Chicago Citation Generator

How to use this Chicago citation generator

Start with the source you actually read. Keep it open beside this page so you can compare the author, title and date with the result. A link can help find those details, but you still need to check them before putting a citation in your paper.

1. Find your source. Paste a web address, DOI or ISBN into the box above. You can also type a title and choose a match. If the source cannot be read, choose Fill in manually and enter the details from the source itself.
2. Check the result. Red fields need information. Yellow fields need a second look. Open Edit all fields to review the rest, including contributors and dates. Check the short title too: it should still be recognizable to someone reading your paper.
3. Use the output you need. Choose Notes & Bibliography or Author-Date to match your assignment. Copy one result or collect sources in the list. Copy all and Word export use the current list. Save backup file keeps a copy you can restore here later.

Chicago citation examples

These sources are fictional teaching examples. The people, publications and organizations below were made up for this guide. The example.org addresses are placeholders, not sources for a research paper. Each group shows the same source in three forms so you can compare where the names, titles and dates go.

A full note gives publication details; a short note points back to a source already identified. A bibliography entry belongs in the list at the end of the paper. These are different outputs, so do not paste the bibliography entry into the footnote space by mistake.

Notes and bibliography or author-date?

Does your assignment ask for footnotes or for citations in parentheses? In notes and bibliography style, a raised number in the text leads to a footnote or endnote, usually with a separate bibliography. In author-date style, the author and year appear in the text and lead to an entry in a reference list.

Ask your instructor if the assignment does not say which system to use. The choice affects both the citation beside your sentence and the list at the end. In the tool, changing the system updates both outputs. Keep one system throughout the paper unless your assignment specifically asks for something else.

• Chicago in-text citations and reference lists
• Full and short Chicago footnotes

What changed in the 18th edition?

For notes and author-date text citations, name both authors when there are two. With three or more, give the first author followed by et al. Bibliographies and reference lists name up to six authors; with more than six, they give the first three followed by et al.

A book citation no longer requires the place of publication. Chicago also prefers repeating an author’s name in successive bibliography or reference list entries instead of replacing it with a long dash.

Chicago continues to prefer short citations over ibid. This is not a ban on ibid. The regular short form uses the author and a short title, which helps the reader identify the source when notes are read separately.

The edition also expands guidance on AI-generated content and on citing online material. If you used a saved version of a web page, keep the archive address and date with your notes so the version can be identified.

Before you submit, compare the result with your assignment sheet. Check the cited page or timestamp, the spelling of names and the edition of a book. A complete-looking citation can still describe the wrong source. The tool flags missing details, but it cannot tell which passage you meant to use.

More citation help

Use the source pages for focused help with books and websites. If your assignment names Turabian, use the Turabian page and check the edition your instructor requires. Your citation list stays in this browser as you move between these tools.

• Cite a website in Chicago style
• Cite a book in Chicago style
• Turabian citation generator (9th edition)

Frequently asked questions