Chicago Citation Generator
Your bibliography
0 sourcesChicago citation generator builds accurate Chicago-style references and in-text citations in both the notes-bibliography and author-date systems of the 17th edition. Paste a URL, DOI, ISBN or title, pick your system, and copy a formatted, ready-to-paste citation.
How do I use the Chicago citation generator?
Choose your system (notes-bibliography or author-date), search by title, DOI, ISBN or URL, confirm the auto-filled fields, then copy the finished citation. The tool formats punctuation, italics and author order automatically for the 17th edition.
- Select Chicago 18th and pick notes-bibliography or author-date.
- Enter a DOI, ISBN, URL or keyword, or add details manually.
- Check author names, publication date and page numbers.
- Copy the bibliography entry plus the matching footnote or parenthetical citation.
What is Chicago citation style?
Chicago style is the citation and formatting standard set by The Chicago Manual of Style, now in its 17th edition (2024). It is widely used in history, the humanities, and some social sciences, and it supports two distinct documentation systems for different disciplines.
What are the two Chicago systems?
Chicago offers notes-bibliography (NB) and author-date. NB uses numbered footnotes or endnotes plus a bibliography and dominates history and the humanities; author-date uses parenthetical citations plus a reference list and is common in the sciences and social sciences. Pick one and stay consistent.
| Feature | Notes-bibliography | Author-date |
|---|---|---|
| In-text marker | Superscript number → footnote | (Author Year, page) |
| End list title | Bibliography | References |
| Date position | End of entry | Right after author |
| Typical fields | History, art, literature | Sciences, social sciences |
How do Chicago in-text citations and notes work?
In notes-bibliography, a superscript number sends readers to a footnote; the first note is full, later notes are shortened. In author-date, you place the author’s surname, year and page in parentheses. Both point to a fuller entry in your end list.
Full note (NB)1. Zadie Smith, Swing Time (Penguin Press, 2016), 315–16.
Short note (NB)2. Smith, Swing Time, 320.
In-text (author-date)(Smith 2016, 315–16)
What are the bibliography and reference-list rules?
Both end lists are alphabetised by the first author’s surname, use a hanging indent, and invert only the first author’s name. The core difference is date placement: NB puts the year near the end, while author-date moves it directly after the author. Entries end with a period.
| System | Journal-article pattern |
|---|---|
| NB bibliography | Last, First. “Title.” Journal Vol, no. Issue (Year): pages. DOI. |
| Author-date reference | Last, First. Year. “Title.” Journal Vol (Issue): pages. DOI. |
- Author — first name inverted, others in normal order, joined by “and”.
- Year — sits right after the author in author-date; period follows.
- Article title — headline case, in quotation marks.
- Source — italic journal name, volume, issue in parentheses, page range.
- DOI — full https:// link, closing with a period.
How does Chicago handle multiple authors?
Invert only the first author, then list remaining names in normal order. In a bibliography, list up to ten authors; for eleven or more, list the first seven and add “et al.” In author-date in-text citations, cite up to three authors, then use the first author plus “et al.” for four or more.
| Authors | Author-date in-text |
|---|---|
| One | (Smith 2016, 12) |
| Two | (Smith and Jones 2018, 44) |
| Three | (Keng, Lin, and Orazem 2017, 9) |
| Four or more | (Keng et al. 2017, 9) |
Chicago examples by source type
These copy-ready entries cover the sources students cite most. Unless noted, each is a bibliography (NB) or reference-list (author-date) entry; add page numbers in your note or parenthetical.
Book (NB)Smith, Zadie. Swing Time. Penguin Press, 2016.
Book (author-date)Smith, Zadie. 2016. Swing Time. Penguin Press.
Journal (NB)Keng, Shao-Hsun, Chun-Hung Lin, and Peter F. Orazem. “Expanding College Access in Taiwan, 1978–2014.” Journal of Human Capital 11, no. 1 (2017): 1–34. https://doi.org/10.1086/690235.
Chapter (NB)Thoreau, Henry David. “Walking.” In The Making of the American Essay, edited by John D’Agata, 167–95. Graywolf Press, 2016.
Website (NB)Google. “Privacy Policy.” Privacy & Terms. Last modified April 17, 2017. https://www.google.com/policies/privacy/.
Website (author-date)Bay Area Video Coalition. 2020. “Sharpen, Denoise, and Upscale Your Digitized Home Movies.” https://www.bavc.org/preserve-media/preservation-guide.
Newspaper (author-date)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.
YouTube video (author-date)Comparative Media Studies/Writing. 2018. “Isabel Wilkerson, ‘The Warmth of Other Suns.'” YouTube video, 1:15:40. Posted May 8, 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6E2FyA8OuU.
Thesis (author-date)Rutz, Cynthia Lillian. 2013. “King Lear and Its Folktale Analogues.” PhD diss., University of Chicago.
How do I format a Chicago paper?
Chicago papers use a legible font, double-spacing, one-inch margins, and page numbers in the header. Notes and the bibliography are single-spaced internally with a blank line between entries; the bibliography uses a hanging indent and lists sources alphabetically on a new page.
- Title page or first-page heading with title centred a third down the page.
- Footnotes numbered continuously; endnotes gathered before the bibliography.
- Bibliography or references list starts on its own page with a centred heading.
What are common Chicago mistakes?
The most frequent errors mix the two systems, confuse note punctuation with bibliography punctuation, or drop required elements. Footnotes use commas and parentheses around publication details; bibliography entries use periods and no parentheses (except the author-date year).
- Writing a footnote in bibliography form, or the reverse.
- Forgetting to invert the first author’s name in the end list.
- Adding an access date when the source shows a publication or revised date.
- Omitting the DOI or stable URL for online journal articles.
- Using “ibid.” — the 17th edition prefers a shortened citation instead.
How accurate is this generator?
The generator produces correct 17th-edition structure, punctuation and italics from clean metadata, but it cannot judge source quality or fix bad input. Databases sometimes supply the wrong author order, missing issue numbers or ALL-CAPS titles, so always proofread the auto-filled fields before submitting.
Confirm author spelling, capitalisation of titles (Chicago uses headline case), page ranges, and whether a date is a publication or a “last modified” date. For unusual sources, check the entry against the Chicago Manual or your instructor’s guidance.
Chicago citation FAQ
Is this Chicago citation generator free?
Yes. Every citation, both systems, and unlimited use are completely free, with no sign-up, paywalls or account required.
Which Chicago edition does it use?
It follows the 17th edition (2017) of The Chicago Manual of Style, the current version for both notes-bibliography and author-date citations.
Should I use notes-bibliography or author-date?
Use notes-bibliography for history and the humanities, and author-date for the sciences and social sciences. If your instructor specifies one, follow that.
Does Chicago use footnotes or in-text citations?
Both, depending on the system. Notes-bibliography uses numbered footnotes or endnotes, while author-date uses parenthetical (Author Year, page) citations.
Do I still need “ibid.” in Chicago 18th edition?
No. The 17th edition discourages “ibid.” and recommends a shortened citation with the author’s surname and a short title instead.
When do I include an access date?
Only when a source shows no publication or revision date. Otherwise cite the publication or “last modified” date and omit the access date.