 1988. "Archival Ethics." In Managing Archives and Archival Institutions, edited by James Gregory Bradsher, 174-84. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
In-text Citation Example:
(Benedict 1988, 176)
Translated Book
Chicago Manual 15.9 and 14.88
Reference List Format:
Author's Last Name, Author's First Name. Year of Publication. Title of Book. Translated by Name of Translator(s). Place of Publication: Name of Publisher.
Reference List Example:
Freud, Sigmund. 1999. The Interpretation of Dreams. Translated by Joyce Crick. New York: Oxford University Press.
In-text Citation Example:
(Freud 1999, 28)
Preface, Foreword or Introduction
Chicago Manual 15.3 and 14.116
Reference List Format:
Author's Last Name, Author's First Name. Year of Publication. Preface (or Foreword or Introduction) to Title of Book, by Book's Author, inclusive page numbers. Place of Publication: Name of Publisher.
Reference List Example:
Roosevelt, Franklin D., Jr. 1982. Foreword to Love, Eleanor: Eleanor Roosevelt and Her Friends, by Joseph P. Lash, vii-viii. Garden City, NY: Doubleday and Company.
In-text Citation Example:
(Roosevelt 1982, vii)
Edition other than First
Chicago Manual 14.118 and 15.3
Reference List Format:
Author's Last Name, Author's First Name. Year of Publication. Title of Book. Edition number ed. Place of Publication: Name of Publisher.
Reference List Example:
Bukatko, Danuta and Marvin A. Daehler. 2004. Child Development: A Thematic Approach. 5th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
In-text Citation Example:
(Bukatko and Daehler 2004)
Multivolume Work Published over Several Years (Citing all the Volumes)
Chicago Manual 15.39 and 14.121-14.127
Reference List Format:
Author's Last Name, Author's First Name. Year(s) of Publication. Title of Multivolume Work. Number of Volumes vols. Place of Publication: Name of Publisher.
Always give the volume numbers in arabic numerals, even if the book has the volume numbers spelled out or in roman numerals.
Reference List Example:
Cook, Blanche Weisen. 1992-99. Eleanor Roosevelt. 2 vols. New York: Viking.
In-text Citation Example:
(Cook 1992-99, 1:52)
Multivolume Work Published over Several Years (Citing Only 1 Volume)
Chicago Manual 15.39 and 14.121-14.127
Reference List Format:
Author's Last Name, Author's First Name. Year of Publication for Specific Volume. Title of Volume. Vol. volume number of Title of Multivolume Work. Place of Publication: Name of Publisher, Year(s) of Publication.
Reference List Example:
Churchill, Winston S. 1956. The Birth of Britain. Vol. 1 of A History of the English-Speaking Peoples. New York: Dodd, Mead, 1956-58.
In-text Citation Example:
(Churchill 1956, 88)
Journal Article
Chicago Manual 15.9, 15.46, and 14.180
Reference List Format:
Author's Last Name, Author's First Name. Year of Publication. "Title of Article." Title of Journal volume number (issue number): page numbers.
If a journal uses continuous pagination throughout its volume, the issue number may be omitted.
Reference List Example:
Greenberg, Anna. 2001. "Race, Religiosity, and the Women's Vote." Women & Politics 22 (3): 59-82.
In-text Citation Example:
(Greenberg 2001, 61)
Magazine Article
Chicago Manual 15.47 and 14.206
Usually magazine articles are only cited within the text of the paper. A corresponding reference list entry is not needed, as long as the item has been documented in the text. Below is a more formal example of the citation.
Reference List Format:
Author's Last Name, Author's First Name. Year of Publication. "Title of Article." Title of Magazine, Month and Day of Publication.
Reference List Example:
Fineman, Howard. 2007. "The Political Winds of War." Newsweek, May 7.
In-text Citation Example:
(Fineman 2007, 45)
Newspaper Article
Chicago Manual 15.47 and 14.206
Usually newspaper articles are only cited within the text of the paper. A corresponding reference list entry is not needed, as long as the item has been documented in the text. Below is a more formal example of the citation.
Reference List Format:
Author's Last Name, Author's First Name. Year of Publication. "Title of Article." Title of Newspaper, Month and Day of Publication.
Reference List Example:
Vogel, Carol. 2007. "Art in the Present Tense: Politics, Loss and Beauty." New York Times, June 11.
In-text Citation Example:
(Vogel 2007)
Newspaper Article with Unknown Author
Chicago Manual 15.3, 14.207, and 15.47
Usually newspaper articles are only cited within the text of the paper. A corresponding reference list entry is not needed, as long as the item has been documented in the text. Below is a more formal example of the citation.
Reference List Format:
Title of Newspaper. Year of Publication. "Title of Article." Month and Day of Publication.
Reference List Example:
Hartford Courant. 2006. "Number of Out-of-Wedlock Births a Record." November 26.
In-text Citation Example:
(Hartford Courant 2006)
Article from an Online Journal
Chicago Manual 14.4-14.8 and 15.9
Reference List Format:
Author's Last Name, Author's First Name. Year of Publication. "Title of Article." Title of Journal volume number (issue number): page numbers. doi:xxxxxxxxxx.
