chicago author date essay format

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CMOS Author Date Sample Paper

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This resource contains the Author Date sample paper for The Chicago Manual of Style (17 th ed.). To download the sample paper, click this link .

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Author-Date: Sample Citations

Go to Notes and Bibliography: Sample Citations

The following examples illustrate the author-date system. Each example of a reference list entry is accompanied by an example of a corresponding in-text citation. For more details and many more examples, see chapter 15 of The Chicago Manual of Style . For examples of the same citations using the notes and bibliography system, follow the Notes and Bibliography link above.

Reference list entries (in alphabetical order)

Grazer, Brian, and Charles Fishman. 2015. A Curious Mind: The Secret to a Bigger Life . New York: Simon & Schuster.

Smith, Zadie. 2016. Swing Time . New York: Penguin Press.

In-text citations

(Grazer and Fishman 2015, 12)

(Smith 2016, 315–16)

For more examples, see 1 5 . 40 – 45 in The Chicago Manual of Style .

Chapter or other part of an edited book

In the reference list, include the page range for the chapter or part. In the text, cite specific pages.

Reference list entry

Thoreau, Henry David. 2016. “Walking.” In The Making of the American Essay , edited by John D’Agata, 167–95. Minneapolis: Graywolf Press.

In-text citation

(Thoreau 2016, 177–78)

In some cases, you may want to cite the collection as a whole instead.

D’Agata, John, ed. 2016. The Making of the American Essay . Minneapolis: Graywolf Press.

(D’Agata 2016, 177–78)

For more details, see 15.36 and 15.42 in The Chicago Manual of Style .

Translated book

Lahiri, Jhumpa. 2016.  In Other Words . Translated by Ann Goldstein. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

(Lahiri 2016, 146)

For books consulted online, include a URL or the name of the database in the reference list entry. For other types of e-books, name the format. If no fixed page numbers are available, cite a section title or a chapter or other number in the text, if any (or simply omit).

Austen, Jane. 2007. Pride and Prejudice . New York: Penguin Classics. Kindle.

Borel, Brooke. 2016. The Chicago Guide to Fact-Checking . Chicago: University of Chicago Press. ProQuest Ebrary.

Kurland, Philip B., and Ralph Lerner, eds. 1987. The Founders’ Constitution . Chicago: University of Chicago Press. http://press-pubs.uchicago.edu/founders/.

Melville, Herman. 1851. Moby-Dick; or, The Whale . New York: Harper & Brothers. http://mel.hofstra.edu/moby-dick-the-whale-proofs.html.

(Austen 2007, chap. 3)

(Borel 2016, 92)

(Kurland and Lerner 1987, chap. 10, doc. 19)

(Melville 1851, 627)

Journal article

In the reference list, include the page range for the whole article. In the text, cite specific page numbers. For articles consulted online, include a URL or the name of the database in the reference list entry. Many journal articles list a DOI (Digital Object Identifier). A DOI forms a permanent URL that begins https://doi.org/. This URL is preferable to the URL that appears in your browser’s address bar.

Keng, Shao-Hsun, Chun-Hung Lin, and Peter F. Orazem. 2017. “Expanding College Access in Taiwan, 1978–2014: Effects on Graduate Quality and Income Inequality.” Journal of Human Capital 11, no. 1 (Spring): 1–34. https://doi.org/10.1086/690235.

LaSalle, Peter. 2017. “Conundrum: A Story about Reading.” New England Review 38 (1): 95–109. Project MUSE.

Satterfield, Susan. 2016. “Livy and the Pax Deum .” Classical Philology 111, no. 2 (April): 165–76.

(Keng, Lin, and Orazem 2017, 9–10)

(LaSalle 2017, 95)

(Satterfield 2016, 170)

Journal articles often list many authors, especially in the sciences. If there are four or more authors, list up to ten in the reference list; in the text, list only the first, followed by et al . (“and others”). For more than ten authors (not shown here), list the first seven in the reference list, followed by et al.

Bay, Rachael A., Noah Rose, Rowan Barrett, Louis Bernatchez, Cameron K. Ghalambor, Jesse R. Lasky, Rachel B. Brem, Stephen R. Palumbi, and Peter Ralph. 2017. “Predicting Responses to Contemporary Environmental Change Using Evolutionary Response Architectures.” American Naturalist 189, no. 5 (May): 463–73. https://doi.org/10.1086/691233.

(Bay et al. 2017, 465)

For more examples, see 1 5 . 46–49 in The Chicago Manual of Style .

News or magazine article

Articles from newspapers or news sites, magazines, blogs, and the like are cited similarly. In the reference list, it can be helpful to repeat the year with sources that are cited also by month and day. Page numbers, if any, can be cited in the text but are omitted from a reference list entry. If you consulted the article online, include a URL or the name of the database.

Manjoo, Farhad. 2017. “Snap Makes a Bet on the Cultural Supremacy of the Camera.” New York Times , March 8, 2017. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/08/technology/snap-makes-a-bet-on-the-cultural-supremacy-of-the-camera.html.

Mead, Rebecca. 2017. “The Prophet of Dystopia.” New Yorker , April 17, 2017.

Pai, Tanya. 2017. “The Squishy, Sugary History of Peeps.” Vox , April 11, 2017. http://www.vox.com/culture/2017/4/11/15209084/peeps-easter.

Pegoraro, Rob. 2007. “Apple’s iPhone Is Sleek, Smart and Simple.” Washington Post , July 5, 2007. LexisNexis Academic.

(Manjoo 2017)

(Mead 2017, 43)

(Pegoraro 2007)

Readers’ comments are cited in the text but omitted from a reference list.

(Eduardo B [Los Angeles], March 9, 2017, comment on Manjoo 2017)

For more examples, see 15 . 49 (newspapers and magazines) and 1 5 . 51 (blogs) in The Chicago Manual of Style .

Book review

Kakutani, Michiko. 2016. “Friendship Takes a Path That Diverges.” Review of Swing Time , by Zadie Smith. New York Times , November 7, 2016.

(Kakutani 2016)

Stamper, Kory. 2017. “From ‘F-Bomb’ to ‘Photobomb,’ How the Dictionary Keeps Up with English.” Interview by Terry Gross. Fresh Air , NPR, April 19, 2017. Audio, 35:25. http://www.npr.org/2017/04/19/524618639/from-f-bomb-to-photobomb-how-the-dictionary-keeps-up-with-english.

