Crash Course in Chicago Style:
Documentation for Academic Writing
Sting Y. Jacket
Comment [BV1]: Paper title centered
Comment [BV2]: Student name
History 151
Professor Gameface
April 24, 2012
Comment [BV3]: Course, Professor’s name,
date
Jacket 2
So you’ve just been assigned a ka-jillion paged essay in Chicago format. Breathe. You’ve got a
couple different ways you may choose to handle this. You could scream profanities and vow to put the
least amount of effort into learning this documentation style or find some website that’ll do it for you
(which rarely ever does the job correctly). You could choose to sulk into a deep pit of despair and eat a
giant tub of Ben and Jerry’s to drown out your anxieties about this “Chicago” style. Or, you can simply
keep reading this document and get a sufficient and brief understanding of how to write your paper in
Chicago.
Different disciplines require different documentation styles for consistency. Chicago, for
example, is often used in history. Chicago actually shares some similarities to MLA and APA style.
Learning these documentation styles is very important as anytime you borrow ideas or use information
to support your own, you must cite your sources. Diana Hacker and Nancy Sommers, in their
documentation manual guide, A Pocket Style Manual, provide two reasons why we always need to cite
our sources. They explain that, “when you cite sources, you give credit to writers from whom you’ve
borrowed words and ideas. You also let your readers know where your information comes from so that
they can evaluate the original source.”1 For example, anytime you use another source’s direct words,
they must be enclosed with quotation marks. If you wish to paraphrase information from a source, you
must completely reword the information, using your own language and style.2 Whether you use direct
language or paraphrased information from a source, all information that is not innately yours, must be
cited in a Chicago footnote. If you do not cite your direct quotations or paraphrased information, you
1
Diana Hacker and Nancy Sommers, A Pocket Style Manual (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2012), 210.
2
Hacker and Sommers, A Pocket Style Manual, 210.
Comment [BV4]: This little number at the end
of the direct quote or in other cases, paraphrased
information, is called a footnote. It refers you to
the number at the bottom of the page where your
brief bibliographic reference is located.
Comment [BV5]: Also note that for the first
time you introduce a source, you must provide all
publication information. (Continue to comment on
footnote 2)
Comment [BV6]: The second time you use
information from the same source, you may use a
shortened version of the publication information in
the note: author last name, shortened version of
title, and page number.
Jacket 3
are plagiarizing.3 The consequences of plagiarizing are many: a failure for the assignment, course, or
expulsion from the university. Just as there is a right way to document sources, there is a right way to
Comment [BV7]: Notice for the third time you
use information from one source, and
consecutively, you may simply use “Ibid” in your
footnote.
incorporate them as well: use direct quotes sparingly. Paraphrase source information unless you cannot
say it better yourself or it is a particularly striking passage. Remember, too, to keep your secondary
sources secondary. Information from other sources is used to support your arguments, not to convey
your arguments for you.4
One of the main characteristics that distinguishes Chicago from APA and MLA is its usage of
footnotes rather than parenthetical citations. For example, in MLA, we cite a source with an author’s
last name and a page number enclosed in parenthetical citations like this: (Johnson 26). But in
Chicago, we cite our information with a number at the end of the sentence. Using footnotes instead of
parenthetical citations, as stated on Yale’s Writing Center website, “allows the reader to focus on the
evidence instead of being distracted by the publication information evidence.” 5 Even though it looks
intimidating at first, you might find that you actually prefer Chicago style over other styles because of
its clean look. Once you insert your footnote, Word will automatically insert a space for the source at
the end of the page. However, keep in mind that the publication information at the end of each page
functions as brief bibliographic references. These references are secondary to the complete publication
information provided on the bibliography page itself.6
3
4
Ibid.
Ibid., 213.
5
Yale College Writing Center, Yale College, last modified 2011, http://writing.yalecollege.yale.edu/why-arethere-different-citation-styles.
6
Yale College Writing Center, 2011.
Comment [BV8]: In this case, the information
is from the same source, but found on a different
page number. The formatting looks like this: Ibid.,
page #. (see corresponding footnote)
Jacket 4
Bibliography
Hacker, Diana, and Nancy Sommers. A Pocket Style Manual. Boston: Beford/St. Martin’s, 2012.
Yale College Writing Center. Yale College. Last modified 2011.
http://writing.yalecollege.yale.edu/why-are-there-different-citation-styles.
Comment [CH9]: Notice the title of the source
page is “Bibliography.” In MLA this is the “Works
Cited” page and in APA it is the “References” page.
Jacket 5
Brief Guide to Chicago Documentation
The Chicago Manual of Style requires source treatment similar to more familiar styles like APA and MLA:





Direct language from sources must be enclosed in quotation marks.
Paraphrases and summaries must be rewritten completely in your own language and style
Any time you use words or ideas from a source, you must cite them in-text (in a note) and in the
bibliography.
Present-tense signal phrases are used to introduce summaries and paraphrases to alert readers to the
move to source information. Ex. According to John Smith,
No citation is needed for information considered to be common knowledge.
Chicago differs from APA and MLA in one major way: instead of using parenthetical citations, we use notes:
Jillian Cruze claims that the newest technologies only “serve to reduce the public into a mass
consciousness; they take away agency, identity, and voice.” For example, while it may appear that
identities are “constructed through personal Twitter pages,” forcing messages into 140 characters tends
to produce a language of absence, lacking in detail and description, and ultimately voice. 7
(see footnote at bottom of page)
______________________________________________________________________________________
Incorporating Sources in Chicago Style

Use quotations sparingly. You should remain the primary voice in your paper. Use quotations or
hybrid-quotations only when the original passage cannot be restated sufficiently.

