The Chicago format is the writing and documentation system used primarily in the Humanities, especially in history. As with any referencing system, it is important to remember that this is an entire system of organizing the practical elements of your paper. That means there are specific ways to number your pages, create your title page, and establish headings, in addition to citing material from other authors. Always check with your professor to find out how closely he or she wants you to follow these guidelines. For complete guidelines for Chicago format, as well as for specific issues not covered here, see the official website of the Chicago Manual of Style at http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/.
1. General Formatting Notes
- Print your essay on 8.5-by-11-inch white paper.
- Double-space the entire text of your essay with the exception of the bibliography, block quotations, table titles, and figure captions, which are single-spaced.
- Block quotations longer than five lines should be indented by .5 inch (1.3 cm) and single-spaced. Do NOT put quotation marks around a blocked quotation.
- Bibliographies and notes should be single-spaced, but leave an extra space between entries.
- Use a standard font (e.g., Times New Roman or Palatino) and type size (e.g., 12 point).
- Leave one space after periods or other punctuation.
- Use one side of the paper only.
- Set all margins (top, bottom and sides) to 1-inch (2.5cm).
- Number each page on the top right beginning on the first page.
- The first line of each paragraph should be indented 0.5 inches (5 spaces).
- Use subheadings in longer papers and put an extra line before and after subheadings. Do NOT put a period at the end of the subheading.
- Capitalize the important words of any titles that are used in the text of the essay, in the notes or in the bibliography.
2. Title Page
- Class papers may use a title page, if required by instructor, or may include the title of the first page of the text.
- If using a title page, the title should be centred a third of the way down the page with your name and class information a few lines further down.
- The title page (if you are using one) of your CMS-formatted essay should look like this:
THE HISTORY OF THE ZAPATISTA REVOLUTION IN CHIAPAS
Jane Doe
History 101: Introduction to History
November 12, 2011
3. The Note-Bibliography Citation Style
When you use CMS, you must acknowledge other people’s work through what is known as the note-bibliography citation style.
Notes
Every citation in the text of your essay is given a footnote or endnote and has a corresponding entry in the bibliography. Footnotes appear at the bottom of the page of text and endnotes appear at the end of the essay text. A superscript number is used to indicate each note. The superscript number is placed at the end of the sentence in which the source is referenced, after the punctuation. Begin numbering with the number “1.” Do NOT use roman numerals (eg. i, ii, iii). See the example below.
Sugar was only associated with the noble classes in Europe in the first few centuries after its introduction.1
1 Sidney Mintz, Sweetness and Power (Toronto: Penguin Books, 1985), 8.
If you cite the same source from the same page in consecutive notes, you may use the word “Ibid.” in place of the note. If you cite the same source in consecutive notes, but from a different page, you may use the word “Ibid.” in place of the note followed by a comma and the appropriate page number(s). See the examples below.
1 Sidney Mintz, Sweetness and Power (Toronto: Penguin Books, 1985), 8.
2 Ibid.
3 Ibid., 7.
In the Chicago Manual’s latest (17th) edition, the use of “Ibid.” is permitted but discouraged. The preferred method now is to use shortened citations instead of “Ibid.”, with the added provision of omitting the title of the work if that work has just been cited. See the following examples.
1 Sidney Mintz, Sweetness and Power (Toronto: Penguin Books, 1985), 8.
2 Mintz, 8.
3 Mintz, 7.
When you reference a source for the first time, you must include all of the bibliographic information: First name Last name, Full Title (Place of Publication: Publisher, year), page number. (See the above example for a standard single-author book citation). Unless you use “Ibid.” (see above example), each subsequent reference to an already cited source should be abbreviated. If a subsequent reference immediately follows a reference to a different work, then you should include the title in the abbreviated reference. See the example below:
1 Sidney Mintz, Sweetness and Power (Toronto: Penguin Books, 1985), 8.
2 Chet Meyers, Teaching Students to Think Critically: A Guide for Faculty in All Disciplines (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1988), 40.
3 Mintz, Sweetness and Power, 10.
Bibliography
Your CMS formatted essay must include a Bibliography at the end of your essay, beginning on a separate page. The basic formatting rules for the Bibliography are:
- The title Bibliography should appear centred at the top of the page. Do NOT underline, italicize, or bold the word Bibliography.
