Mistakes Checklist
Common Chicago Journal Article Citation Mistakes
Published studies report citation/reference error rates between 25-54%. Use this page to catch the most frequent formatting failures before submission.
Top mistakes to avoid
- ⚠Italicizing article titles instead of journal names
- ⚠Omitting the DOI when available
- ⚠Forgetting issue numbers
- ⚠Not including page ranges
Wrong vs correct examples
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.
Fix checklist
- ✓Put article titles in quotation marks
- ✓Italicize journal names
- ✓Include DOI when available
- ✓Use volume and issue numbers
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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