how to cite essay in a book chicago style

Chicago/Turabian Citation

• Citing a Book

Basic Chapter Citation

Example chapter of a book, example chapter of an ebook, example foreword/preface of a book.

• Citing an Article
• Citing a Webpage
• Additional Resources

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Footnote/Endnote

Author First M. Last Name, "Chapter or Essay Title," in  Book Title , ed. First M. Last Name (Place of Publication: Publisher, date), page cited.

Short version: Author Last Name, "Chapter or Essay Title (shortened if necessary)," page cited.

Bibliography

Author Last Name, First M.   "Chapter or Essay Title."  In  Book Title ,   edited by First M. Last Name,  page range.   Place of Publication: Publisher, date.

Eric Charry, "Music and Islam in Sub-Saharan Africa," in  The History of Islam in Africa , eds. Nehwmia Levtzion and Randall L. Pouwels  (Athens, OH: Ohio University Press, 2000), 550.

Short version: Charry, "Music and Islam in Sub-Saharan Africa," 550.

Charry, Eric.   "Music and Islam in Sub-Saharan Africa."  In  The History of Islam in Africa ,   edited by Nehwmia Levtzion and Randall L. Pouwels,   545-573.   Athens, OH: Ohio  University Press, 2000.

Alan Liu, "Where is Cultural Criticism in the Digital Humanities?," in  Debates in the Digital Humanities , ed. Matthew K. Gold (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2013), accessed January 23, 2014,  http://dhdebates.gc.cuny.edu/debates/text/20. 

Short version: Liu, "Where is Cultural Criticism."

Liu, Alan.  "Where is Cultural Criticism in the Digital Humanities?."   In  Debates in the Digital Humanities ,   edited by Matthew K. Gold.   Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2013.   A ccessed January 23, 2014.   http://dhdebates.gc.cuny.edu/debates/text/20. 

Strobe Talbott, foreword to   Beyond Tianamen: The Politics of U.S.-China Relations 1989-2000 , by Robert L. Suettinger (Washington, D. C.: Brookings Institute Press, 2003), x.

Short version: Talbott, foreword, x.

Talbott, Strobe.   Foreword to   Beyond Tianamen: The Politics of U.S.-China Relations 1989-2000 ,   by Robert L. Suettinger,  ix-x.   Washington, D. C.: Brookings Institute  Press, 2003.

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Chicago-Style Citation Quick Guide

Chicago-style source citations come in two varieties: (1) notes and bibliography and (2) author-date. If you already know which system to use, follow one of the links above to see sample citations for a variety of common sources. If you are unsure about which system to use, read on.

Notes and Bibliography or Author-Date?

The notes and bibliography system is preferred by many working in the humanities—including literature, history, and the arts. In this system, sources are cited in numbered footnotes or endnotes. Each note corresponds to a raised (superscript) number in the text. Sources are also usually listed in a separate bibliography. The notes and bibliography system can accommodate a wide variety of sources, including unusual ones that don’t fit neatly into the author-date system.

The author-date system is more common in the sciences and social sciences. In this system, sources are briefly cited in the text, usually in parentheses, by author’s last name and year of publication. Each in-text citation matches up with an entry in a reference list, where full bibliographic information is provided.

Aside from the use of numbered notes versus parenthetical references in the text, the two systems share a similar style. Follow the links at the top of this page to see examples of some of the more common source types cited in both systems.

Most authors choose the system used by others in their field or required by their publisher. Students who are unsure of which system to use will find more information here .

For a more comprehensive look at Chicago’s two systems of source citation and many more examples, see chapters 14 and 15 of The Chicago Manual of Style.

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Table of Contents

Chicago citations: notes-bibliography system 17th edition.

The Chicago Manual of Style (17th ed. Ref. Z 253.U69 2017 or  online ) is composed of two different documentation systems:

• Notes-Bibliography style : preferred by those in the humanities
• Author-Date system : preferred by those in the sciences

The examples on this page are in the Notes-Bibliography Style . Be sure to find out from your professor which Chicago documentation system they would like you to use.*

*Note: The Fairfield University History Department requires its students to use Notes-Bibliography style.

Choose a book type

More in-text Footnote Citation Information

Book with One Author

Chicago Manual 14.23

Book with Author and Editor/Translator

Chicago Manual 14.23 and 14.104

Book with Two or Three Authors

Chicago Manual 14.23 and 14.76

Book with Four or More Authors

Book with organization as author.