(Stamper 2017)

Thesis or dissertation

Rutz, Cynthia Lillian. 2013. “ King Lear and Its Folktale Analogues.” PhD diss., University of Chicago.

(Rutz 2013, 99–100)

Website content

It is often sufficient simply to describe web pages and other website content in the text (“As of May 1, 2017, Yale’s home page listed . . .”). If a more formal citation is needed, it may be styled like the examples below. For a source that does not list a date of publication or revision, use n.d. (for “no date”) in place of the year and include an access date.

Bouman, Katie. 2016. “How to Take a Picture of a Black Hole.” Filmed November 2016 at TEDxBeaconStreet, Brookline, MA. Video, 12:51. https://www.ted.com/talks/katie_bouman_what_does_a_black_hole_look_like.

Google. 2017. “Privacy Policy.” Privacy & Terms. Last modified April 17, 2017. https://www.google.com/policies/privacy/.

Yale University. n.d. “About Yale: Yale Facts.” Accessed May 1, 2017. https://www.yale.edu/about-yale/yale-facts.

(Bouman 2016)

(Google 2017)

(Yale University, n.d.)

For more examples, see 1 5 . 50–52 in The Chicago Manual of Style . For multimedia, including live performances, see 1 5 . 57 .

Social media content

Citations of content shared through social media can usually be limited to the text (as in the first example below). If a more formal citation is needed, a reference list entry may be appropriate. In place of a title, quote up to the first 160 characters of the post. Comments are cited in reference to the original post.

Conan O’Brien’s tweet was characteristically deadpan: “In honor of Earth Day, I’m recycling my tweets” (@ConanOBrien, April 22, 2015).

Chicago Manual of Style. 2015. “Is the world ready for singular they? We thought so back in 1993.” Facebook, April 17, 2015. https://www.facebook.com/ChicagoManual/posts/10152906193679151.

Souza, Pete (@petesouza). 2016. “President Obama bids farewell to President Xi of China at the conclusion of the Nuclear Security Summit.” Instagram photo, April 1, 2016. https://www.instagram.com/p/BDrmfXTtNCt/.

(Chicago Manual of Style 2015)

(Souza 2016)

(Michele Truty, April 17, 2015, 1:09 p.m., comment on Chicago Manual of Style 2015)

Personal communication

Personal communications, including email and text messages and direct messages sent through social media, are usually cited in the text only; they are rarely included in a reference list.

(Sam Gomez, Facebook message to author, August 1, 2017)

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Chicago Author-Date

About chicago 17th ed.: author-date.

The Chicago Manual of Style Author-Date system is used by scholars in the social sciences and sciences. For arts, history, and humanities, see the  Notes/Bibliography system.

Citing sources in this style consists of two parts:

• An in-text citation
• A reference list

The in-text citation points the reader to the full information about the source found in the reference list.

See How to Format In-Text Citations , How to Format the Reference List , and the examples of types of sources in the left navigation for further details.

How to Format In-Text Citations

An in-text citation provides your reader with two pieces of information:

• The the last name of the author(s) used in the corresponding reference list entry
• The year the work was published

Standard Formatting of the In-Text Citation

For more detailed information see Chicago Manual of Style , 15.21 - 15.31 .

• Enclose the author's last name and the year of publication in parentheses with no intervening punctuation. (Smith 2016)
• For no author , see the "How do I deal with ____?" section.
• For two to three authors, include the last names of authors using commas and and (Smith, Lee, and Alvarez 2016)
• For four or more authors, include the last name of the first author and et al. (Smith et al. 2016)
• When editors, translators, or compilers are used as the author, do not include their role (trans., ed., comp.) in the in-text citation.
• When the reference list has works by authors with same last name , include their first initial in the in-text citation (B. Smith 2016) (J. Smith 2009)
• If an author has published multiple works in the same year , alphabetize the titles in the reference list and then add a, b,c, etc. to the year (Lee 2015a) (Lee 2015b)
• To cite specific page(s) , add a comma and the page number(s) (Smith 2016, 21-23)
• If the author's name appears in the sentence, do not include the name again in the parentheses Smith (2016) indicates that good citation practices are important.
• To cite more than one reference in a single in-text citation, separate the references by semicolons. If the works are by the same author, use just the year and separate with a comma. See CMOS 15.30  for details. (Smith 2016; Lee 2015) (Smith 2016, 2013; Lee 2015)

How to Format the Reference List

General formatting of the reference list.

For more detailed information see Chicago Manual of Style , 1 5.10 - 15.20

The reference list provides the full details of the items you have cited in your paper. Here are some general features of the reference list:

• Usually titled References or Works Cited  
• Entries begin with author(s) and date of work; other required elements depend on the type of source. See examples in the left navigation.  
• alphabetize using the letter-by-letter system, in which an entry for “Fernández, Angelines” would come before the entry for “Fernán Gómez, Fernando” (d in " Fernández" comes before G in " Gómez")  
• If there is no author , use the first word of the title of the work (excluding The, A, An).  
• Single-author  entries precede  multiauthor  entries beginning with the same name.  

Du Bois, W. E. B. 1898. "The Study of the Negro Problems." Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 11 (January): 1-23. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1009474.

———. 1903. The Souls of Black Folk: Essays and Sketches . Chicago: A. C. McClurg.

———. 1947. The World and Africa: An Inquiry into the Part Which Africa Has Played in World History . New York: Viking.  

Olney, William W. 2015a. "Impact of Corruption on Firm-Level Export Decisions." Economic Inquiry 54 (2): 1105–27.

Olney, William W. 2015b. "Remittances and the Wage Impact of Immigration." Journal of Human Resources 50 (3): 694-727.

How do I deal with ___?

Missing citation elements.

(World Bank 2011)

( New York Times  1912)

If the author is unknown, start the reference list entry with the title. For the in-text citation, use the title, which can be shortened as long as the first word matches the reference list entry ( CMOS ,  15.34 )

(Human Rights Campaign, n.d.)

