The Chicago Manual of Style (17th ed.) (CMOS) has two systems:
- Notes-Bibliography: Sources are cited in numbered footnotes or endnotes, usually with a full bibliography at the end of the paper; commonly used in history. (NB sample paper)
- Author-Date: Sources are cited in parenthetical in-text citations with a reference list at the end of the paper; commonly used in the social sciences. (Author-Date sample paper.)
CMOS Notes-Bibliography
Sources are cited with sequentially-numbered notes creating a unique note number for each time a source is cited either as a footnote at the bottom or the page or an endnote at the end of the paper. Provide the full note the first time you cite a source and use the shorter note for subsequent citations.
Example of a first note and a shortened subsequent note:
1 Anne Beamish, “A Garden in the Street: The Introduction of Street Trees in Boston and New York,” Studies in the History of Gardens & Designed Landscapes 38, no. 1 (January 2, 2018): 42, https://doi.org/10.1080/14601176.2017.1281034.
2 Beamish, “A Garden in the Street,” 43.
Example of a bibliography entry at the end of the paper:
Note: In some cases, your professor may allow you to use the shortened in-text notes for all notes when a bibliography is included or not require a bibliography. If unsure of the requirements, it is safest to include both the longer first note along with the bibliography at the end of the paper.
Video Tutorial
- Introduction to Citation Styles: Chicago 17th Ed.
University Library, California State University, Dominguez Hills
Further Resources
- Inserting footnotes: Microsoft Word (Microsoft 365 Support) and Google Docs (Google Support)
- CMOS Shop talk from the Chicago Style Manual:For StudentsIncludes many frequently asked questions.
- Chicago Citation Guide (17th Edition)The How Do I Cite? tab offers extensive guides to the more unusual citations situations you may encounter. The Books section is particularly helpful for citing eBooks and books that include various combinations of authors, contributors, and editors. Columbia College, Vancouver, Canada
CMOS Author-Date
With this system, source citations consist of two components, an in-text citation and a corresponding reference list citation for each of the in-text citations at the end of the paper (tiltled References or Works Cited). Do not include sources in the reference list that are not cited in the body of your paper.
1. In-text citation
Example of a parenthetical citation: . . . (Beamish 2018, 42).
Example when the author's name appears in the text: Beamish (2018, 42) discussed . . .
2. Reference list
Example References citation:
Beamish, Anne. 2018. “A Garden in the Street: The Introduction of Street Trees in Boston and New York.” Studies in the History of Gardens & Designed Landscapes 38 (1): 38–56. https://doi.org/10.1080/14601176.2017.1281034.
- CMOS Shop talk from the Chicago Style Manual:For StudentsIncludes many frequently asked questions.
Always verify your citations with Chicago-Style Citation Quick Guide selecting Notes-Bibliography or Author-Date from the menu options.
- Many databases will provide citations with the sources.
- Ebsco databases such as Academic Search Premier: Use the Cite option from the Tools option on the detailed record.
- Google Scholar: Use the Cite option under the source information.
- ZoteroBibAfter searching for your source or manually entering the information, select the correct CMOS from the citation options:
Notes-Bibliography: Chicago Manual of Style 18th edition (full note) for the full note citation and Chicago Manual of Style 18th edition (note) for subsequent in-text citations.
Author-Date: Chicago Manual of Style 18th edition (author-date)- Click on the source to update information.
- Click on the quotation mark icon to the right of your source for the in-text citation
- Copy individual citations or the complete list.
Always verify your citations with Chicago-Style Citation Quick Guide selecting Notes-Bibliography or Author-Date from the menu options.
Citation Managers allows you to easily gather, organize, store, and share sources and to instantly generate citations and bibliographies.
- Zotero"Zotero is a free, easy-to-use tool to help you collect, organize, annotate, cite, and share research."
- See also - How to Download and Use Zotero
The Chicago Manual of Style (17th ed.) by
This seventeenth edition of The Chicago Manual of Style has been prepared with an eye toward how we find, create, and cite information that readers are as likely to access from their pockets as from a bookshelf.
ISBN: 9780226287058Publication Date: 2017-09-05
The Chicago Manual of Style, 18th Edition by ISBN: 9780226817972Publication Date: 2024-09-19Access online
