§1
Chicago notes-bibliography: journal article (with DOI)
PATTERN
Surname, First, and First Surname. “Title of Article.” Journal Name Volume, no. Issue (Year): pages. https://doi.org/xxxx.
FIRST FOOTNOTE
1. Hannah Jergas and Christopher Baethge, “Quotation Accuracy in Medical Journal Articles—A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis,” PeerJ 3 (2015): e1364, https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.1364.
LATER (SHORT) NOTE
2. Jergas and Baethge, “Quotation Accuracy.”
BIBLIOGRAPHY ENTRY
Jergas, Hannah, and Christopher Baethge. “Quotation Accuracy in Medical Journal Articles—A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.” PeerJ 3 (2015): e1364. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.1364.
KEY RULES
- In notes, names run first name first and elements are separated by commas; in the bibliography, the first author is inverted and elements are separated by full stops.
- Article titles go in quotation marks in headline-style capitalisation; the journal name is italic.
- Notes list up to three authors; for four or more, give the first author followed by “et al.” The bibliography lists up to ten; for more than ten, list the first seven followed by “et al.”
§2
Chicago notes-bibliography: book
PATTERN
Surname, First. Title of Book. Place: Publisher, Year.
FIRST FOOTNOTE
1. Jane A. Doe, Evidence and Argument in Student Research (London: Example University Press, 2021), 14.
LATER (SHORT) NOTE
2. Doe, Evidence and Argument, 14.
BIBLIOGRAPHY ENTRY
Doe, Jane A. Evidence and Argument in Student Research. London: Example University Press, 2021.
KEY RULES
- In a note, the place, publisher and year go in parentheses, followed by the page you cite.
- Book titles are italic and in headline-style capitalisation.
- Short notes use the author's surname, a shortened title (up to four words) and the page.
§3
Chicago notes-bibliography: chapter in an edited book
PATTERN
Surname, First. “Title of Chapter.” In Title of Book, edited by First Surname and First Surname, pages. Place: Publisher, Year.
FIRST FOOTNOTE
1. Richard B. Roe, “Reading Statistics Critically,” in A Handbook of Research Methods, ed. Maria C. Sample and Lee D. Example (London: Example University Press, 2020), 52.
LATER (SHORT) NOTE
2. Roe, “Reading Statistics Critically,” 52.
BIBLIOGRAPHY ENTRY
Roe, Richard B. “Reading Statistics Critically.” In A Handbook of Research Methods, edited by Maria C. Sample and Lee D. Example, 45–67. London: Example University Press, 2020.
KEY RULES
- Notes abbreviate “edited by” to “ed.”; the bibliography spells it out.
- The bibliography gives the chapter's full page range; a note gives only the page cited.
§4
Chicago notes-bibliography: web page
PATTERN
Surname, First. “Title of Page.” Name of Website, Month Day, Year. URL.
FIRST FOOTNOTE
1. Pat Q. Public, “How to Check That a Source Exists,” Example Research Hub, March 12, 2024, https://www.example.org/guides/check-a-source.
LATER (SHORT) NOTE
2. Public, “How to Check.”
BIBLIOGRAPHY ENTRY
Public, Pat Q. “How to Check That a Source Exists.” Example Research Hub, March 12, 2024. https://www.example.org/guides/check-a-source.
KEY RULES
- The page title goes in quotation marks; the website's name is set in roman (not italic) unless it is also the name of a publication.
- Add an access date only when the page shows no publication or revision date.
§5
Chicago notes-bibliography: report
PATTERN
Organisation. Title of Report. Place: Publisher, Year. URL.
FIRST FOOTNOTE
1. Example Institute for Education, Student Research Practices in Higher Education (London: Example Institute for Education, 2023), 8, https://www.example.org/reports/student-research-2023.
LATER (SHORT) NOTE
2. Example Institute for Education, Student Research Practices, 8.
BIBLIOGRAPHY ENTRY
Example Institute for Education. Student Research Practices in Higher Education. London: Example Institute for Education, 2023. https://www.example.org/reports/student-research-2023.
KEY RULES
- When an organisation is both author and publisher, it may be listed in both positions.