- List all entries in alphabetical order according to the first word in the entry. Do NOT number the entries in the Bibliography.
- Leave two lines after the title and before the first entry.
- Use a hanging indent for each entry.
- Single-space each entry, but leave an extra space between entries.
- You may include sources consulted but not cited in the notes section in the Bibliography.
Common Entries in Note-Bibliography Citation Style
Each example includes an outline of the information that must be included in each footnote and bibliographic entry depending on the type of source. The footnote examples also include an abbreviated version of the same text for subsequent references to the source in your essay. If the book title is more than four words, it can be shortened to one or two words, as seen in some of the examples below.
For additional sample citations, see the Chicago-Style Quick Guide: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html
PRINT SOURCES
Book with One Author
Note:
1 First name Last name, Book Title (Place of Publication: Publisher, Year), page number.
1 Sidney Mintz, Sweetness and Power (Toronto: Penguin Books, 1985), 8.
Shortened Note:
3 Last name, Shortened Book Title, page number.
3 Mintz, Sweetness and Power, 10.
Bibliography:
Last name, First name. Book Title. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year.
Mintz, Sidney. Sweetness and Power. Toronto: Penguin Books, 1985.
Book with Two or More Authors
Note:
1 First name Last name and First Name Last Name, Book Title (Place of Publication: Publisher, Year), page number.
1 Margaret Conrad and Alan Finkel, Canada: A National History (Toronto: Longman, 2003), 331.
Shortened note:
3 Last Name and Last Name, Shortened Book Title, page number.
3 Conrad and Finkel, Canada: A National History, 332.
Bibliography:
Last name, First name, and First Name Last Name. Book Title. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year.
Conrad, Margaret and Alan Finkel. Canada: A National History. Toronto: Longman, 2003.
Book with Four or More Authors
Note:
*Use only the name of the first listed author, followed by et al. (and others) for the note.
1 First name Last Name et al., Book Title (Place of Publication: Publisher, Year), page number.
1 Jennifer L. Cartier et al., 5 Practices for Orchestrating Productive Task-Based Discussions in Science (Reston: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, 2013), 80.
A Book with a Translator, Editor or Compiler Instead of an Author
*Translator is abbreviated to trans. for one or more translator, editor is abbreviated to ed. or eds., for more than one editor, compiler is abbreviated to comp. or comps., for more than one compiler.
Note:
1 First name Last Name, trans., Book Title (Place of Publication: Publisher, Year), page number.
1 Robert Cook, trans., Njal’s Saga (New York: Penguin Books, 2001), 300.
Shortened Note (for a book with a translator, editor, or compiler instead of an author):
*In the shortened notes, the abbreviation (trans., ed., eds., comp., comps) is omitted.
3 Last name, Shortened Book Title, page number.
3 Cook, Njal’s Saga, 250.
Bibliography:
Last name, First name, trans. Book Title. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year. Cook, Robert, trans. Njal’s Saga. New York: Penguin Books, 2001.
An Edited, Translated, or Compiled Book with an Author Note:
1 First name Last name, Book Title, trans. First Name Last Name (Place of Publication: Publisher, Year), page number.
1 Paul Virilio, Speed and Politics, trans. Mark Polizzotti (Los Angeles: Semiotext(e), 2006), 109.
Shortened Note:
3 Last name of editor/translator/compiler, Shortened Book Title, page number.
3 Virilio, Speed and Politics, 112.
Bibliography:
Last name, First name. Book Title. Translated by First Name Last Name Place of Publication: Publisher, Year.
Virilio, Paul. Speed and Politics. Translated by Mark Polizzotti. Los Angeles: Semiotext(e), 2006
Work in Anthology or Edited Collection Note:
1 First name Last name, “Title of Essay, Story, or Work,” in Book Title, ed. First Name Last Name (Place of Publication: Publisher, Year), page number.
1 Stacy Alaimo, “Eluding Capture: The Science, Culture and Pleasure of ‘Queer’ Animals,” in Queer Ecologies: Sex, Nature, Politics, Desire, eds. Catriona Mortimer-Sandilands and Bruce Erickson (Bloomington: University of Indiana Press, 2010), 37.