(Library of Congress, n.d., under "Slave Narratives and the New Debate about Slavery")

• Place: Use n.p. if it is unknown. If it can be surmised, put in brackets with a question mark. ( CMOS , 14.132 )
• Publisher: If not listed on the title page or copyright page, use "self-published" or "printed by author." (CMOS,  14.137 )

More than one author

• List authors in order they appear on title page
• In the reference list, invert the first author's name only and place a comma before and after the first name
• Use the word "and," not an ampersand (&)
• For works with 4-10 authors, list all names in the reference list, but only use the first author's name followed by et al. in the in-text citation.
• For works with more than 10 authors, only include the first 7 authors and et al. in the reference list ( CMOS ,  15.9 , 15.16 ,  15.29 ,  14.76 )

In-text Citations:

(Geis and Bunn 1997, 17)

(Chih-Hung Ko et al. 2009, 600)

Reference List:

Geis, Gilbert, and Ivan Bunn. 1997. A Trial of Witches: a Seventeenth-Century Witchcraft Prosecution . London: Routledge.

Ko, Chih-Hung, Ju-Yu Yen, Shu-Chun Liu, Chi-Fen Huang, and Cheng-Fang Yen. 2009. "The Associations between Aggressive Behaviors and Internet Addiction and Online Activities in Adolescents." Journal of Adolescent Health 44 (6): 598-605.

Using a source quoted in a secondary source

It is always better to consult the original source, but if it cannot be obtained, give information about the original source in the running text and include "quoted in" in your in-text citation for the secondary source. Include only the secondary source in your reference list. ( CMOS , 15.56 )

In his 1844 book Thoughts on the Proposed Annexation of Texas to the United States , Theodore Sedgwick opines "The annexation of Texas instead of strengthening the Union, weakens it" (quoted in Rathbun 2001, 479).

Rathbun, Lyon. 2001. "The Debate over Annexing Texas and the Emergence of Manifest Destiny." Rhetoric & Public Affairs 4 (3): 459-493.

Examples: Books, Chapters

For more information see: Chicago Manual of Style , 15.9 , 15.40 - 15.45

Author Last Name, First Name. Year. Book Title . Place: Publisher.

For e-books, include the provider of the book, the URL, or e-book application/device at the end of the citation. (CMOS, 14.159 - 14.163 )

Feder, Ellen K. 2007. Family Bonds: Genealogies of Race and Gender . Oxford: Oxford University Press. ProQuest ebrary.

Nairn, Tom. 1997. Faces of Nationalism: Janus Revisited . London: Verso.

Stewart, K. J. 1864. A Geography for Beginners . Richmond: J. W. Randolph. http://docsouth.unc.edu/imls/stewart/stewart.html.

Edited Book

For more information see: Chicago Manual of Style , 15.9 , 15.36

Author Last Name, First Name, ed. Year. Book Title . Place: Publisher.

Dmytryshyn, Basil, ed. 1999. Imperial Russia: A Source Book, 1700-1917 . New York: Academic International Press.

Chapter or Essay in Book

For more information see: Chicago Manual of Style , 15.9 , 14.106 - 14.112

Roell, Craig H. 1994. "The Piano in the American Home." In The Arts and the American Home, 1890-1930 , edited by Jessica H. Foy and Karal Ann Marling, 193-204. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press.

Entry in a Reference Book

For more information see: Chicago Manual of Style , 14.232 ,  14.233 ,  14.234

Well-known encyclopedias and dictionaries are usually cited in the running text only. For other reference works, cite as a book or book chapter.

Examples: Articles

Journal article.

For more information see: Chicago Manual of Style , 15.9 , 15.46

Author Last Name, First Name. Year. "Article Title." Journal Title Volume (Issue): Page Range of Article. URL/DOI.

For journal articles consulted online, use a URL based on a DOI (begins with https://doi.org/). Otherwise, use the URL provided with the article.

Hunter, Margaret. 2016. "Colorism in the Classroom: How Skin Tone Stratifies African American and Latina/o Students." Theory into Practice 55 (1): 54-61. https://doi.org/10.1080/00405841.2016.1119019.

Thompson, Maxine S., and Keith Verna M. 2001. "The Blacker the Berry: Gender, Skin Tone, Self-Esteem, and Self-Efficacy." Gender and Society 15 (3): 336-57. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3081888.

Magazine Article

For more information see: Chicago Manual of Style , 15.4 9

Magazine articles can be cited in the running text (e.g., As Scott Spencer mentions in his May 1979 Harper's article "Childhood's End," ....) and not included in the reference list. However, if a formal citation is needed, follow the example below, repeating the year with the month and day.

Author Last Name, First Name. Year. "Article Title." Magazine Title , Month Day, Year, Page Range of Article.

If citing an online magazine, end the citation with the URL, library database, or app.

Spencer, Scott. 1979. "Childhood's End." Harper's , May 1979, 16-19.

Tobar, Héctor. 2016. "Can Latinos Swing Arizona?" New Yorker. August 1, 2016. http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/08/01/promise-arizona-and-the-power-of-the-latino-vote.

Tobar, Héctor. 2016. "Can Latinos Swing Arizona?" New Yorker (iPhone app). August 1, 2016.

Newspaper Article

For more information see: Chicago Manual of Style , 15.49 ,  14.191  -  14.200

Newspaper articles can be cited in the running text (e.g., As John Eligon mentioned in his November 18, 2015 New York Times article ....) and not included in the reference list. However, if your professor requires it, follow the examples below, repeating the year with the month and day.

Author Last Name, First Name. Year. "Article Title." Newspaper Title , Month Day, Year. sec. Section.

Page numbers are not included because articles can appear on different pages in different editions. For regularly occurring columns, cite with both the column name and headline or just the column name. If citing an online newspaper, include the URL at the end. If citing from a library database, include the database name.

Eligon, John. 2015. "One Slogan, Many Methods: Black Lives Matter Enters Politics." New York Times , November 18, 2015. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/19/us/one-slogan-many-methods-black-lives-matter-enters-politics.html.

Erlanger, Steve. 1998. "Pact on Israeli Pullback Hinges on Defining Army's Role." New York Times , May 8, 1998, sec. A.

King, Martin Luther, Jr. 1966. "Negro Faces Dixie Justice." My Dream. Chicago Defender , April 23, 1966. ProQuest Historical Newspapers.