Use ellipses to indicate omission. To modify a passage for only its salient points, use ellipses to
indicate omitted words. Below, the ellipses indicate that information has been removed between the
two statements:
Cruze argues that in the 21st century, it seems that the more technology is used to “reproduce or mimic
reality,” the less individuals actually participate in real life…For example, Facebook, reality TV shows,
video games: all of these reproduce some form of ‘reality,’ yet often require us to experience it in
isolation from the couch or from behind a computer screen.8

Use brackets to clarify information in quotations. It might be necessary to modify or clarify a quote
at times, whether to change tense or capitalization or to provide additional information for clarity.
When you must do this, use brackets around the modified material. If a typo or misspelling exists in the
original text, note it with an italicized [sic].
7
. Jillian Cruze, “Technologies of the 21st Century,” American Consumer 112, no. 4 (2009): 20-26.
8
. Cruze, “Technologies of the 21st Century,” 26.
Jacket 6
Jillian Cruze claims that the newest technologies only “serve to reduce the public into a mass
consciousness; [the technologies] take away agency, identity, and voice.” For example, while it may
appear that identities are “construct [sic] through personal Twitter pages,” forcing messages into 140
characters tends to produce a language of absence, lacking in detail and description, and ultimately voice.9

Use a block quotation for quotes of ten lines or more. You are allowed to use block quote formatting
for five or more lines, but are required to use it for ten+. Block quotes are indented once (five spaces)
and are introduced by a lead-in sentence with a colon.

For the first use of a source, include a full-length note. All publication information is required for the
first use of a source. After this initial note, you supply a shortened version. (See footnote 2 above) If
you have two consecutive notes (with no other sources between them), use “Ibid” to indicate the
repetition, along with the page number. If the information is from the same page, the second note will
read only “Ibid.” (See footnote 3)