Shortened Note:
3 Last Name, “Chapter Title,” page number.
3 Alaimo, “Eluding Capture,” 32.
Bibliography (for a Work in an Anthology or Edited Collection):
Last name, First name. “Title of Essay, Story, or Work.” In Book Title, edited by First Name Last Name, page numbers. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year.
Alaimo, Stacy. “Eluding Capture: The Science, Culture and Pleasure of ‘Queer’ Animals.” In Queer Ecologies: Sex, Nature, Politics, Desire, edited by Catriona Mortimer-Sandilands and Bruce Erickson, 31-54. Bloomington: University of Indiana Press, 2010.
An Introduction, Preface, Foreword, or Afterword
Note:
1 First name Last name, introduction to Book Title, ed. First Name Last Name (Place of Publication: Publisher, Year), page number.
1 Marilyn Butler, introduction to Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus the 1818 Text, ed. Marilyn Butler (London: William Pickering, 1993), 85.
Shortened Note:
3 Last Name, title of introduction or preface, page number. 3 Butler, introduction, 83.
Bibliography:
Last name, First name. Introduction to Book Title. Edited by First Name Last Name. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year. Butler, Marilyn. Introduction to Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus the 1818 Text. Edited by Marilyn Butler. London: William Pickering, 1993.
Article in a Print Journal Note:
1 First Name Last Name, “Title of Article,” Periodical Title Volume, Issue (Year): page number.
1 Marie-Héléne Côté, “What Did It Mean to be a French Diplomat in the Seventeenth and Early Eighteenth Centuries?” Canadian Journal of History 45.2 (2010): 240.
Shortened Note:
3 Last name, “Shortened Article Title,” page number.
3 Côté, “French Diplomat,” 237-238.
Bibliography:
Last name, First name. “Title of Article.” Periodical Title Volume, Issue (Year): page numbers. Côté, Marie-Héléne. “What Did It Mean to be a French Diplomat in the Seventeenth and Early Eighteenth Centuries?” Canadian Journal of History 45.2 (2010): 235-258.
Magazine Article
Note:
1 First Name Last Name, “Title of Article,” Magazine Title, Date, page number.
1 Stephen Marche, “That Time We Beat the Americans: A Citizen’s Guide,” The Walrus, March 2012, 23.
Shortened Note:
3 Last Name, “Shortened Title,” page number.
3 Marche, “A Citizen’s Guide,” 24.
Bibliography:
Last name, First name. “Title of Article.” Magazine Title, Date.
Marche, Stephen. “That Time We Beat the Americans: A Citizen’s Guide.” The Walrus, March 2012.
Newspaper Article
*Because newspapers may contain several editions, page numbers are not usually included in CMS newspaper entries. If an online version is used, include the URL at the end of the citation. If the name of the newspaper begins with the word “The” (e.g., The Toronto Star), omit the word “the” in the entry (e.g., Toronto Star). If the newspaper is documented closely in the text, it does not need to be included as a source in the Bibliography, but a footnote or endnote is still required. If the newspaper is less well known, include the name of the city in brackets after the newspaper title.
Note:
1 First Name Last Name, “Title of Article,” Newspaper Title, Date.
1 Stephanie Findlay, “Student Fights Suspension Over Letter Praising Women’s ‘Inner Beauty,’” Toronto Star, March 2, 2012.
Shortened Note:
3 Last Name, “Shortened Title,” page number if available.
3 Findlay, “Student Fights Suspension.” Bibliography: Last name, First name. “Title of Article.” Newspaper Title, Date. Findlay, Stephanie. “Student Fights Suspension Over Letter Praising Women’s ‘Inner Beauty.’” Toronto Star, March 2, 2012.
PUBLIC DOCUMENTS
*As with all source citations, your notes and bibliographic entries for public documents must include information to allow your reader to locate the original document. According to the Purdue Online Writing Lab, public document citations should include the following information (if available): Country, city, state, county; Legislative body, executive department, court, bureau, board commission or committee; Subsidiary divisions; Title, if any, of the document or collection; Individual author (editor or compiler), if given; Report number or any other identification necessary or useful in finding the specific document; and Publisher, if different from issuing body.