Chicago Manual 14.84

Governmental and Organizational Reports

Chicago Manual 14.291 and 14.84

Chicago Manual 14.79

Foreword, Preface, Introduction, and Afterwords

Chicago Manual 14.110

Book Chapter

Chicago Manual 14.107

Collection of Essays

Chicago Manual 14.104, 14.106 , 14.107

Chicago Manual 14.106 , 14.107, 14.108

Chicago Manual 14.253 - 254 , 14.106 - 107

Edition other than First

Chicago Manual 14.113

Translated Work

Chicago Manual 14.104

Multivolume Work (Citing Only One Volume)

Chicago Manual 14.118 - 119 (see also 14.116 , 14.120 , 14.121 , 14.122 )

Multivolume Work (Citing All the Volumes)

Chicago Manual 14.117 (see also 14.116 , 14.120 , 14.121 , 14.122 )

Encyclopedia Entry

Chicago Manual 14.232 , 14.233 , 14.234

Choose an ebook type

More Footnote Information with Examples

Ebook (Chapter)

Chicago Manual 14.107 and  14.159 , 14.160 , 14.161 , 14.162 , 14.163

Ebook (Entire Book)

Chicago Manual 14.23, and 14.159 ,  14.160 , 14.161 ,  14.162 , 14.163

Journal Article

Choose a journal type

Note: For the treatment of author variations, such as multiple authors, corporate authors, or no author listed, please see  Book  citation as a model for this element of the citation. 

More in-text Citation Information

Journal Article from Library Database

Chicago Manual 14.23 and 14.175

Online Journal Article

Print journal article.

Chicago Manual 14.23 and 14.168 ,  14.169 ,  14.170,   14.171,   14.172 , 14.173 ,  14.174

Chicago Manual 14.201 , 14.202 , 14.203 , and 14.204

Magazine Article

Choose a magazine type

Magazine Article from Library Database

Chicago Manual 14.188 - 14.189,   14.198 , and 15.49(AD)

Magazine Article from Online Website

Chicago Manual 14.188 - 14.189 , 14.198 , and 15.49 (AD)

Print Magazine Article

Chicago Manual 14.188 - 14.189,   14.198  and 15.49 (AD)

Newspaper Article

Choose a newspaper type

Newspaper Article From a Library Database

Chicago Manual 14.191

Article From Newspaper Website

Print newspaper article, newspaper article with an unknown author.

Chicago Manual 14.199

Letter to the Editor

Chicago Manual 14.196

Generative AI

For more information see the Chicago Manual of Style’s website.

Always check your syllabus to see what your professor’s policy on AI is. If it’s not on the syllabus, just ask.

Website, Blog, or Social Media

Choose a source type

Chicago Manual 14.207

Website, No Author

Blog posting.

Chicago Manual 14.208

Social Media

Chicago Manual 14.209

E-mail, List-serv or Personal Communication

Chicago Manual 14.214

Electronic Mailing List (List-serv)

Chicago Manual 14.210

Personal Communication

Audio/video, online video.

Chicago Manual 14.267

Motion Picture

Chicago Manual 14.265

Sound Recording

Chicago Manual 14.263

Television Episode

Television series.

Note: The Chicago manual does not provide specific guidance on how to cite Television Series , but the library suggests that you cite as described below based on guidelines for similar citations.

Image or Advertisement

Online images.

Chicago Manual 14.235 and 8.198

Work of Art

Advertisement.

Note: The Chicago manual does not provide specific guidance on how to cite Advertisements, but the library suggests that you cite as described below based on guidelines for similar citations.

Secondary Sources

Chicago Manual 14.260 , 14.291

A secondary source is a source that quotes or paraphrases another source. An example would be Sontag's  On Photography  cited in Zelizer's book  Remembering to Forget . Use the format below only if you are unable to examine the original source material (e.g. Sontag's On Photography). The Chicago Manual of Style discourages the use of secondary sources.

Footnote Information with Examples

Choose an example

Numbering Footnotes and Positioning Footnote Numbers

Chicago Manual 14.24,   14.25 ,  14.26 , 14.27 , and 14.28

Shortened Notes

Chicago Manual 14.29, 14.30 , 14.31 , 14.32 , 14.33 , 14.34 , 14.35 ,   and 14.36

Several Sources Cited in One Note

Chicago Manual 14.28 and 14.57

Using Ibid.

Chicago Manual 14.34

Citations plus Commentary

Chicago Manual 14.37

The Bible and Other Classical Works

Chicago 14.238 , 14.239 , 14.240 , and 14.241

Other Resources

For more examples and information on how to format your paper: online resources.

• Chicago Manual of Style (E-book)
• Chicago Manual of Style Quick Guide
• Purdue Owl Writing Lab
• Chicago NB Sample Paper Chicago NB Sample Paper from Purdue OWL

Print Resources

• The Chicago Manual of Style , 17th ed. (Ref. Z 253.U69 2017)

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Purdue Online Writing Lab Purdue OWL® College of Liberal Arts

General Format

Welcome to the Purdue OWL

This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice.

