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Chicago citation generator: author-date and notes

The Chicago Manual of Style has two systems: author-date, common in the sciences and social sciences, and notes and bibliography, common in history and the arts. WriteOrbit formats both.

Your list

Sources you add appear here, formatted in your style.

Your list stays in this browser. Copy keeps italics when you paste into Word or Google Docs. Check every citation against the source.

Chicago example

The 1953 paper in which Watson and Crick described the structure of DNA (DOI 10.1038/171737a0), cited in Chicago.

In the text

Author-date
(Watson and Crick 1953, 737)
Notes and bibliography
A numbered footnote

First footnote

1. J. D. Watson and F. H. C. Crick, “Molecular Structure of Nucleic Acids: A Structure for Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid,” Nature 171, no. 4356 (1953): 737, https://doi.org/10.1038/171737a0.

References (author-date) or Bibliography (notes)

Watson, J. D., and F. H. C. Crick. 1953. “Molecular Structure of Nucleic Acids: A Structure for Deoxyribose Nucleic Acid.” Nature 171 (4356): 737–38. https://doi.org/10.1038/171737a0.

Chicago format for common sources

Journal article (author-date)
Last, First, and First Last. Year. “Title of the Article.” Journal Name Volume (Issue): pages. DOI or URL.
Journal article (bibliography)
Last, First, and First Last. “Title of the Article.” Journal Name Volume, no. Issue (Year): pages. DOI or URL.

Main Chicago rules

  • Author-date puts the year right after the author in the reference list; notes and bibliography puts it near the end.
  • Use title case for article and book titles. Put article titles in quotation marks and italicise journal and book titles.
  • In notes, give authors’ names in normal order; in the bibliography, reverse the first author’s name.
  • Abbreviate page ranges as in 737–38.

Your course, publisher or university may change these rules. When they differ, follow them.

How to use it

  1. Find the source

    Paste a DOI or search by title, or enter a website, book or other source by hand.

  2. Pick a style

    APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, AMA, IEEE or any of over 10,000 styles.

  3. Copy

    Copy the reference and the in-text citation. Add more sources to build a list.

Good to know

  • A citation is only as good as its record. Check names, dates and capitalisation for unusual sources.
  • Your list stays in this browser. Sign in to keep references with your documents.

Questions

More in the help center.

Which Chicago system should I use?

Use the one your course or publisher asks for. Author-date is common in the sciences and social sciences; notes and bibliography in history, literature and the arts.

Is Turabian the same as Chicago?

Turabian is Chicago adapted for student papers. The citations are almost the same. See the Turabian page.

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