The Simon Fraser University Library provides an extensive list of sample citations for various types of public documents:
http://www.lib.sfu.ca/help/cite-write/citation-style-guides/gov-docs-chicago
Note:
1 Author (country, city, state, county), Title of Document, First name Last name of individual author/compiler/editor if given, [Report number or any other identifying information], Publisher (if different from issuing body), Date, Page # if relevant.
1 Canada, British Columbia, Ministry of Health, Meals and More: A Foods and Nutrition Manual for Homes of Adults and Children with 24 Persons or Fewer in Care, [Victoria BC], 2008.
Shortened Note:
3 Shortened Document Title.
3 Meals and More
Bibliography:
Author (country, city, state, county). Title of Document. First name Last name of individual author/compiler/editor if given. [Report number or any other identifying information]. Publisher (if different from issuing body). Date. Page # if relevant.
Canada. British Columbia. Ministry of Health. Meals and More: A Foods and Nutrition Manual for Homes of Adults and Children with 24 Persons or Fewer in Care. [Victoria, BC]. 2008.
Online Public Document
*For an online public document, include the above information followed by the web address of the document. If the URL has to be broken by the end of a line, make the break in relation to one of the following punctuation marks within the address: AFTER a (double or single slash) (//) or (/); BEFORE a tilde (~), period (.), comma (,), hyphen (-), question mark (?), number sign (#); BEFORE or AFTER an equals sign (=) or an ampersand (&).
Canada. British Columbia. Ministry of Health. Meals and More: A Foods and Nutrition Manual for Homes of Adults and Children with 24 Persons or Fewer in Care. [Victoria, BC]. 2008. http://hls.gov.bc.ca/publications/year/2008/ Meals_and_More_Manual.pdf.
UNPUBLISHED SOURCES
Note:
1 First name Last name, “Title of Unpublished Material” (source type identifier, Place of Publication, year of publication), page number(s).
Shortened Note:
1 Last name, “Shortened title,” page number(s). Bibliography: Last name, First name. “Title of Unpublished Material.” Source type identifier, Place of Publication, year of publication.
Student Work
Note:
1 John Smith, “Scottish Inauguration Rituals and the Stone of Destiny: The Symbolic Assertion of Scottish Sovereignty through its Royal Ceremonies” (HIST 429 Research Paper, University of Toronto Mississauga, 2015), 5.
Shortened Note:
1 Smith, “Scottish Inauguration Rituals,” 6. Bibliography Smith, John. “Scottish Inauguration Rituals and the Stone of Destiny: The Symbolic Assertion of Scottish Sovereignty through its Royal Ceremonies.” HIST 429 Research Paper, University of Toronto Mississauga, 2015.
Thesis/dissertation
Note:
1 Tara Hostetler, “Bodies at War: Bacteriology and the Carrier Narratives of ‘Typhoid Mary’” (master’s thesis, Florida State University, 2007), 15-16.
Shortened Note:
3 Hostetler, “Bodies a War,” 16. Bibliography Hostetler, Tara. “Bodies at War: Bacteriology and the Carrier Narratives of ‘Typhoid Mary.’” Master’s thesis, Florida State University, 2007.
Lecture Presentation
Note:
1 Jane Doe, “Semiotics and Visual Culture” (VCC101 Lecture, University of Toronto Mississauga, 2016), 10.
Shortened Note:
1 Doe, “Semiotics and Visual Culture,” 12. Bibliography Doe, Jane. “Semiotics and Visual Culture.” VCC 101 Lecture, University of Toronto Mississauga, 2016.
DIGITAL SOURCES
Article in an Online Journal
*Online journal articles must include their web access in the citation and bibliography. Use a DOI (Digital Object Identifier) which will link directly to the article. If a DOI is unavailable, use the full URL. If your discipline or assignment requires access dates, include them in your citations and bibliography. Otherwise, access dates are not required for online academic journals.
Please note: for an article in a print journal, you follow the same style shown below, omitting the access date and DOI/URL. Otherwise, a print and online journal article include the same core information.
