How to use Chicago Citation

 

The Chicago citation format is a citation style that has two varieties. You may either use: 

• the notes and bibliography citation format or  

• the author-date citation format.  

The former citation format, the notes, and the bibliography format use footnotes or endnotes to cite sources instead of in-text citations. This format is usually preferred by language and other humanities students. Each footnote or endnote as a superscript number that corresponds to a reference listed in the bibliography. A footnote is a note found at the end of a word or page in superscript. When you come across numbers after a word written like this 1, you have probably come across a footnote. Clicking on it will link you to the full citation. Endnotes are found at the end of the chapter instead of after words or the end of pages. The advantage of this system is that:  

• It can accommodate even sources that do not fit into the restraints of the author-date system.  

• Moreover, it allows for more comfortable reading as it does not abruptly interrupt the reader with a citation and links to them instead. 

The author-date format is more widely used in natural and social sciences. In-text citations in this format involve stating the author's last name followed by the date of publication of the article, journal, or paper in parentheses. Each in-text citation usually corresponds to a full source in the bibliography. Aside from the use of numbered notes versus parenthetical references in the text, the two systems share a similar style. 

You should make citations in the following order: the author name(s), page title, website title, web address, and date published or accessed. The first author's name should be reversed in the bibliography, with a comma placed after the last name and a period after the first name (or any middle name). Titles and affiliations associated with the author should be omitted. 

The easiest method to cite using the Author-Date formatting system is to move the year published in the citation to follow the author's name. 

A few points to remember: 

• If an author's name is not available, you should begin the citation using the name of the website owner. 

• When the title of a work is referenced, you should use the full title in quotation marks and a full stop following it. The full stop should be within the quotation marks as well. 

• The first author's name should be reversed in the bibliography, with a comma placed after the last name and a period after the first name (or any middle name).  

• Titles and affiliations associated with the author should be omitted.