Examples: Web Pages, Blogs, Social Media

For more information see: Chicago Manual of Style , 15.51 , CMOS quick guide

Author Last Name, First Name. Last Modified Year. "Page Title." Website Title. Last modified Month Day, Year. URL.

If there is no personal author, start with the page title or site sponsor. If there is no last modified date, use n.d.

DeSilver, Drew. 2018. "The Real Value of a $15 Minimum Wage Depends on Where You Live." Pew Research Center. Last modified October 10, 2018. http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/10/10/the-real-value-of-a-15-minimum-wage-depends-on-where-you-live/.

Human Rights Campaign. n.d. "Maps of State Laws and Policies." Accessed April 25, 2019. http://www.hrc.org/state_maps.

Blog Posts and Comments

For more information see:  Chicago Manual of Style ,  15.51  and  14.208

Blog posts and comments are generally cited in the running text and omitted from the reference list. If a reference list entry is needed, follow the example below.

Author Last Name, First Name. Year. "Post Title," Blog Title (blog), Month Day, Year. URL.

If the blog has the word "blog" as part of its name, "(blog)" should not be included in the citation. If the blog is a part of a larger publication, include that title, too.

Stewart, Jenell. 2016. "Natural Hair Creates a More Inclusive Standard," My Natural Hair Journey (blog), Huffington Post , July 12, 2016. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jenell-stewart/natural-hair-creates-a-more-inclusive-beauty-standard_b_10949874.html.

Social Media

For more information see: Chicago Manual of Style , 14.209 and 15.52

Citations for social media content can often be incorporated into the text:

Reacting to the Obergefell v. Hodges decision, Obama tweeted, "Today is a big step in our march toward equality. Gay and lesbian couples now have the right to marry, just like anyone else. #LoveWins" (@POTUS44, June 26, 2015).

If you cite an account frequently or an extensive thread, use the format below for the reference list. Direct or private messages shared through social media are treated as personal communication (see COMS , 15.53 ).

Use the screen name in the author position if there is no real name. If you have already fully quoted the text of the post, that element is not needed in the note. If relevant, include media type (photo, video, etc.) after the name of the social media service.

Examples: Music, Film, TV, Images

Note: In many cases media can be cited in the running text or grouped in a separate section or discography, but author-date style citation can be created by adapting the format used in the notes/bibliography style, moving the year to the second position. You can choose whom to list as the author depending on the focus of your citation. While you should always cite the format you used, the original date of the work, if known, should be privileged in the citation. ( CMOS , 15.57 )

Music Score

For more information see: Chicago Manual of Style , 14.255

Published music scores are cited like books and book chapters.

Composer Last Name, First Name. Year. "Song Title." In Book Title , edited by Editor First Name Last Name, Inclusive Pages for Song. Place: Publisher.

Johnson, Charles L. "Crazy Bone Rag." 1997. In Ragtime Jubilee: 42 Piano Gems, 1911-21 , edited by David A. Jasen, 41-45. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications.

Music Recording

For more information see: Chicago Manual of Style , 14.263

Performer or Conductor Last Name, First Name. Original Release Year. Album Title . Record Label Catalog Number, Year of Format Used, Medium or Streaming Service or File Format. 

The Beatles. 1970. Let it Be . Capitol 3 82472 2, 2009, compact disc.

Beyoncé. 2016. Lemonade , Parkwood Entertainment, MP3.

For more information see: Chicago Manual of Style , 14.265

bibliography:

Director First Name Last Name, dir. Original Film Release Year. Film Title . Place: Studio/Distributor, Release Year of Medium Used. Medium.

Scott, Ridley, dir. 1991. Thelma & Louise . Santa Monica, CA: MGM Home Entertainment, 2004. DVD.

Online Video

For more information see: Chicago Manual of Style , 1 4.267

The format of citations depends on the information available. Generally, include details about the original published source (if applicable) and details related to the digitized copy such as source type, length, and where it is posted. See the two examples of format below.

Video Creator Last Name, First Name. Original Release Year. Video Title . Original Production Company. From Provider of Online Video. Source Type, Running Time. URL.

Digitizing Organization. Original Year. "Video Clip Title." Source Type, Running Time. From Original Performance or Source Date. Posted Date. URL.

U.S. Federal Civil Defense Administration.1951.  Duck and Cover . Archer Productions. From Internet Archive, Prelinger Archives. MPEG video, 9:15. http://archive.org/details/DuckandC1951.

John F. Kennedy Library Foundation. 1960. "TNC:172 Kennedy-Nixon First Presidential Debate, 1960." YouTube video, 58:34. From televised debate September 26, 1960. Posted September 21, 2010. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbrcRKqLSRw.

Director Last Name, First Name, dir. Year aired.  TV Show Title. , Season number, episode number, "Episode Title." Aired Month Day, Year, on Network. Medium or URL for online access.

Silberling, Brad, dir. 2014.  Jane the Virgin. Season 1, episode 1, "Chapter One." Aired October 13, 2014, on The CW. https://www.netflix.com/title/80027158.

For more information see: CMOS Shop Talk

Images are usually not included in the reference list. In the running text or caption indicate the artist, year the work was created, title of the work, and where it is located.

Examples: Government Documents

For more information see:  Chicago Manual of Style , 1 5.58  and 15.59

If you make extensive use of legal or government documents, cite them in the  Chicago Notes  format as supplementary footnotes instead of as in-text citations. See  CMOS   15.31 . 

If you are using just a few documents, cite them in the running text using the legal citation form recommended in The Chicago Manual of Style , 14.269 - 14.305  and in the Chicago Notes section of this guide.

In Griswold v. Connecticut (381 U.S. 479 (1965)), the court ruled that ...

In remarks about the DREAM Act on the Senate floor (156 Cong. Rec. S10259 (daily ed. December 15, 2010)), Senator Durbin discussed ...

Examples: Unpublished/Archival

Interview/discussion.

For more information see: Chicago Manual of Style , 15.48

Unpublished interviews are cited as an in-text citation only; they do not appear in the reference list.