§6
Chicago notes-bibliography: thesis or dissertation
PATTERN
Surname, First. “Title of Thesis.” PhD diss., University, Year.
FIRST FOOTNOTE
1. Alex B. Placeholder, “Peer Feedback and Revision in First-Year Writing” (PhD diss., Example University, 2022), 27.
LATER (SHORT) NOTE
2. Placeholder, “Peer Feedback,” 27.
BIBLIOGRAPHY ENTRY
Placeholder, Alex B. “Peer Feedback and Revision in First-Year Writing.” PhD diss., Example University, 2022.
KEY RULES
- Thesis and dissertation titles go in quotation marks, not italics, because they are unpublished.
- Use “master's thesis” in place of “PhD diss.” for a master's thesis.
§7
Chicago notes-bibliography footnotes
Put a superscript number in the text and the citation in a numbered note.
| In the text | …a pattern Doe describes in detail.¹ |
| First note | 1. Jane A. Doe, Evidence and Argument in Student Research (London: Example University Press, 2021), 14. |
| Later short note | 2. Doe, Evidence and Argument, 16. |
KEY RULES
- Note numbers go after punctuation, except dashes, and at the end of a clause where possible.
- After the first full note, use a short note: surname, short title, page.
- The 17th edition prefers short notes to “ibid.”, but still allows “ibid.” for a source cited in the immediately preceding note.
§8
Common Chicago notes-bibliography mistakes
- Using bibliography punctuation in notes. Notes use commas and put publication facts in parentheses; bibliography entries use full stops.
- Inverting names in notes. Only the bibliography inverts the first author's name.
- Repeating the full note every time. After the first citation, use a short note.
§9
Format a reference in Chicago notes-bibliography
Our free in-browser formatter covers journal articles in six styles (APA 7, MLA 9, Chicago author-date, Harvard, IEEE and Vancouver). Chicago notes-bibliography is one of the 2,500+ styles in the full MoreMind workspace.
Open the free formatter →NO ACCOUNT · RUNS IN YOUR BROWSER
§10
Chicago notes-bibliography questions
Do I need a bibliography if I use full footnotes?
Chicago says a bibliography may be omitted when full notes are given, but most courses require one. Follow your instructor.
Footnotes or endnotes?
Either is acceptable in Chicago; footnotes appear at the foot of each page, endnotes at the end of the paper or chapter. Use one system throughout.
Can I still use “ibid.”?
Yes, but the 17th edition discourages it in favour of short notes, which tell the reader more.
Is Turabian the same as Chicago notes-bibliography?
Turabian's 9th edition is the student version of Chicago 17 and uses the same citation patterns, plus guidance on formatting student papers.
§11
About the examples
Every style guide on this site formats the same six sources, so you can compare styles side by side. The journal article is real; the others are fictional, with placeholder names.
- Journal article (with DOI) (real): Hannah Jergas and Christopher Baethge, “Quotation accuracy in medical journal articles—a systematic review and meta-analysis,” PeerJ, volume 3, article e1364, published 27 October 2015, DOI 10.7717/peerj.1364.
- Book: Jane A. Doe, Evidence and argument in student research, Example University Press, London, 2021.
- Chapter in an edited book: Richard B. Roe, “Reading statistics critically,” pages 45–67 of A handbook of research methods, edited by Maria C. Sample and Lee D. Example, Example University Press, London, 2020.
- Web page: Pat Q. Public, “How to check that a source exists,” Example Research Hub (London), published 12 March 2024, https://www.example.org/guides/check-a-source, accessed 15 October 2026.
- Report: Example Institute for Education (author and publisher, London), Student research practices in higher education, 2023, https://www.example.org/reports/student-research-2023, accessed 15 October 2026.
- Thesis or dissertation: Alex B. Placeholder, Peer feedback and revision in first-year writing, unpublished PhD thesis, Department of Education, Example University, London, 2022.
Based on the The Chicago Manual of Style, 17th edition, chapter 14. Last reviewed 2026-11. Your instructor's or journal's own guidelines take precedence. Spotted an error? Email support@moremind.ai.