Chicago · 17th Edition
How to Cite a Journal Article in Chicago Style
Master Chicago style journal citations with our guide. Examples for print and online articles with DOIs.
Quick Answer
To cite a journal article in Chicago style (17th edition), use: Last, First. "Article Title." Journal Name Volume, no. Issue (Year): Pages. DOI or URL. Put the article title in quotation marks and italicize the journal name. Note the distinctive Chicago format for volume and issue: the volume number follows the journal name directly (no "vol." abbreviation), then "no." and the issue number, then the year in parentheses followed by a colon and page range. Always include the DOI as a full URL when available. For footnotes: First Last, "Article Title," Journal Name Volume, no. Issue (Year): specific page. For author-date in-text: (Smith 2023, 120). Example: Smith, John. "The Impact of Climate Change on Agriculture." Environmental Studies Quarterly 45, no. 2 (2023): 112-134. https://doi.org/10.1000/example. Chicago's journal format differs from both APA and MLA in its use of colons, parentheses, and the absence of "vol." CiteMe fetches article metadata from CrossRef, PubMed, and OpenAlex to build accurate Chicago citations.
Quick answer: To cite a journal article in Chicago (17th Edition), use this template: Last, First. "Article Title." Journal Name Volume, no. Issue (Year): Pages. DOI or URL.
Citation template
Full example
Reference / Bibliography
Smith, John. "The Impact of Climate Change on Agriculture." Environmental Studies Quarterly 45, no. 2 (2023): 112-134. https://doi.org/10.1000/example.
In-text citation
(Smith 2023, 120)
Source breakdown
- author
- Smith, John
- title
- The Impact of Climate Change on Agriculture
- site
- Environmental Studies Quarterly
- year
- 2023
- pages
- 112-134
- url
- https://doi.org/10.1000/example
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Tips
- ✓Put article titles in quotation marks
- ✓Italicize journal names
- ✓Include DOI when available
- ✓Use volume and issue numbers
Common mistakes
- ⚠Italicizing article titles instead of journal names
- ⚠Omitting the DOI when available
- ⚠Forgetting issue numbers
- ⚠Not including page ranges
Before & after
Using "vol." abbreviation for volume number
Wrong
Smith, John. "Climate Change." Environmental Studies Quarterly vol. 45, no. 2 (2023): 112-134.
Correct
Smith, John. "Climate Change." Environmental Studies Quarterly 45, no. 2 (2023): 112-134.
Chicago places the volume number directly after the journal name without "vol." — unlike MLA, which uses the "vol." abbreviation.
Wrong footnote format — using bibliography order in notes
Wrong
1. Smith, John, "Climate Change," Environmental Studies Quarterly 45, no. 2 (2023): 120.
Correct
1. John Smith, "Climate Change," Environmental Studies Quarterly 45, no. 2 (2023): 120.
Chicago footnotes use first-last name order (John Smith), while bibliography entries use last-first (Smith, John).
Missing page range in bibliography entry
Wrong
Smith, John. "Climate Change." Environmental Studies Quarterly 45, no. 2 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1000/example.
Correct
Smith, John. "Climate Change." Environmental Studies Quarterly 45, no. 2 (2023): 112-134. https://doi.org/10.1000/example.
Include the full page range in the bibliography entry when available. The colon after the year introduces the page range.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to include the DOI in Chicago style?
Yes, include the DOI when available. Format it as a URL: https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx
How do I cite an online-only journal article?
Include the URL or DOI. If no page numbers exist, you may omit them or use paragraph numbers if available.
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Related resources
Other Chicago guides
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