• In the parenthetical citation, put "personal communication" after the name of the person being interviewed. (Maud Mandel, personal communication)
• For class discussions, put the course number, "class discussion," and the date of the class. (ECON 110 class discussion, April 19, 2019)

Manuscript/Archival Material

For more information see: Chicago Manual of Style , 15.49

Manuscript materials are cited in the running text indicating the date of the cited item and using the name of the manuscript collection in the in-text reference. 

The reference list provides details about the manuscript collection only, not the individual items.

If only one item from a collection is cited, the details of that item can be included in the reference list and the author used in the in-text citation.

Collection Name. Repository Name. Place.

Author Last Name, First Name. Year of Item. Item Description. Month Day, Year of Item. Collection Name. Repository Name, Place.

If the item was accessed online, include the URL at the end of the citation.

Hopkins Family Papers. Williams College Special Collections. Williamstown, MA.

(Hopkins Family Papers)

Hopkins, Mark. 1861. Letter to Jaime Margalotti. March 22, 1861. Hopkins Family Papers. Williams College Special Collections, Williamstown, MA.

(Hopkins 1861)

Need More Info?

• Chicago Style Q&A Provides official answers to questions submitted by users of the Chicago Manual of Style .
• CMOS Shop Talk A blog by the editors and staff of the Chicago Manual of Style , which includes posts and pages for students writing papers.

What Needs to be Cited?

• Exact wording taken from any source, including freely available websites
• Paraphrases of passages
• Summaries of another person's work
• Indebtedness to another person for an idea
• Use of another student's work
• Use of your own previous work

You do not need to cite common knowledge .

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Chicago Citation Guide, Author-Date and NB, 17E: Author-Date Templates and Examples

• Chicago Manual of Style, 17th edition
• Author-Date Templates and Examples
• Notes and Bibliography Templates and Examples
• Paper Formatting (NB)
• Introduction
• Collecting Citations
• Backing-Up/Syncing
• Placing Citations in a Document

Supplemental Files

• Chicago Author-Date PDF Printable PDF of this tab
• Chicago Author-Date Powerpoint Used in the 25-minute workshop.

Tips Before Turning In

Before submitting your paper to the instructor, be sure to review these tips and make corrections to your reference list.

• If your instructor’s preferred style differs from this suggested style, always follow your instructor’s directions.
• The Author-Date format uses a reference list, called References or Works Cited or Literature Cited, rather than a bibliography.
• The reference list only includes those items cited in parenthetical citations.
• The reference list is first alphabetical by author, then chronological by year, then alphabetical by title. Include but ignore initial A, An, and The when alphabetizing by title. 
• Author-date format does not recommend authors use the ------ for repeated  names in a reference list. Repeat the names for each entry, then sort chronologically.
• In the reference list, if there are two or more citations with the exact same author(s) AND the same year, place them in alphabetical order by title. Then add a, b, c, etc. directly after the year. Use this year with a letter in the parenthetical citation.  Include but ignore initial A, An, and The when alphabetizing by title.
• For in-text parenthetical citation, punctuation follows the closed parenthesis, if it is needed at all.
• Use et al. in parenthetical citations for four or more authors, using only the first author's last name, then et al., followed immediately by the year  (e.g., Caballero et al. 1990, 55). The reference list citation includes all authors in the order they appear on the item.
• For a Web page, if there is no publication or revision date, you place n.d. as the publication date then include and access date, using Accessed Month date, YYYY.
• Note that n.d. has no space between the letters, takes a comma-space before it with in-text citation, and stays lower case always.
• The reference list is formatted using a hanging indent (Ctrl+T). Each entry is single spaced, but there is an empty line between each citation.

For More Information

For more detailed information and examples, please see:

The Chicago Manual of Style , 17 th ed.

Z253 .U69 2017

held at the Reserve Desk and the Reference Desk. Chapter 15 (pp. 891-921) relates to Chicago’s Author-Date format.

Article (two authors)

Book (one author), essay acting like a chapter in an edited book (three authors + editor), web page (no publication or revision date and with a publication date), multiple sources.

An in-text citation with multiple sources separates each of them with a semi-colon. The order in the citation may be alphabetical, chronological, or may be in order of importance. It is the author's choice or what is required by the professor, journal, or publisher.

YouTube Video

Citing a YouTube video or other similar source, starts with the same pieces as previous examples. You need author, date, title, source (YouTube), and URL.

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Chicago style (author/date).

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Chicago A-D Paper Template

If your class requires Chicago A-D style, use the paper template below.

• Lynn Chicago A-D Paper Template

Quick Guide to Chicago A-D Format

Use these essential rules to format your student paper in Chicago: Author-Date style.

Essential Rules for CMOS Paper Format: 

• Use 1-inch margins at the top, bottom, left, and right of every page.
• Fonts must be readable, for example, Times New Roman.
• Font size should be no less than 10 pt (12 pt is preferable). 
• Do not number the title page.
• See the template or the sample paper below for details about the layout of the title page. Pay attention to the spacing!
• Double-space the body of the paper (single-space reference list entries with one space between them). 
• Do not leave extra blank lines between paragraphs (this is a setting in Word ). 
• Add page numbers in the header (right side) beginning with 1 on the first page of the text (no number on the title page).
• In longer papers, add headings if needed, but use consistent formatting and put an extra line space before and after headings. Avoid periods at the end of headings.
• Label Appendix 1, Appendix 2 OR Appendix A, Appendix B
• Start the reference list on a new page. Label the page as References (centered); do not use bold or italics. Put two blank lines between References and the first entry.
• Single-space the references with one blank line between entries.
• Use hanging indents set at 0.5 inches (that is the default in Word).
• The first author's last name is listed first; the other authors' names are not inverted. The last name begins with a capital letter unless an author's last name begins with a lowercase letter. 
• If you cite sources with the same author and year, list them alphabetically by title and add a, b, c, etc to the year (2023a, 2023b, n.d.-a, n.d.-b). 
• Include only sources you cited in your paper unless the instructor requires you to include works you consulted but did not cite in the paper.
• Include all the authors' names in the reference list unless there are more than 10; in that case, list the first seven and "et al." in the reference list citation.

Chicago (Author-Date) Sample Paper

• CMOS (A-D) Formatted Sample Paper (Purdue OWL) This link is to the Author Date sample paper for The Chicago Manual of Style (17th ed.).