If a DOI is not available, use a URL.
If a journal uses continuous pagination throughout its volume, the issue number may be omitted.
Reference List Examples:
Humphrey, Laura L. 1986. "Structural Analysis of Parent-Child Relationships in Eating Disorders." Journal of Abnormal Psychology 95 (4): 395-402. doi:10.1037/0021-843X.95.4.395.
Salama, Ashraf M. 2008. "A Theory for Integrating Knowledge in Architectural Design Education." Archnet-IJAR: International Journal of Architectural Research 2 (1): 100-28. http://archnet.org/gws/IJAR/8821/files_8181/2.1.07%20-a.%20salama-pp100-128.pdf.
In-text Citation Example:
(Humphrey 1986, 397)
Journal Article from an Electronic Database
Chicago Manual 15.9 and 14.271
Reference List Format:
Author's Last Name, Author's First Name. Year of Publication. "Title of Article." Title of Journal volume number (issue number): page numbers. Name of Database (accession number).
If a database uses a stable URL for an article, use the URL instead of the database name and accession number.
Reference List Examples:
Chavez, Linda. 2006. "The Realities of Immigration". Commentary 122 (1): 34-41. Academic OneFile (A147668438).
Kenseth, Joy. 1981. "Bernini's Borghese Sculptures: Another View." The Art Bulletin 63 (2): 191-210. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3050112.
In-text Citation Example:
(Chavez 2006, 39)
Website
Chicago Manual 15.3 and 14.243-14.245
You may cite a web page in the running text of your paper. Below is a more formal version of the citation.
Reference List Format:
Author of the Site. Year Published, Modified, or Accessed. "Title of Web Page." Owner/Sponsor of Site. Published, Modified, or Accessed Month Day. URL.
If the publication date or the date of the web page's last modification is not available, use the date when you accessed the web page.
Reference List Example:
Watson, Ivan. 2011. "Tunisians Vote in First Election Following Arab Spring." CNN.com. Last modified October 23. http://us.cnn.com/2011/10/23/world/africa/tunisia-elections/index.html.
In-text Citation Example:
(Watson 2011)
Chicago Manual 15.3, 14.222, and 15.48
You may cite e-mail messages within the running text of your paper instead of using an in-text citation.
Running Text Example:
In her e-mail to the author on December 6, 2006, Barbara Smith described ...
In-text Citation Examples:
(Barbara Smith, e-mail message to author, December 6, 2006)
Or
(Barbara Smith, pers. comm.)
Usually e-mails are not listed in the reference list.
E-book
Chicago Manual 14.166, 14.17, and 15.3
Reference List Format:
Author's Last Name, Author's First Name. Year of Publication. Title of Book. Place of Publication: Name of Publisher. Format of e-book.
Reference List Example:
Russell, Martin. 2001. Beethoven's Hair: An Extraordinary Historical Odyssey and a Scientific Mystery Solved. New York: Broadway Books. ebrary collections e-book.
In-text Citation Example:
(Martin 2001, 34)
When citing an e-book that does not have fixed page numbers, use a chapter number, section heading, or another reference marker.
Online Images
Chicago Manual 15.53, 14.280, 15.3 and 8.193
If you are using the author-date system, the manual suggests citing the sources in the running text of your paper instead of using in-text citations. For the reference list, the manual suggests grouping the sources in a separate section.
Running Text Example:
Dorothea Lange's 1936 photograph Destitute Pea Pickers, which is part of the Library of Congress's America from the Great Depression to World War II: Black-and-White Photographs from the FSA-OWI, 1935-1945, shows a mother with three of her seven children.
Reference List Format:
Author's Last Name, Author's First Name. Date of Work. Title of Work. Format of image from Source, "Collection Name." URL.
Reference List Example:
Lange, Dorothea. 1936. Destitute Pea Pickers in California. Mother of Seven Children. Age Thirty-Two. Nipomo, California. Copy of nitrate negative in JPEG and TIFF files from the Library of Congress, "America from the Great Depression to World War II: Black-and-White Photographs from the FSA-OWI, 1935-1945." http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/fsa.8b29516.
In-text Citation Example:
(Lange 1936)
Online Videos
Chicago Manual 15.53, 14.280, and 15.3
If you are using the author-date system, the manual suggests citing the sources in the running text of your paper instead of using in-text citations. For the reference list, the manual suggests grouping the sources in a separate section.
Running Text Example:
Thomas Edison's 1898 film Sleighing Scene shows Central Park covered in snow.
Reference List Format:
Author's Last Name, Author's First Name. Date of Work. Title of Film. Format of film from Source, "Collection Name." URL.
Reference List Example:
Edison, Thomas A. 1898. Sleighing Scene. Copy of 35mm film in RealMedia, MPEG, and Quick Time formats from the Library of Congress, "America at Work, America at Leisure: Motion Pictures from 1894-1915." http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mbrsmi/lcmp002.m2a38968.
In-text Citation Example:
(Edison 1898)
Blog Posting
Chicago Manual 14.243, 14.244, 14.246, and 15.3
You may cite blog entries and comments within the text of your paper instead of using an in-text citation. Also you may omit the blog citation from your reference list.
