Mastering Chicago Style: A Comprehensive Guide to Citations and Formatting

Chicago style, also known as Turabian style, is a widely used citation method among students and academics, particularly in the humanities. This guide provides a detailed overview of Chicago style, offering practical tips and resources to ensure accurate and effective citations.

What is Chicago Style?

Chicago style offers two primary citation systems:

• Notes and Bibliography: Commonly used in humanities disciplines like literature, history, and the arts.
• Author-Date: Primarily used in the sciences and social sciences.

This guide will primarily focus on the notes and bibliography style. You can also use a helpful tool like the Scribbr Citation Generator to automatically create citations in both styles.

The Chicago Bibliography: Your Source Compendium

The bibliography, located at the end of your paper, lists all cited sources. A typical Chicago bibliography entry includes:

• Author's name
• Title of the work
• Publication information (publisher, journal, etc.)
• Publication date
• URL or DOI (if applicable)

The specific formatting varies depending on the source type. Let's examine some reference examples.

Reference Examples in Chicago Style

The format of a Chicago-style bibliography entry depends on the type of source you're citing.

• Webpage:

  • Format: Author Last Name, First Name. "Page Title." Website Name. Month Day, Year. URL.
  • Example: McCombes, Shona. "Types of Research Designs Compared | Guide & Examples." Scribbr. Last modified October 10, 2022. https://www.scribbr.com/methodology/types-of-research/.

• Book: Follow Chicago style guidelines for books, which include the author, title, publisher, and publication year.

• Journal Article: Adhere to the specific format for citing journal articles, including volume, issue, and page numbers.

Handling Missing Information

Sometimes, elements like the author or date may be missing from a source. Here's how to adjust:

• No Author: List the publishing organization in the author position.
  • Example: Scribbr. "An Introduction to Research Methods." Accessed June 11, 2020. https://www.scribbr.com/category/methodology/.
• No Date: Use an access date for online sources or "n.d." (no date) if the source is not online.
  • Example: Scribbr. "How to Write a Research Paper." Accessed October 25, 2022. https://www.scribbr.com/category/research-paper/.

Chicago Footnotes: Citing Within the Text

Chicago-style footnotes provide source citations within the text of your paper.

Key Aspects of Chicago Footnotes:

• Use superscript numbers to indicate footnotes.
• Place the footnote at the bottom of the page.
• Include a footnote each time you quote or paraphrase a source.
• All sources cited in footnotes must appear in your bibliography.

Full Notes vs. Short Notes:

• Full Note: Provides complete source information the first time you cite a source.
• Short Note: Used for subsequent citations of the same source, including only the author's last name, a shortened title, and the page number.

Footnote Examples in Chicago Style

• Webpage:

  • Full Note: 1. Shona McCombes, "Types of Research Designs Compared | Guide & Examples," Scribbr, last modified October 10, 2022, https://www.scribbr.com/methodology/types-of-research/.
  • Short Note: 2. McCombes, "Types of Research Designs."

• Book: Follow a similar style of footnote creation as webpage above, but tailored to the source material.

• Journal Article: Adhere to the guidelines for this type of source when creating your footnotes.

What to Do About Missing Info in Footnotes

• No Author: Omit the author's name in the full note, listing the title first. In the short note, use the organization's name.
  • Example: 1. "An Introduction to Research Methods," Scribbr, accessed June 11, 2020, https://www.scribbr.com/category/methodology/.
• No Date: Use an access date for online sources or "n.d." for offline sources.
  • Example: 1. "How to Write a Research Paper," accessed October 25, 2022, https://www.scribbr.com/category/research-paper/.
• No Page Number: Use other locators like chapter numbers, when available.

Tools and Resources for Chicago Style

• Scribbr Citation Generator: Generate citations in Chicago, APA, MLA, and Harvard styles.
• Plagiarism Checker: Ensure originality and avoid unintentional plagiarism.
• Grammar Checker: Eliminate errors and enhance clarity.
• Chicago Style Guide: Deepen your understanding of Chicago style rules.
• AI Detector: Determine if content was generated by AI.
• Proofreading Services: Ensure polished and professional writing.

By mastering these guidelines and utilizing available tools, you can confidently and accurately use Chicago style in your academic work.