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In Chicago notes-bibliography style, the footnote number goes after the quotation, outside the closing quotation mark and after the sentence’s punctuation. The sentence’s own punctuation stays inside the quotation marks, then the superscript number follows both. This guide shows exactly where the number sits in each quotation situation, including the dash exception, and notes where university library guides differ.
The format: where the note number goes
A Chicago note indicator is a number in superscript. UNC Libraries describes it as following the final punctuation of the citing sentence, and its own example places the number after the closing quotation mark. Seton Hall University Libraries says the same: add the superscript to the end of the sentence after the punctuation. Columbia State Community College Library is the most specific about quotations: place the superscript note at the end, after the closing quotation marks.
Put together, the rule has three parts:
- Finish the quoted words and the sentence, with the sentence’s closing punctuation inside the quotation marks (Camosun College Library states that end punctuation is contained within the quotation marks, in its guide to the 17th edition).
- Close the quotation marks.
- Insert the note number immediately after, with no space.
The placement table below covers each case. Each row is attributed to the university library guides listed under Sources.
| Situation | Where the number goes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Short quotation ending the sentence | After the closing quotation mark (which follows the end punctuation) | UNC Libraries; Columbia State; Camosun (17th ed.) |
| Quotation inside a sentence | At the end of the clause or sentence that refers to the source, after the punctuation | Columbia State; Seton Hall |
| Paraphrase (no quotation marks) | Immediately after the final punctuation of the sentence containing the paraphrased material | UNC Libraries |
| Block quotation | At the end of the quotation, after its final punctuation; no quotation marks | Seton Hall; Columbia State; UNC; Camosun |
| Sentence ends or breaks at a dash | Before the dash, not after it | Columbia State (“after all punctuation except for dashes”) |
Examples
The sentences below are invented illustrations, not real quotations. The numbers stand for notes whose citation text is built as described in the Chicago footnote format guide.
Quotation ending the sentence
Correct: The author concludes that the archive was “never meant to be public.”1
Wrong, number inside the marks: …never meant to be public1.”
Wrong, number before the period: …never meant to be public”1.
Quotation inside a sentence
Correct: The report calls the process “slow and opaque,” a judgment the committee later echoed.2
Here the comma stays inside the quotation marks, and the number waits until the end of the sentence that carries the source.
Block quotation
Introduce the passage in your own words, then set it off without quotation marks. The number follows the final punctuation of the last line of the block:
An invented passage of several lines stands here as the block quotation, indented and without quotation marks, ending with its own full stop.3
Seton Hall’s guide says a block quote requires a superscript at the end of the quote after the punctuation, and Columbia State’s example puts the note after the final period. For the length test and layout of blocks, see block quote in Chicago style.
Dash exception
If a quotation ends just before a dash, the number goes ahead of it: The memo says the budget is “provisional”4—and nothing more.
In-text citation version
Notes-bibliography style has no parenthetical citation: the superscript number is the in-text citation, and the full source sits in the footnote at the bottom of the page. That is why number placement matters. The reader must be able to tell which quotation the note belongs to, so it sits directly after the quotation. For a thesis or manuscript, set the cursor after the closing quotation mark, then use your word processor’s footnote command so the number is numbered automatically. A comparison with systems that use parenthetical citations is in the parenthetical citation entry. Do not mix the two systems in one document.
Common errors
- Number inside the quotation marks. It can read as part of the quoted words. Put it after the closing mark.
- Number before the period. The guides place the number after the final punctuation of the sentence.
- Quotation marks on a block quote. UNC Libraries states that quotation marks are not used for a block quotation.
- Guessing the block-quote length. Library guides differ: UNC Libraries gives more than one hundred words or more than eight typed lines, while Camosun College Library gives five or more lines. Follow the threshold your institution, journal or department specifies. See the quoting and citing sources guide for how thresholds compare across styles.
Style-guide edition
This guide describes the Chicago Manual of Style, 18th edition (2024), the current edition as of October 2026. Seton Hall University Libraries links its Chicago guide to the 18th edition. Camosun College Library’s guide is written for the 17th edition and gives the same placement for short quotations and block quotations, so the number-after-the-quotation rule is the same across both editions in these guides. Citation text inside the note should follow the 18th edition; see Chicago footnote format.
FAQ
Does the Chicago footnote go before or after the period?
After. The note number follows the sentence’s final punctuation, and for a quotation it follows the closing quotation mark as well (UNC Libraries; Seton Hall University Libraries).
Does the footnote go inside or outside quotation marks?
Outside. Place the superscript after the closing quotation marks (Columbia State Community College Library).
Where does the footnote go after a block quote?
At the end of the block, after its final punctuation. The block has no quotation marks, so nothing separates the number from the last word except the punctuation.
What if I only paraphrase?
Use the same position: immediately after the final punctuation of the sentence that contains the paraphrased material (UNC Libraries). For other citation scenarios involving quotations, see how to cite article quotes. The wider picture of styles is in citation styles and referencing formats.
Sources
Style facts on this page come from the following university library guides, each checked on 2026-10-29:
- UNC Libraries, “Chicago Notes in Text,” https://guides.lib.unc.edu/citing-information/chicago-notes-in-text (page updated October 26, 2026).
- Seton Hall University Libraries, Chicago citation guide, https://library.shu.edu/citation/chicago.
- Columbia State Community College Library, Chicago citations, https://libguides.columbiastate.edu/citations/Chicago.
- Camosun College Library, Chicago 17th edition, quotations, https://camosun.libguides.com/Chicago-17thEd/quotations (updated October 28, 2026; 17th edition, used as corroboration only).
The style itself is defined by The Chicago Manual of Style, 18th edition (University of Chicago Press, 2024).
