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Chicago notes-bibliography style cites a source twice: once in a footnote or endnote at the point of use, and once in a bibliography at the end. This page shows that three-part pattern side by side for common source types, using the 18th edition (2024). If you are writing a thesis or manuscript, use the examples as a checklist for each source you cite, then follow the deeper guides linked below for individual cases.
The format: note, shortened note, bibliography entry
Each source can appear in three forms. The full note appears the first time you cite the source, the shortened note on later citations, and the bibliography entry once, alphabetised by author surname. The element order differs between note and bibliography, mainly in how the author’s name is written and in the punctuation.
| Source | Full note pattern | Bibliography pattern |
|---|---|---|
| Book | Author First Last, Title (Publisher, Year), page. | Last, First. Title. Publisher, Year. |
| Chapter in an edited book | Author, “Chapter Title,” in Book Title, ed. Editor (Publisher, Year), page. | Last, First. “Chapter Title.” In Book Title, edited by Editor First Last. Publisher, Year. |
| Journal article | Author, “Article Title,” Journal Volume, no. Issue (Year): page. https://doi.org/… | Same elements, author inverted, with the full page range of the article. |
| Web page, no date or author | “Page Title,” Owner or Site, accessed Month Day, Year, URL. | Not shown here; see the website guide linked below. |
Patterns checked against the Widener Library and Macquarie University guides to Chicago 18th edition (see Sources). Italics apply to book and journal titles.
Examples
The book example is the one used in the Widener Library guide. The other examples use fictitious sources invented for illustration; they are not real publications or people.
Book
Full note: Richard S. Hopkins, Planning the Greenspaces of Nineteenth-Century Paris (Louisiana State University Press, 2015), 55-56.
Shortened note: Hopkins, Planning the Greenspaces, 55-56.
Bibliography: Hopkins, Richard S. Planning the Greenspaces of Nineteenth-Century Paris. Louisiana State University Press, 2015.
No place of publication appears: the 18th edition no longer requires it for books (CMOS 14.30).
Chapter in an edited book (fictitious example)
Full note: Maria Example, “Archives and Memory,” in Writing the Past, ed. Jon Sample (Example University Press, 2022), 160.
Shortened note: Example, “Archives and Memory,” 160.
Bibliography: Example, Maria. “Archives and Memory.” In Writing the Past, edited by Jon Sample. Example University Press, 2022.
The 18th edition no longer requires the chapter’s page range in the bibliography (CMOS 14.8). Some library guides still show it, so check whether your department or journal asks for it.
Journal article with DOI (fictitious example)
Full note: Ana Example, “Citation Habits in Archives,” Journal of Example Studies 33, no. 1 (2024): 54, https://doi.org/10.0000/example.
Shortened note: Example, “Citation Habits,” 54.
Bibliography: Example, Ana. “Citation Habits in Archives.” Journal of Example Studies 33, no. 1 (2024): 53-69. https://doi.org/10.0000/example.
The note gives the page you cite; the bibliography gives the whole article’s range. The month or season can usually be dropped from journal citations in the 18th edition (CMOS 13.26).
Web page without author or date
Full note: “Labor History Timeline,” Example Organization, accessed March 18, 2025, URL.
Shortened note: “Labor History Timeline.”
Because the page carries no date, the access date takes its place. For other web formats see citing a website in Chicago style.
In-text citation version: shortened notes
In notes-bibliography style, the in-text citation is a superscript note number, and later notes for the same source are shortened. The 18th edition recommends shortened notes (author, short title, page) rather than “ibid.” (CMOS 13.37); the shortened form may be author-title, author only or title only. In notes, list up to two authors; for more than two, give the first author followed by et al. (CMOS 13.23, 13.107). In the bibliography, list up to six authors; for more than six, list the first three followed by et al.
For note placement see Chicago footnote format and abbreviated footnotes in Chicago; for long quotations see Chicago block quotes.
Common errors
- Writing the author name the same way in notes and bibliography. In notes the name is First Last; in the bibliography it is inverted, Last, First.
- Adding the place of publication to books out of habit from earlier editions; the 18th does not require it.
- Listing every author of a long author list. Apply the two-author limit in notes and the six-author limit in the bibliography.
- Using “ibid.” where the 18th edition recommends a shortened note.
- Omitting the access date on an undated web page.
Style-guide edition
The examples follow the Chicago Manual of Style, 18th edition (2024), the current edition. The author-date system, which uses parenthetical in-text citations and a reference list, is a separate system and is not covered here. If your institution or journal requires an older edition or a Turabian variant, follow its instructions, as some patterns differ.
For theses and manuscripts
Keep one master list of every source with all elements recorded (author, title, publisher or journal, year, volume and issue, pages, DOI or URL, access date). That makes it quick to produce each full note, shortened note and bibliography entry in the same pass. For the bibliography itself see Chicago works cited and bibliography, and for comparing styles citation styles and referencing formats.
FAQ
What is the difference between a Chicago footnote and a bibliography entry?
A footnote cites the specific page you used and writes the author as First Last; the bibliography entry lists the whole work with the author inverted, Last, First, and appears once at the end.
Does the 18th edition still use ibid.?
It recommends shortened notes instead (CMOS 13.37).
Do I need the publisher’s city for a book?
No. The 18th edition no longer requires place of publication (CMOS 14.30).
Do I need a page range for a book chapter in the bibliography?
The 18th edition no longer requires it (CMOS 14.8), although journal articles still need a range.
Sources
- The Chicago Manual of Style, 18th edition, “What’s New” page, chicagomanualofstyle.org/help-tools/what-s-new.html (read 2026-10-28).
- Widener Library (Harvard), Chicago 18th edition examples, widener.libguides.com/Chicago18/examples (read 2026-11-08).
- Macquarie University Library, Chicago 18th referencing guide, libguides.mq.edu.au/chicago18_referencing (read 2026-11-08).
- Salve Regina University Library, Chicago guide, salve.libguides.com/researchandwriting/chicago (read 2026-11-08).