The first line of notes is indented 5 spaces. Second and subsequent lines are flush with the left
margin. Bibliography citations are similar to APA and MLA: the second and subsequent lines are
indented.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Common Sources: Notes and Bibliography Citations
BOOK
Note:
1.
John Smith, American Consumerism (New York: Norton, 2009), 204.
Bibliography Entry:
Smith, John. American Consumerism. New York: Norton, 2009.
ONLINE BOOK
Note:
2. Jillian Cruze. Technology and You (2007; Google Books, 2010), chap. 6,
http://www.google.googlebooks.com/publications/cruze.html.
9
. Ibid.
Jacket 7
Bibliography Entry:
Cruze, Jillian. Technology and You. 2007. Google Books, 2010.
http://www.google.googlebooks.com/publications/cruze.html.
TWO OR THREE AUTHORS
Note:
3. Marcia Hinds and Holly Kristen, The Complete Guide to Online Argumentation (Boston: Smith Press,
2007), 45.
Bibliography Entry:
Hinds, Marcia, and Holly Kristen. The Complete Guide to Online Argumentation. Boston: Smith Press, 2007.
FOUR OR MORE AUTHORS
Note:
4.
Thomas Asheville et al., Economics 101, 4th ed. (New York: Pearson, 2002), 42.
Bibliography Entry:
Asheville, Thomas, Brian Hunt, John Smith, and Felecia Day. Economics 101. 4th ed. New York: Pearson, 2002.
UNKNOWN AUTHOR
Note:
5. The Handbook on Academic Writing (Boston: St. Martin’s, 1999), 357.
Bibliography Entry:
The Handbook on Academic Writing. Boston: St. Martin’s, 1999.
Jacket 8
MULTIPLE WORKS BY THE SAME AUTHOR: use six hyphens in place of the author’s name after the first entry.
Bibliography Entry:
Smith, John. A History of South Dakota. Olympia: University Press, 2008.
------. South Dakota’s Trails. Olympia: University Press, 2010.
EDITED WORK WITH OR WITHOUT AN AUTHOR
Note:
6.
Douglas Hansen, Revisionist History, ed. Sally Humbold (Vermillion: South Dakota Press, 2004), 234.
Bibliography Entry:
Hansen, Douglas. Revisionist History. Edited by Sally Humbold. Vermillion: South Dakota Press, 2004.
7.
Emerson Gold, Ed., Wildflowers of the Wild West (New York: Book Keepers, 2003), 47.
Bibliography Entry:
Gold, Emerson, ed. Wildflowers of the Wild West. New York: Book Keepers, 2003.
TRANSLATED WORK
Note:
8.
Juan Ramieriz, Homelands, trans. Adrian Fierce (New York: Poetry Press, 1987), 86.
Bibliography Entry:
Ramieriz, Juan. Homelands. Translated by Adrian Fierce. New York: Poetry Press, 1987.
Jacket 9
SELECTION IN AN ANTHOLOGY OR CHAPTER IN A BOOK
Note:
9. David Foster Wallace, “Infinite Jest,” in The Norton Book of Postmodern Literature, ed. Joshua Friend
(New York: Penguin, 1994), 887.
Bibliography Entry:
Wallace, David Foster. “Infinite Jest.” In The Norton Book of Postmodern Literature, edited by Joshua Friend,
880-997. New York: Penguin, 1994.
INDIRECT SOURCE (source quoted in another source)
Note:
10. Julia Bilford, “A Brief History of Black Hills Juncos,” Black Hills Pioneer, March 8, 1988, quoted in
Kent Jenson, Black Hills Birds (Sioux Falls: South Dakota Press, 1995), 11.
Bibliography Entry:
Bilford, Julia. “A Brief History of Black Hills Juncos.” Black Hills Pioneer, March 8, 1988. Quoted in Kent
Jenson, Black Hills Birds (Sioux Falls: South Dakota Press, 1995), 11.
ARTICLE IN A PRINT JOURNAL
Note:
11. Michelle Sirius, “Using Math in the Humanities Classroom,” Journal of Teaching 87, no. 6 (2009): 40.
Bibliography Entry:
Sirius, Michelle. “Using Math in the Humanities Classroom.” Journal of Teaching 87, no. 2 (2009): 36-55.
Jacket 10
JOURNAL ARTICLE FROM A DATABASE
For database materials, if the DIO number is available, provide it after the page citation instead of the
database name and stable URL.
Note:
12. Tina Fay, “How to Improvise,” American Humor 5, no. 1 (2010): 78. Academic Search Premier,
http://www.academicsearchpremier.com/amhumor/text-only/issue.05/23.fay.3.txt.
Bibliography Entry:
Fay, Tina. “How to Improvise.” American Humor 5, no. 1 (2010): 70-81. Academic Search Premier.
http://www.academicsearchpremier.com/amhumor/text-only/issue.05/23.fay.3.txt.
ARTICLE IN A PRINT MAGAZINE
Note:
13. Susan Wright, “Competitive Sports and Teens,” Home and Garden, November 2004, 57.
Bibliography Entry:
Wright, Susan. “Competitive Sports and Teens.” Home and Garden, November 2004, 56-58.
MAGAZINE ARTICLE FROM A DATABASE
When working with databases, you can provide the DOI number, the database and the stable URL, or the
database and its accession number. The accession number is used below.
Note:
14. Susan Wright, “Competitive Sports and Teens,” Home and Garden, November 2004, 57. EBSCO Host
(A200876341).
Bibliography Entry:
Wright, Susan. “Competitive Sports and Teens.” Home and Garden, November 2004, 56-58. EBSCO Host
(A200876341).
Jacket 11
ARTICLE IN A PRINT NEWSPAPER
Note:
15. Joyce McCain, “Superbowl Commercial Craze,” Phoenix Tribune, February 4, 2010,
http://www.phoenixtribune.com/.
Bibliography Entry:
McCain, Joyce. “Superbowl Commercial Craze.” Phoenix Tribune, February 4, 2010.
http://www.phoenixtribune.com.
WEBSITE: WHOLE SITE AND ARTICLE
For websites, provide the author, the title of the site, the sponsor, the date of late update, and the URL.
Note:
16. South Dakota Birders Association, South Dakota Ornithologist’s Union, last modified
February 27, 2011, http://www.sdou.com/sdba/index.htm.
Bibliography Entry:
South Dakota Birders Association. South Dakota Ornithologist’s Union. Last modified February 27, 2011.
http://www.sdou.com/sdba/index.htm.
Note:
17. Cecelia Governor, “The History of Modern Poetry,” Poetry Web, last modified August 4,
2011, http://www.poetryweb.com/modern.html.
Bibliography Entry:
Governor, Cecelia. “The History of Modern Poetry.” Poetry Web. Last Modified August 4, 2011.
http://www.poetryweb.com/modern.html.
Jacket 12
GOVERNMENT DOCUMENT
Note:
18. U.S. Department of State, International Import/Export Regulations (Washington, DC: GPO,
1997), 891.
Bibliography Entry:
U.S. Department of State. International Import/Export Regulations. Washington, DC: GPO, 1997.
PERSONAL COMMUNICATION (Interview) (only included in notes, not in bibliography)
19. Jennifer Scheel, e-mail message to author, January 12, 2012.
LECTURE NOTES
Note:
20. James Smith, “The 9/11 Report” (lecture, Black Hills State University, Spearfish, SD, September 26,
2012).
Bibliography Entry:
Smith, James. “The 9/11 Report.” Class lecture, Black Hills State University, Spearfish, SD, September 26,
2012.
Writing Assistance Center at BHSU
www.BHSU.edu/WritingCenter