Note:
1 First name Last Name, “Title of Article,” Title of Periodical Volume Number, Issue Number if available (Year): Page number, [Access date if required], DOI/URL.
1 M.F. Hearn, “Canterbury Cathedral and the Cult of Becket,” The Art Bulletin 76, no. 1 (1994): 20, accessed June 23, 2017, doi: 10.1080/00043079.1994.10786573.
1 M.F. Hearn, “Canterbury Cathedral and the Cult of Becket,” The Art Bulletin 76, no. 1 (1994): 20, doi: 10.1080/00043079.1994.10786573.
Shortened Note (for an article in an online journal):
3 Last Name, “Shortened Article Title,” page number.
3 Hearn, “Canterbury Cathedral,” 22.
Bibliography:
Last Name, First name. “Title of Article.” Title of Periodical. Volume Number, Issue number if available (Year of publication): page range, [access date if required], DOI/URL.
Hearn, M.F. “Canterbury Cathedral and the Cult of Becket.” The Art Bulletin 76, no. 1 (1994): 19-52, accessed June 23, 2017, doi: 10.1080/00043079.1994.10786573.
Hearn, M.F. “Canterbury Cathedral and the Cult of Becket.” The Art Bulletin 76, no. 1 (1994): 19-52, doi: 10.1080/00043079.1994.10786573. Film or Television
Note:
1 First Name Last Name, Title of Work, Format, directed/performed by First name Last name (original release year; City: Studio/Distributor, Video release year.), Medium.
1 Bruce McDonald, Twitch City, written by Don McKellar and John Frizzel (1998; Toronto: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, 2006.), DVD. Shortened Note: 3 Last Name, Shortened Title of Work. 3 McDonald, Twitch City.
Bibliography:
Last name, First name. Title of Work. Directed/performed by First name Last name. Original Release Year. City: Studio/Distributor, Video Release year. Medium. McDonald, Bruce. Twitch City. DVD. Written by Don McKellar and John Frizzel. 1998. Toronto: Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, 2006. DVD.
Internet Site
Note:
1 First Name Last Name, “Title of Web Page,” Publishing Organization or Name of Website, publication date and/or access date if available, URL.
1 Mark Waid, “Truly Digital Comics,” InMediaRes, February 21, 2012, http://mediacommons.futureofthebook.org/imr/2012/02/21/truly-digital-comics.
Shortened Note:
3 Last Name, “Shortened Web Page Title.”
3 Waid, “Truly Digital Comics.”
Bibliography:
Last Name, First Name. “Title of Web Page.” Publishing Organization or Name of Website. Publication date and/or access date if available. URL.
Waid, Mark. “Truly Digital Comics.” InMediaRes. February 21, 2012. http://mediacommons.futureofthebook.org/imr/2012/02/21/truly-digital-comics.
On-line Book
*In general, electronic books are cited using the same format as a print book, but with the addition of a media marker at the end of the citation (eg. PDF e-book, CD-ROM, Kindle edition, etc.). Some electronic books do not have stable page numbers so you may use a chapter number, section, or other locator in place of a page number.
Note:
1 First Name Last Name, Title of Book (Place of publication: Publisher, date of publication), page number or other locator. Media marker.
1 Joost van Loon, Risk and Technological Culture: Toward a Sociology of Virulence (Florence, Kansas: Routledge, 2002), 135. Online e-book.
Shortened Note:
3 Last Name, Shortened Title, page number.
3 van Loon, Risk and Technological Culture, 136.
Bibliography:
Last Name, First Name. Title of Book . Place of publication: Publisher, date of publication. Media marker.
van Loon, Joost. Risk and Technological Culture: Toward a Sociology of Virulence. Florence, Kansas: Routledge, 2002. Online e-book.
FIGURES OR ILLUSTRATIONS
*If you are required to include images (either embedded in the body of your paper or added as a separate appendix), you can refer to them parenthetically, for example (see fig. 3). Figures should be numbered sequentially as they first appear in your paper (see fig. 4). Should you need to refer back to an earlier image, you can simply refer back to the image number, which will guide your reader to the appropriate portion of your illustration index (see fig. 3).