Running Text Example:
In her blog posting dated November 15, 2009, on AHA Today, Jessica Pritchard gives a favorable review of the Inuit Heritage Trust's web resource for teachers.
Below is a more formal example of the citation.
Reference List Format:
Author's Last Name, Author's First Name. Year of Publication. "Title of Blog Posting." Title of Blog (blog (if not part of the title)), Month and Day of Publication. URL.
Reference List Example:
Pritchard, Jessica. 2009. "Inuit Contact: An Arctic Culture Teaching Resource." AHA Today (blog), November 21. http://blog.historians.org/education/919/inuit-contact-an-arctic-culture-teaching-resource.
In-text Citation Example:
(Pritchard 2009)
DVDs and Videocassettes
Chicago Manual 14.274-14.275, 14.279, 15.3, and 15.33
The manual suggests citing audio-visual materials in the running text of your paper and then grouping the materials under a separate section or discography in the reference list.
Running Text Example:
Alfred Hitchcock's 1954 film Rear Window , released in 2001 by Universal Pictures on DVD, shows . . .
Below is an alternate way to cite DVDs and videocasettes.
Reference List Format:
Title of Movie. Original Release Date. Directed by Name of Director. Location of Distributer: Name of Distributer, Release Date, medium.
Reference List Example:
Rear Window. 1954. Directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Universal City, CA: Universal Pictures, 2001, DVD.
In-text Citation Example:
(Hitchcock 1954)
Sound Recordings
Chicago Manual 14.274-14.276, 15.53, and 15.3
The manual suggests citing audio-visual materials in the running text of your paper and then grouping the materials under a separate section or discography in the reference list.
Running Text Example:
In 1989 Vladimir Horowitz gave a memorable performance of Chopin's Nocturne O 55, No 2., recorded on his album entitled The Last Recording.
Below is an alternate way to cite sound recordings.
Reference List Format:
Name of Composer, Conductor or Performer (depends on who you emphasize in your paper.) Recording Date. Title of Recording. Name of Composer, Conductor and/or Performer (if they are not listed at the beginning of the bibliography entry). Name of Recording Company Music Number, Copyright Date, medium.
Reference List Example:
Horowitz, Vladimir. 1989. The Last Recording. Sony Classical SK 45818, 1990, compact disc.
In-text Citation Example:
(Horowitz 1989)
Citations Taken from Secondary Sources
Chicago Manual 15.52
A secondary source is a source that quotes or paraphrases another source. An example would be Sontag's On Photography cited in Zelizer's book Remembering to Forget. Use the format below only if you are unable to examine the original source material (e.g. Sontag's On Photography). The Chicago Manual of Style discourages the use of secondary sources.
Reference List Format:
Give the citation for your secondary source. Use the appropriate citation format for your source, e.g. book or article.
Reference List Example:
Zelizer, Barbie. 2003. Remembering to Forget: Holocaust Memory through the Camera's Eye. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
In-text Citation Example:
Cite the original source in the running text of your paper. Cite the secondary source in parenthesis with "quoted in."
In Susan Sontag's 1977 book On Photography (quoted in Zelizer 2003, 11) . . .
Additional In-text Citation Examples
Basic Form
Chicago Manual 15.21-15.22
In-text Citation Format:
(Author's Last Name Publication Date, Page Number (if needed))
In-text Citation Examples:
(Zelizer 2003, 11)
(Chavez 2006)
Placement of In-text Citations
Chicago Manual 15.24-15.25 and 13.66-13.68
An in-text citation is usually placed before any punctuation, except for in the case of a block quote; then the citation is placed after the punctuation mark. The period is not needed after the closing parenthesis.
Example:
Block Quote:
The purpose of an ethical code is to delineate, for the members of the profession and for the public at large, the issues of greatest concern and the areas of potential conflict between individual action and the purposes of the group, and to guarantee that the special expertise of the group will be used for the good of society. (Benedict 1988, 176)
For run-in quotations, the in-text citation is placed after the closing quotation mark. If a quotation ends with a question or exclamation point, then the punctuation is retained inside the quotation mark, and a period is added after the citation.
Examples:
Run-in Quote:
"No single memory reflects all that is known about a given event, personality, or issue" (Zelizer 2003, 3).
Quotation Ending with a Question Mark:
"Do we do a disservice to our colleagues and to our profession by placing so little emphasis upon understanding ethics, with the concomitant inability to judge our actions upon firm ethical principles?" (Benedict 1988, 175).
If an author's name appears in the text, then it does not need to be repeated in the citation.
Examples:
Henry (2006) uses triangulation to study the United Kingdom's Buddhist population.
Mock and Parker (1997) subscribe to the theory that siblings ...
Multiple References
Chicago Manual 15.29
Separate each citation with a semicolon.
Example:
(Mock and Parker 1997; Bukatko and Daehler 2004; Dacso et al. 1995)
Other Resources
For more examples and information on how to format your paper
Online Resources
Print Resources
- The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th ed. (Ref. Z 253.U69 2010)
For additional help, contact a Reference Librarian
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