Copyright ©1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use.

Since The Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS) is primarily intended as a style guide for published works rather than class papers, these guidelines will be supplemented with information from, Kate L. Turabian’s Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations (8th ed.), which is largely based on CMOS with some slight alterations.

To see a side-by-side comparison of the three most widely used citation styles, including a chart of all CMOS citation guidelines, see the Citation Style Chart.

Please use the example at the bottom of this page to cite the Purdue OWL in CMOS.

A Note on Citations

Unlike many citation styles, CMOS gives writers two different methods for documenting sources: the Author-Date System and the Notes-Bibliography (NB) System.  As its name suggests, Author-Date uses parenthetical citations in the text to reference the source's author's last name and the year of publication. Each parenthetical citation corresponds to an entry on a References page that concludes the document. In these regards, Author-Date is very similar to, for instance, APA style.

By contrast, NB uses numbered footnotes in the text to direct the reader to a shortened citation at the bottom of the page. This corresponds to a fuller citation on a Bibliography page that concludes the document. Though the general principles of citation are the same here, the citations themselves are formatted differently from the way they appear in Author-Date.

If you are using CMOS for school or work, don't forget to ensure that you're using your organization's preferred citation method. For examples of these two different styles in action, see our CMOS sample papers:

Author-Date Sample Paper

NB Sample Paper

General CMOS Guidelines

• Text should be consistently double-spaced, except for block quotations, notes, bibliography entries, table titles, and figure captions.
• A prose quotation of five or more lines, or more than 100 words, should be blocked.
• CMOS recommends blocking two or more lines of poetry.
• A blocked quotation does not get enclosed in quotation marks.
• A blocked quotation must always begin a new line.
• Blocked quotations should be indented with the word processor’s indention tool.
• Page numbers begin in the header of the first page of text with Arabic number 1.
• For CMOS and Turabian’s recommendations, see “Headings,” below.

Supplemental Turabian Style Guidelines

• Margins should be set at no less than 1”.
• Typeface should be something readable, such as Times New Roman or Courier.
• Font size should be no less than 10 pt. (preferably, 12 pt.).

Major Paper Sections

• The title should be centered a third of the way down the page.
• Your name, class information, and the date should follow several lines later.
• For subtitles, end the title line with a colon and place the subtitle on the line below the title.
• Double-space each line of the title page.

CMOS Title Page

• Different practices apply for theses and dissertations (see Kate L. Turabian’s A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, ad Dissertations [8 th ed.].
• Titles mentioned in the text, notes, or bibliography are capitalized “headline-style,” meaning first words of titles and subtitles and any important words thereafter should be capitalized.
• Book and periodical titles (titles of larger works) should be italicized.
• Article and chapter titles (titles of shorter works) should be enclosed in double quotation marks.
• The titles of most poems should be enclosed in double quotation marks, but the titles of very long poems should be italicized.
• Titles of plays should be italicized.
• For example, use lowercase terms to describe periods, except in the case of proper nouns (e.g., “the colonial period,” vs. “the Victorian era”).
• A prose quotation of five or more lines should be “blocked.” The block quotation should match the surrounding text, and it takes no quotation marks. To offset the block quote from surrounding text, indent the entire quotation using the word processor’s indentation tool. It is also possible to offset the block quotation by using a different or smaller font than the surrounding text.
• Label the first page of your back matter, your comprehensive list of sources, “Bibliography” (for Notes and Bibliography style) or “References” (for Author-Date style).
• Leave two blank lines between “Bibliography” or “References” and your first entry.
• Leave one blank line between remaining entries.
• List entries in letter-by-letter alphabetical order according to the first word in each entry, be that the author's name or the title of the piece..
• For two to three authors, write out all names.
• For four to ten authors, write out all names in the bibliography but only the first author’s name plus “et al.” in notes and parenthetical citations.
• When a source has no identifiable author, cite it by its title, both on the references page and in shortened form (up to four keywords from that title) in parenthetical citations throughout the text.
• Write out publishers’ names in full.
• Do not use access dates unless publication dates are unavailable.
• If you cannot ascertain the publication date of a printed work, use the abbreviation “n.d.”
• Provide DOIs instead of URLs whenever possible.
• If no DOI is available, provide a URL.
• If you cannot name a specific page number when called for, you have other options: section (sec.), equation (eq.), volume (vol.), or note (n.).