Illustration Index or Appendix:
For the appendix, list the images in the order that they appear in the body of your paper. Each image should be accompanied by a caption that can be capitalized in sentence format. Proper nouns and titles are typically italicized. If your image is taken from a particular source, you can reference it parenthetically beginning with the place of publication, followed by the author and year, for example (Oslo: Gerhard Fischer, 1965). If available, you can also include dimensions, medium, and the current collection that houses the image.
The following examples are from Section 3.22 of the Chicago Manual of Style Online:
Frontispiece of Christian Prayers and Meditations (London: John Daye, 1569), showing Queen Elizabeth at prayer in her private chapel. Reproduced by permission of the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Trustees of the Lambeth Palace Library.
The head of Venus—a detail from Botticelli’s Birth of Venus.
Francis Bedford, Stratford on Avon Church from the Avon, 1860s. Albumen print of collodion negative, 18.8 × 28.0 cm. Rochester, International Museum of Photography at George Eastman House.
BLOG ENTRY OR COMMENT
Blogs and their related content are not always acceptable sources for formal academic writing assignments because, typically, other scholars do not verify the accuracy of the author’s claims. As such, it is important to check with your instructor or TA before including a blog as part of your research.
You must also check with your instructor or TA regarding the citation of blog material. Most often, blogs are cited but not included in the bibliography. However, you may need to include a cited blog post in the bibliography if the post is of central importance to your work. Still, comments on blog posts, even if they are cited, should not appear in the bibliography.
For a more formal citation, see the examples below.
Note:
1 First name Last Name (if available), month day, year (time of comment), comment on blog author first name last name (if available), “Post Title,” Blog Title, month day, year of post, URL.
1 Jeremy Goodwin, March 31, 2014, comment on Brian Weatherson, “Higher-Order Thought Experiments,” Thoughts Arguments and Rants (blog), March 30, 2014, http://tar.weatherson.org/2014/03/30/higher-orderthought-experiments/.
If you have already cited Weatherson’s blog post, then the first citation of the comment should be as follows:
1 Jeremy Goodwin, March 31, 2014, comment on Weatherson, “Higher-Order.”
Shortened Note:
3 Last name of commenter, comment on Last name of blog author, “Shortened Blog Post Title.”
3 Goodwin, comment on Weatherson, “Higher-Order.” Bibliography Title of Blog. URL of blog main page. Weatherson, Brian, ed. Thoughts Arguments and Rants (blog). tar.weatherson.org
ONLINE VIDEO
*An entry for a video depends on the nature of its content. For example, if it is an interview, you must include ‘interviewed by’ in your notes and bibliography. Follow the examples below as closely as possible, including as many of the details as possible in your entries.
Note:
1 First name Last name of principle subject (such as: interviewee, journalist, director, presenter), interviewed by First name Last name (if it is an interview), “Title of Video Clip,” If part of a larger video, include full Title in Italics, medium of recording or website hosting the video (for example, YouTube or MPEG file), time length of recording, posted by First name Last Name of person or organization that posted the video if different from principle subject or website, month day, year that the video was uploaded, URL.
1 Beth Harris and Stephen Zucker, “Édouard Manet, Plum Brandy, c.1877, oil on canvas (National Gallery of Art),” YouTube, 2:35, posted by Khan Academy, March 20, 2012, https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/becomingmodern/avant-garde-france/realism/v/douard-manet-plum-brandy-c-1877.
Shortened Note:
3 Last name of principle subject, “Shortened Video Title.”
3 Harris and Zucker, “Édouard Manet.”
Bibliography:
Last name, First name of principle subject. Interviewed by First name Last Name (if video is an interview). “Title of Video Clip,” Time length of recording. Medium or hosting site of the video. Posted by organization if different from subject/website, Month day, Year posted. URL.
Harris, Beth and Stephen Zucker. “Édouard Manet, Plum Brandy, c.1877, oil on canvas (National Gallery of Art).” YouTube. 2:35. Posted by Khan Academy, March 20, 2012. https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/becoming-modern/avant-garde-france/realism/v/douard-manet-plumbrandy-c-1877.
*This document last revised in November, 2017