Chicago Manual of Style, 17th Edition

Free Chicago Citation Generator

Generate free Chicago 17th edition citations instantly — paste a DOI, URL, ISBN, or search by topic. CiteMe searches records from active academic indexes and formats notes-bibliography footnotes or author-date references like (Smith 2024) in seconds. No signup required.

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What to do next

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How to generate Chicago citations

Search your source

Look up a title, DOI, URL, or author in active academic indexes to find the right source record.

Choose the Chicago details

Verify names, year, title, source container, and the format you need for Author-Date or Notes-Bibliography.

Copy the citation output

Use the generated Chicago bibliography entry and the matching in-text citation or footnote format in your paper.

Why Use Our Chicago Citation Generator?

Source records with provenance

Search records from OpenAlex, Semantic Scholar, and CrossRef. Each result identifies its metadata source and includes a DOI when available.

Chicago 17th Edition Compliant

Automatically formatted according to The Chicago Manual of Style, 17th edition. Supports Author-Date format.

Turabian Compatible

Works for Turabian style papers too. Same formatting rules, simplified for student use.

Complete Bibliography Entries

Get properly formatted bibliography entries with correct punctuation, italics, and author formatting.

How to Cite in Chicago Style

Chicago offers two parallel systems. Pick one and use it consistently throughout your paper.

Notes-Bibliography: Journal Article

Footnote:

¹ John Smith and Mary Johnson, "Machine Learning in Healthcare," Nature Medicine 29, no. 4 (2024): 123.

Bibliography:

Smith, John, and Mary Johnson. "Machine Learning in Healthcare." Nature Medicine 29, no. 4 (2024): 123–145.

Author-Date: Journal Article

In-text:

(Smith and Johnson 2024, 123)

Reference list:

Smith, John, and Mary Johnson. 2024. "Machine Learning in Healthcare." Nature Medicine 29 (4): 123–145.

Notes-Bibliography: Website

Footnote:

² Jane Doe, "Article Title," Site Name, accessed March 10, 2024, https://example.com/page.

Notes-Bibliography: Book Chapter

³ Jane Doe, "Chapter Title," in Book Title, ed. Editor Name (Chicago: University Press, 2023), 55.

Wrong (mixing systems):

(Smith, 2024) — then footnotes in the same paper

Correct:

Pick one system (Author-Date OR Notes-Bibliography) and use it throughout.

Wrong (Author-Date journal):

Smith, John. 2024. "Title." Journal, 29(4), 123–145.

Correct:

Smith, John. 2024. "Title." Journal 29 (4): 123–145.

Wrong (NB book):

¹ Smith, John. Art of Writing. Academic Press, 2023.

Correct:

¹ John Smith, Art of Writing (Chicago: Academic Press, 2023), 45.

Common Chicago Citation Mistakes

Author-Date and Notes-Bibliography are mutually exclusive. Never mix them in the same document.
Chicago Author-Date uses a space before the issue number in parentheses and a colon before page numbers — not APA-style commas.
NB footnotes use first name first (not inverted), place of publication in parentheses, and include page number for specific references.

Chicago Citation Examples

Author-Date (Bibliography)

Smith, John D., and Mary R. Johnson. 2024. "Machine Learning in Healthcare Diagnostics." Nature Medicine 29, no. 4: 123-145.

Notes-Bibliography (Footnote)

¹ John D. Smith and Mary R. Johnson, "Machine Learning in Healthcare Diagnostics," Nature Medicine 29, no. 4 (2024): 123-145.

Book

Williams, Anna B. Introduction to Data Science. Chicago: Academic Press, 2023.

Examples formatted in Chicago Manual of Style, 17th Edition

Chicago In-Text Citations

Author-Date Style

Parenthetical citation:

...as shown in recent studies (Smith and Johnson 2024, 145).

Notes Style

Superscript number:

...as shown in recent studies.¹

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Chicago style citation?

Chicago style, based on The Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition), is widely used in history, humanities, and social sciences. It offers two systems: Notes-Bibliography (footnotes) and Author-Date (parenthetical).

What is the difference between Chicago and Turabian?

Turabian is a simplified version of Chicago style designed for students. The formatting rules are nearly identical, so our Chicago generator works for both.

Should I use Author-Date or Notes-Bibliography?

Author-Date is common in sciences and social sciences. Notes-Bibliography is preferred in humanities and history. Check your instructor's requirements or your field's conventions.

How do Chicago footnotes work?

In Notes-Bibliography style, you use superscript numbers in the text that correspond to footnotes at the bottom of the page containing full citation details.

Is this Chicago citation generator free?

Yes! CiteMe offers free Chicago citations on the free tier. We support both Author-Date and Notes-Bibliography formats.

How do I cite a journal article in Chicago style?

Author-Date: Smith, John D., and Mary Johnson. 2024. "Article Title." Journal Name 29 (4): 123–145. Notes-Bibliography footnote: ¹ John D. Smith and Mary Johnson, "Article Title," Journal Name 29, no. 4 (2024): 123–145.

How do I cite a website in Chicago style?

Author-Date: Smith, John. 2024. "Page Title." Website Name. Accessed January 15. https://example.com/page. Notes-Bibliography: ¹ John Smith, "Page Title," Website Name, accessed January 15, 2024, https://example.com/page.

What is the difference between Chicago footnotes and endnotes?

Footnotes appear at the bottom of each page; endnotes are collected at the end of the paper. Both use superscript numbers in the text. Check your assignment requirements — most instructors accept either.

How do I format a Chicago bibliography?

Start on a new page titled "Bibliography" (centered, no bold). List entries alphabetically by author's last name. Use hanging indentation (second and subsequent lines indented 0.5 in). Double-space all entries.

Does Chicago use "ibid."?

Chicago 17th edition discourages "ibid." in favor of shortened citations. A second reference to Smith's book becomes: ² Smith, Art of Writing, 45. Use "ibid." only if your institution specifically requires it.

How do I cite a book chapter in Chicago style?

Notes-Bibliography: ¹ Jane Doe, "Chapter Title," in Book Title, ed. Editor Name (City: Publisher, 2024), 45–67. Bibliography: Doe, Jane. "Chapter Title." In Book Title, edited by Editor Name, 45–67. City: Publisher, 2024.

Chicago Quick Reference by Source Type

Source	NB Footnote Format	Author-Date In-Text
Journal	¹ Author, "Title," Journal Vol, no. # (Year): page.	(Author Year, page)
Book	² Author, Title (City: Publisher, Year), page.	(Author Year, page)
Book Chapter	³ Author, "Chapter," in Book, ed. Editor (City: Publisher, Year), page.	(Author Year, page)
Website	⁴ Author, "Title," Site, accessed Date, URL.	(Author Year)
Newspaper	⁵ Author, "Headline," Newspaper, Month Day, Year.	(Author Year)

How Chicago Compares to Other Styles

Style	System	Field	In-Text Example
Chicago	Notes-Bibliography	History / Publishing	¹Smith, Title, 45.
Turabian	Notes-Bibliography	Student Papers	¹Smith, Title, 45.
APA	Author-Date	Social Sciences	(Smith, 2024)
MLA	Author-Page	Humanities	(Smith 45)
Harvard	Author-Date	UK Universities	(Smith 2024)