More Chicago A-D Style Citation Help

This guide is based on  The Chicago Manual of Style  (CMOS) - 17th edition . Part III: Source Citations and Indexes.

The style guide is on reserve in the library. Please ask at the Information Desk to borrow a copy. 

Suggested resources for CMOS assistance: 

• CMOS - Author-Date Quick Guide
• CMOS - Q & A
• Lynn CMOS Guide PDF
• Taylor & Francis CMOS Guide
• Next: Citing Your Sources >>
• Last Updated: Mar 15, 2024 10:46 AM
• URL: https://lynn-library.libguides.com/chicago_AD_style

Chicago Style Guide - 17th Edition

• Chicago Style
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• Quotations and Signal Phrases
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• Government Publications
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• Need More Help?

Useful Links

• Chicago Manual of Style Online - Quick Guide
• Douglas College Library - Chicago Style Guide (PDF)
• Purdue OWL - Chicago Manual of Style (17th ed.)
• SFU Library - Chicago/Turabian (17th ed.) Citation Guide

Avoid Plagiarism

• Camosun Academic Integrity Guide
• Camosun Plagiarism Guide
• Douglas College Learning Centre - Paraphrasing Without Plagiarizing
• Purdue OWL - Avoiding Plagiarism
• SFU Library - Plagiarism Tutorial

Chicago Style Sample Research Paper

Formatting and Sample Paper

The formatting guidelines listed on this page, provide general best practices for formatting your work using the Chicago style. Detailed information about formatting your title page , using quotes and signal phrases , and creating a bibliography , can be found by navigating to various sub-pages of this "Formatting Your Paper" page.

Learning how to correctly format your research paper into Chicago style can seem overwhelming, especially if the style is new to you. One of the best ways to help visualize what your paper needs to look like is by checking out an example of a paper that has already been formatted correctly.

View this  sample Chicago style research paper   ( notes and bibliography/humanities system ) from Purdue OWL for examples on how to format:

• A title page
• Headers and page numbers
• A bibliography

For a sample paper in the Chicago author/date style , visit the "Author/Date (Scientific) System" page in this guide.

Paragraphs and Spacing

The first line of all new paragraphs should begin with an indent . You can use either the tab key or your word processor's indentation tool to make your indentations–just be sure to be consistent and use the same process throughout your paper.

Your paper should be double spaced throughout its main body , with the following exceptions: 

• Block quotations , table titles , and figure captions should be single-spaced . 
• ​An extra line of space should be inserted both before and after a block quotation. 

Entries in the bibliography and footnotes/ endnotes are single spaced within entries , but double-spaced between entries (unless your instructor prefers double-spacing throughout).​

Footnotes and Endnotes

• Notes can be either  footnotes   (placed at the  foot   (bottom) of the same page  as the referenced text) or  endnotes   (listed on a  separate sheet at the end  of the essay, before the bibliography).
• Other than placement in your document, footnotes and endnotes are  structured in exactly the same way .
• Notes are  numbered consecutively  throughout the paper. Most word processing programs (such as MS Word) handle footnotes automatically.
• Follow your instructors’ directions when deciding whether to use footnotes or endnotes.

To insert a footnote in a Microsoft Word document:

• Place the cursor after the text you want to cite.
• Click on the " References "   tab.
• In the " Footnotes " section , click on the " In sert Footnote " button.
• A superscript number 1 will appear after the text you want to cite.
• A superscript number 1 will also appear at the bottom of page.
• At the bottom of the page next to the superscript number, enter the citation information for your resource (see the citation examples in this guide for how to create footnotes).
• Repeat these steps to insert and consecutively number your footnotes.

Some instructors may ask you to use endnotes, instead of footnotes. For information on inserting endnotes, see the  Microsoft Office Tutorial .

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Chicago Format & Citation Style: Author-Date, 17th Edition

• Chicago Style
• Why & When to Cite

In-Text Citations: General Guidelines

References: general guidelines, sample bibliography.

• Websites, Blogs, & Social Media
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• Report an Error / Question

In-text citations should follow these general guidelines:

• An in-text citation lists the author's surname and the year of publication, enclosed in parentheses
• If the author's name is mentioned in the text, only the year of publication appears in the citation
• The date should immediately follow the author’s name, even if the name is used in the possessive
• Citation of direct quotations must include the page number where the quotation appeared
• Page numbers are also required when paraphrasing specific information or citing secondary citations
• Page numbers included in a parenthetical citation should follow the year and be separated by a comma
• When citing 2 or 3 authors, use 'and' to separate surnames
• When citing 4 or more authors, use the first author's surname followed by 'et al.'
• If no author is provided, use a shortened version of the title
• If no date is provided, use n.d. following the author's surname and a comma
• When citing multiple works by the same author(s) in the same year, add a, b, c, and so on after the year to differentiate the references
• For different authors with the same surname, include initials before the surname
• For multiple in-text citations within one set of parentheses, alphabetize citations by first author and use a semicolon to separate citations
• If citing a secondary source, include both the original and secondary sources
• An in-text citation may appear anywhere in a sentence, provided that it follows a direct quote or paraphrase
• When including an in-text citation at the end of a sentence, the ending punctuation should follow the parentheses

References should follow these general rules and guidelines:

• A list of references is located at the end of your paper
• Title your page References
• Sources cited in text must appear in the reference list and vice versa
• Citations are single-spaced, with a double space between entries
• The first line of a reference list entry is left justified (flush left), and all subsequent lines are indented five spaces (this is called a "hanging indent")
• A reference list entry lists the author, year, title, and facts of publication, in that order
• Elements are separated by periods; facts of publication are not enclosed in parentheses
• Entries are arranged in alphabetical order by author's last name (unless your instructor provides different instructions.
• Authors’ full names are used with the first author's name inverted
• List all authors in a reference list entry, no matter how many
• If there is no author provided, alphabetize using the next element in the citation (generally the title)
• If there is no date provided, use 'n.d." in place of the year
• Titles are capitalized headline-style
• Titles of books and journals appear in italics; article titles and titles of book chapters, essays, and short stories appear in "quotes"
• Page numbers are only given when the item is a part of a whole work, such as a chapter in a book or an article in a journal
• Noun forms such as editor, translator, and edition are abbreviated, but verb forms such as 'edited by' and 'translated by' are spelled out
• If there are two or more works by the same author(s), arrange those citations chronologically by year of publication in ascending order
• If there are two or more works by the same author(s) in the same year, differentiate by adding a, b, c, and so on after the year
• Always include an electronic source's DOI, if available
• If an online item does not have a DOI, cite the URL or name of library database
• Access dates for electronic sources are not required unless no date of publication or last revision can be determined

Bibliography

Armstrong, H. Clay. History of Escambia County Florida . St. Augustine, FL: The Record Company      Printers, 1930.

