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The Chicago Manual of Style describes two types of referencing styles. This guide is based on the Notes and Bibliography style, (Chapter 14) of the 18th edition published in 2024. View what's new in the 18th edition 

In this style, references are cited both in the footnotes of each page and in a bibliography at the end of the document.

More information on this style can be found in The Chicago Manual of Style, available from the Main Library at General Z253 .U69 2024. You will also find previous editions at this location.

Please check with your lecturer that you are using the correct edition.

Throughout the guide, 'See' will refer you to the section of The Chicago Manual of Style (18th edition) in discussion.

At a glance

  • Throughout the text, numbered markers indicate a reference.
  • Numbered markers are written consecutively, starting at 1 and set in superscript.
  • The corresponding bibliographic details are then placed in notes at the bottom of the page (footnotes).
  • In-text note numbers are placed at the end of the sentence or after some other punctuation, such as a comma or parenthesis.
  • After the first citation, a shortened form of the citation may be used in subsequent notes (See 13.21, p. 785). 
    This is designed to reduce the bulk of the document. To create a shortened citation, use the surname of the author and the main title of the work, shortened if longer than four words. See 14.29.

Explore the pages of this guide to see examples of how to format notes for different types of resources.

See Chapter 14 of The Chicago Manual of Style print book for more detailed examples, or view the examples in The Chicago Manual of Style Online Citation Quick Guide.

A bibliography may be included at the end of the text. Depending on the type of work, the following bibliography categories may be used (see 13.68, p. 812):

  • A full bibliography listing all references included in the text, with or without sections organised by type of work. 
  • A selected bibliography listing a subset of references cited and/or a selection of recommended or further reading.
  • An annotated bibliography.
  • A bibliographic essay.
  • A list of works by one author arranged chronologically.

The formatting of the bibliography differs slightly to the notes. The main differences are:

  • The name of the first author is inverted to Last name, First name in order to alphabetise the list. When there are multiple authors, only the first authors' name is inverted.
    • See 13.77 (p. 820).

Explore the pages of this guide to see examples of how to format notes for different types of resources.

See Chapter 14 of The Chicago Manual of Style print book for more detailed examples, or view the bibliography examples in The Chicago Manual of Style Online.

Chicago referencing