Chicago Manual of Style Notes/Bibliography

Chicago-style citations follow two formats:

• the notes and bibliography system and
• the author-date system.

It is important to check your assignment guidelines to determine which form of Chicago-style citations your professor wishes you to use. This guide covers the notes and bibliography system.

The notes and bibliography format is often used by scholars working in the humanities (history, literature, etc.). The notes and bibliography system is useful when a scholar needs to cite a variety of material such as books, journal articles, archival documents, and oral interviews. Unlike other citation models that embed citations into the text, Chicago-style citations use footnotes or endnotes to denote their citations. Footnotes and endnotes will often appear as a raised superscript number in the text.

A Complete Chicago Citation Entry

Every complete Chicago citation consists of two parts:

• Footnote or Endnote: a raised superscript number in the text that leads the reader to a full citation at the bottom of the page (footnotes) or at the end of the paper (endnotes).
• Reference Entry: a complete bibliographic citation listed alphabetically at the end of the paper in the reference list/bibliography.

Footnotes and Endnotes

Online journal article

Stephen Prince, “True Lies: Perceptual Realism, Digital Images, and Film Theory,” Film Quarterly 49, no. 3 (Spring 1996): 29, https://doi.org/10.2307/1213468. 

First name Last name, “Title of article using title case and quotation marks,” Title of Journal in Title Case and Italics Volume number, issue number (year): page number. DOI URL. 

Book with a single author

Barbara A. Shailor, The Medieval Book (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1991), 102. 

First name Middle initial. Last name, Title of Book in Title Case and Italics (City it was published in: Publisher, year), page number. 

Book with multiple authors

Nancy Christie and Michael Gauvreau, Christian Churches and their Peoples, 1840–1965: A 
Social History of Religion in Canada (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2010), 145. 

First name Last name and First name Last name, Title of Book in Title Case and Italics (City it was published in: Publisher, year), page number. 

Chapter in an edited book

Lindsey Dodd, “Small Fish, Big Pond: Using a Single Oral Narrative to Reveal Broader 
Social Change,” in Understanding Memory as Source and Subject, ed. Joan Tumblety (New York: Routledge, 2013), 34. 

First name Last name, “Title of chapter using title case and quotation marks,” in Title of Book in Title Case and Italics, ed. Editor first name Last name (City it was published in: Publisher, year), page number. 

Citing Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Holders 

Delores Cardinal, Goodfish Lake Cree Nation, Treaty 6, Lives in Edmonton, Oral teaching, interview, April 4, 2004. 

First name Last name, (Traditional names if applicable), Nation/Community, Treaty Territory if applicable, City/Community they live in if applicable, Topic/subject of communication if applicable, interview [only needed if it’s not clear from the text], Month Day, Year.  

Citing the Use of AI Tools 

Copilot, response to “Create a podcast script,” Microsoft, 16 October, 2025.  

Number of footnote. Gen AI tool used, response to “prompt from author,” Company that made the tool, Day Month, Year. 

Work by an organization

World Health Organization, Guideline: Nutritional Care and Support for Patients with 
Tuberculosis (Geneva: World Health Organization, 2013), 22. 

Name of organization, Title of Work in Title Case and Italics (City it was published in: Publisher, year), page number. 

Page on a Website

Laura Goldfarb, “Clear Speech, Clear Mind,” Laurier Writing Centre (blog), last modified 
April 26, 2019, https://laurierwriting.wordpress.com/2019/04/26/clear-speech-clear-mind/. 

First name Last name, “Title of page using title case and quotation marks,” Publisher, Last modified date month day, year, URL. 

Film

Saving Private Ryan, directed by Steven Spielberg (Paramount Pictures, 1998), 
https://www.netflix.com/watch/21878564. 

Title of Film in Title Case and Italics, directed by Director’s first name Director’s last name (Production company, Year), URL if available. 

News article

Jeffrey Jones, “Digital Carbon-Offset Platform Patch Attracts Support from Venture 
Capitalists,” The Globe and Mail, February 23, 2021, 
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-digital-carbon-offset-platform-patch- 
attracts-support-from-venture/. 

First name Last name, “Title of article using title case and quotation marks,” Title of Publisher in Italics, month day, year, URL. 

YouTube Video

Bob Dylan, “Bob Dylan – Summer Days (Official Audio),” YouTube Video, 4:54, August 31, 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdVSMof6kCU. 

First name Last name, “Title of video using title case and quotation marks,” YouTube Video, length of video hh:mm:ss, month day, year, URL. 

Class Lecture

Harvey McDougall, "Union Organizing and Bad Bosses in Postwar Ontario," History 204: The Social History of Canada (class lecture, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON, January 13, 2023). 

Lecturer’s first name Lecturer’s last name, “Title of lecture using title case and quotation marks,” Title of course using title case (class lecture, School, City, Province, month day, year). 

Reference List

For more information, you can consult the Online Writing Lab at Purdue and the CMS website. 

Writing Services, Wilfrid Laurier University, CC By-NC 2023