Brock, Ira. “Collins Dedicates Span.” The Pensacola Journal , November 1, 1960.

Boyd, Mark F. “The First American Road in Florida: Papers Relating to the Survey and Construction of the      Pensacola-St. Augustine Highway Part 1.” The Florida Historical Quarterly 14, no. 2 (October 1935):      73-106.

Cole, John W. “Pensacola Bridge Opens June 12-13.” The Frisco Employees’ Magazine , June 1931.

Dunlap, Deborah, Betty Ann Copeland Johnson, Tracey L Martin. Remember When Volume Three…A      Pictorial Journey of Gulf Breeze . Pensacola: Bay Shore Publishing Group, 2002.

Huggins, William. L., Jr. “Pensacola Bridge Dedication Attracts 20,000 People.” The Frisco Employees'      Magazine , July 1931.

Mayes Printing Company. Program Opening Celebration Pensacola Bridge and Pensacola Beach on      the Gulf . Pensacola, FL: Mayes Printing Company, 1931.

McGovern, James R. ”Pensacola, Florida: A Military City in the New South.” The Florida Historical      Quarterly 59, no. 1 (July 1980): 24-41.

------. The Emergence of a City in the Modern South: Pensacola 1900-1945 . Leon Springs, FL: Painter,      1976.

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. ”Pensacola Bay Nautical Chart.” NOAA Nautical      Chart On-Line Viewer. Last modified December 2012. Accessed April 2, 2012.       http://www.charts.noaa.gov/OnLineViewer/11383.shtml.

Rucker, Brian R. Treasures of the Panhandle. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2011.

------. “A Description of Santa Rosa Peninsula in 1925.” Gulf Coast Historical Review 3, no. 2 (1988):      66-81.

State Road Department. Florida Highways. Tallahassee: State Road Department, 1930.

Tomerlin, Lysle. “Thousands View Dedication of Span and Beach.” The Pensacola Journal, June 15,      1931.

Zarnowitz, Victor. Business Cycles: Theory, History, Indicators, and Forecasting . Chicago: University of      Chicago Press, 1992.

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• Last Updated: Feb 14, 2024 2:55 PM
• URL: https://libguides.uwf.edu/chicagoauthordate

Referencing with Chicago 16th Author-Date format: Chicago

About this guide.

This page provides resources to assist with citing and referencing sources in Chicago Manual of Style 16th ed. (Author-Date format).

This is the referencing style which the UWI thesis guide states should be used by students in the Faculty of Food and Agriculture and Faculty of Science and Technology (except for the students in the Department of Chemistry).

Note as well that the Occupational Environmental Safety and Health (OESH) students, though in the Department of Chemistry, use the Chicago Manual of Style 16th ed. Author-Date Format.

Chicago Manual of Style 16th ed.

Handouts for Author-Date Format:

• Examples and Variations of Chicago 16th (Author-Date) - by UWI Librarians
• Guidelines for using Chicago 16th ed. (Author-Date)

Chicago 17th Edition LibGuide

The UW STA LibGuide to Chicago 17th Edition (Author-Date) has been updated. Click Here .

There are handouts to:

Examples and variations for Chicago 17th ed. (Author-Date). - updated by Jolie Rajah and Dr Shamin Renwick (dtd Sep 14, 2022)

Citing, Referencing and Basic Formatting Guidelines - CMS 17th ed. (Author-Date) - updated by Dr Shamin Renwick (dtd Sep 14, 2022)

Dr. Shamin Renwick, FCLIP

• Last Updated: Sep 14, 2022 8:22 PM
• URL: https://libguides.uwi.edu/cms16authordate

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Chicago Author-Date Style – Format & Examples

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The Chicago author-date style highlights sources in academic papers formatted according the Chicago style guide. The Chicago author-date style contains the author of a source and the publishing date to navigate readers to the original source. Referencing the Chicago author-date style helps prevent plagiarism by acknowledging the original creator of cited works in a research publication. This article thoroughly outlines how to format the Chicago author-date style correctly with examples.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

• 1 Chicago Author-Date Style – In a Nutshell
• 2 Definition: Chicago author-date style
• 3 Chicago author-date style: In-text citations
• 4 Chicago author-date style: Reference list
• 5 Chicago author-date style: Reference list entries
• 6 Chicago author-date style: Variations

Chicago Author-Date Style – In a Nutshell

• The Chicago author-date style guides researchers in formatting citations in academic paper correctly.
• There is a range of source types that may be cited.
• The Chicago style guidebook stipulates the appropriate method of formatting each source.
• In-text citations are indicated in the text, while their full descriptions are on the reference page.
• The Chicago author-date style is used in various academic disciplines, most notably in social science.

Definition: Chicago author-date style

Regarding the Chicago author-date style, the notes and bibliography method are the prescribed format for citing sources . Social sciences mainly use the Chicago author-date style for general formatting. Thus, this style is recommended by most universities and research institutions. Chicago author-date style consists of in-text citations, including the author’s name, year of publication, and if necessary, the page number.

Chicago author-date style: In-text citations

Sources within the text are cited using parentheses in Chicago author-date style. The citation begins with the name of the author’s last name followed by the publication year without any punctuations to separate them.

(Rowe 2019)

When there is a page range, use a comma to separate the information:

(Rowe 2019, 14-16)

Placement of in-text citations

The citation in Chicago author-date style is placed at the end of the cited clause.

Past studies consistently show a correlation between education and adult behaviour (Kapernick 2015; Hart 2017). However, alternative research shows this may be inaccurate (Clinton 2018).

Where the researcher’s name has previously been mentioned in the passage:

Fray (2016) proposes a strong case for basic education (34) . However, Samuel’s (2017) analysis does not corroborate this view.

Chicago author-date style: Reference list

The reference list outlines further details on the sources included in the Chicago author-date style citations. Individual entries on the reference start with the author’s last name and the date of publication.

Tiller, Arthur. 2016. Procurement and Supply in Agriculture. Rio De Janeiro: Wiley.

Chicago author-date style: Reference list entries

Formatting entries on the reference list may vary according to the type of source. Some common examples of citations include:

Book citation

In Chicago, author-date style book citations:

Format: Author last name, first name. Year. Title of Book. Edition. Place of publication: Publisher. URL.

Ortega, Amancio. 1976. Journey to the Edge of the Cosmos. Edited by Donald Bradshaw. Yosemite: Kiwi.

Book chapter citation

Format: Author last name, first name. Year. “Title of Chapter.” In Title of Book, edited by Editor first name last name, page range. Place of publication: Publisher.

Wilson, Owen. 2006. “Trouble by the River Bank: A Call to Arms” In The History of Immigration, edited by Bryce Michael, 214 -76. Cairo: Iman Press.

Journal article citation

Journals usually have volume and issue numbers as they are released periodically, which should be indicated in the Chicago author-date style.

Format: Author last name, first name. Year. “Title of Article.” Name of Journal, Volume, Issue number (Publication date): Page range. DOI or URL.

Zelinsky, Paulo. 2014. “The Changing Landscape of Auto Design.” Journal of Mechanical Engineering 2, no. 4 (October): 145 – 156. https://doi.com/14.1245/1689398634968946.

Website citation

Using the Chicago author-date style to cite online articles and webpages:

Format: Last name of the author, first name. Year. “Title of Page.” Name of Website. Access/revision date. URL.

Shaw, Grimes. 2017. “AI in Healthcare.” NHS. Accessed October 13, 2018. https://nhs.gov/ai/healthcare/.

E-book citation

Using the Chicago author-date style to cite E-books:

Format: First name, Last name, Book Title (City: Publisher, year published), page or location number, URL.

Donaldson J. Wright, The Reckoning (Newark, NJ: Happy Books Press, 1982), 19, https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7591/j.ctvn1t9s7.

Newspaper or magazine citation

Cite newspapers as follows:

Format: Last name, First Name. “Title of Article.” Newspaper Title. Month Day, Year. Url (Month Day, Year).

Lively, Sandra. “A Lion’s Journey.” Chicago Tribune. October 9, 2003. http://web.lexis-epol.com/ (accessed May 5, 2007).

Interview citation

Interviews can be cited as follows:

Format: Name, Interview by, Location, Date

Sam Dexter interview by author, Dublin, September 19, 2019.

Thesis or dissertation citation

When citing a thesis format in Chicago author-date style, your citation should be as follows:

Format: First-name Last-name, “Thesis Title: Subtitle,” (Publisher, Year).

Conrad Washington, “Tracing geo-political structures in ancient Roman civilizations,” Ph.D. diss., (University of Minnesota, 2008).

Social media content citation

Social media content is cited as follows:

Format: Lastname, Firstname [or single username] (@handle). Year. “Full Tweet.” Twitter, Month day, year, time posted. URL.

Elon Musk (@elonmusk). 2016. “The Falcon X Rocket enters earth’s atmosphere! #tbt http://bit.ly/1XKYPBf.” Twitter, March 3, 2016, 12:31 p.m. https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/705490693574135808.

Personal communication citation

Researchers may use personal communication like phone calls as references. These can be formatted as follows:

Format: Name, in discussion with, date.

Joseph Weldon (retired pilot) in discussion with the author, January 2019.

Chicago author-date style: Variations

There are other Chicago author-date style variations in unique cases when citing sources. They include:

Citing a source with multiple authors

Where there is more than one author:

Citing multiple sources with the same author and year

Cite such sources using the Chicago author-date style, which lists the sources in alphabetical order to distinguish each reference. Include a letter after publication, i.e., a, b, c…

Owen, Jake. 2011a. “Article Title.” Journal Title, no. 2 (July): 314 -43. https://doi.gov/12.3457/4444.

Owen, Jake. 2014b. “Book Title.” San Francisco: Penguin.

In-text citation:

(Owen 2011a)

(Owen 2014b)

Citing sources with missing information

Sources with missing information can also be cited using the Chicago author-date style. If you have a source with no publication date, use the abbreviation “n.d.” i.e., “no date” in the reference list.:

In-text citation: (Treton Research Institute 2017)

Reference list entry: Treton Research Institute. 2017. “Advances in Modern Transport Systems.” November 14, 218. https://www.tr1.org/publications/transport_56098_en.html

What is the Chicago author-date style?

Chicago author-date style is the format of referencing used in Chicago-style academic papers. It includes the author’s name and the date of publication.

Is Chicago author-date style the same as Harvard style?

Harvard style and Chicago author-date style are formatting styles used in academia. However, they are different as they use different rules to cite sources used in research.

Where do you use Chicago author-date citation style?

This style of referencing is used in Chicago-formatted academic papers. It is used by researchers for in-text citations and reference lists.

How do you cite sources with no known authors?

You can mention the name of the organization associated with the publication. Sources with no known authors include organization publications and government releases.

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Chicago Manual of Style (17th ed.)

• The Basics of Academic Citation
• Books (Author-Date Format)
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Author-Date Format: Citing Books

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Consider your source's credibility. ask these questions:, contributor/author.

• Has the author written several articles on the topic, and do they have the credentials to be an expert in their field?
• Can you contact them? Do they have social media profiles?
• Have other credible individuals referenced this source or author?
• Book: What have reviews said about it?
• What do you know about the publisher/sponsor? Are they well-respected?
• Do they take responsibility for the content? Are they selective about what they publish?
• Take a look at their other content. Do these other articles generally appear credible?
• Does the author or the organization have a bias? Does bias make sense in relation to your argument?
• Is the purpose of the content to inform, entertain, or to spread an agenda? Is there commercial intent?
• Are there ads?
• When was the source published or updated? Is there a date shown?
• Does the publication date make sense in relation to the information presented to your argument?
• Does the source even have a date?
• Was it reproduced? If so, from where?
• If it was reproduced, was it done so with permission? Copyright/disclaimer included?

MLA Format: Everything You Need to Know and More

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