CMOS Bibliography Page

• Note numbers should begin with “1” and follow consecutively throughout a given paper.
• Note numbers are superscripted.
• Note numbers should be placed at the end of the clause or sentence to which they refer and should be placed after all punctuation, except for the dash.
• Note numbers are full-sized, not raised, and followed by a period (superscripting note numbers in the notes themselves is also acceptable).
• In parenthetical citation, separate documentation from brief commentary with a semicolon.
• Do not repeat the hundreds digit in a page range if it does not change from the beginning to the end of the range.

For more information on footnotes, please see CMOS NB Sample Paper .

While  The Chicago Manual of Style does not include a prescribed system for formatting headings and subheads, it makes several recommendations.

• Maintain consistency and parallel structure in headings and subheads.
• Use headline-style for purposes of capitalization.
• Subheadings should begin on a new line.
• Subheadings can be distinguished by font-size.
• Ensure that each level of hierarchy is clear and consistent.
• Levels of subheads can be differentiated by type style, use of boldface or italics, and placement on the page, usually either centered or flush left.
• Use no more than three levels of hierarchy.
• Avoid ending subheadings with periods.

Turabian has an optional system of five heading levels.

Turabian Subheading Plan

Here is an example of the five-level heading system:

CMOS Headings

Tables and Figures

• Position tables and figures as soon as possible after they are first referenced. If necessary, present them after the paragraph in which they are described.
• For figures, include a caption, or short explanation of the figure or illustration, directly after the figure number.
• Cite a source as you would for parenthetical citation, and include full information in an entry on your Bibliography or References page.
• Acknowledge reproduced or adapted sources appropriately (i.e., photo by; data adapted from; map by...).
• If a table includes data not acquired by the author of the text, include an unnumbered footnote. Introduce the note by the word Source(s) followed by a colon, then include the full source information, and end the note with a period.

How to Cite the Purdue OWL in CMOS

On the new OWL site, contributors’ names and the last edited date are no longer listed at the top of every page. This means that most citations will now begin with the title of the resource, rather than the contributors' names.

Footnote or Endnote (N):

Corresponding Bibliographical Entry (B):

“Title of Resource.” List the OWL as Publishing Organization/Web Site Name . http://Web address for OWL resource.

“General Format.” The Purdue OWL. https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/717/02/.

Author Date In-text Citation:

("General Format" 2017).

Author Date References Page Citation:

Year of Publication. “Title of Resource.” List the OWL as Publishing Organization/Web Site Name . http://Web address for OWL resource.

2017. “General Format.” The Purdue OWL . https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/717/02.

Thursday, February 23: The Clark Library is closed today.

Chicago Style (17th Edition) Citation Guide: Books & Ebooks

• Introduction
• Journal Articles
• Magazine/Newspaper Articles
• Books & Ebooks
• Government & Legal Documents
• Secondary Sources
• Videos & DVDs
• How to Cite: Biblical & Catholic Sources
• How to Cite: Other
• Short Form & Ibid.
• Additional Help

Table of Contents

Book in print, book with editor(s) but no author, translated book, chapters, short stories, essays, or articles from a book (anthology or collection), an introduction, preface, foreword, or afterword, article in a reference book (e.g. encyclopedias, dictionaries).

Bibliography:

All citations should be double spaced and have a hanging indent.

A "hanging indent" means that each subsequent line after the first line of your citation should be indented by 0.5 inches.

All citations should use first line indent, where the first line of the footnote should be indented by 0.5 inches; all subsequent lines are not indented.

Footnotes should be the same font size and style as the rest of your paper.

See instructions for how to insert footnotes in Microsoft Word.

Authors/Editors

An author can be a person but can also be an organization, or company. These are called group or corporate authors.

If you are citing a chapter from a book that has an editor, the author of the chapter is listed first, and is the name listed in the in-text citation.

Capitalize the first letter of every important word in the title. You do not need to capitalize words such as in, of, or an.

If there is a colon (:) in the title, include what comes after the colon (also known as the subtitle).Capitalize the first word after the colon, even if it is a word such as in, of, or an.

The format of all dates is: Month Date, Year. e.g. September 5, 2012.

Whether to give the year alone or include a month and day depends on your source: write the full date as you find it there.

If no date is listed, use the abbreviation n.d. for "no date." 

When an edition other than the first is used or cited, the number or description of the edition follows the title in the listing. If you are using the first edition, you do not have to include that information in the citation.

Access Date

Chicago style does not recommend including access dates in the citation, unless no date of publication for the source may be located.

Kling, David William. The Bible in History: How the Texts Have Shaped the Times . New York: Oxford University Press, 2004.

1. David William Kling, The Bible in History: How the Texts Have Shaped the Times (New York: Oxford University Press, 2004), 301.

Two or Three Authors

Jacobson, Diane L., and Robert Kysar. A Beginner's Guide to the Books of the Bible . Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1991.

1. Diane L. Jacobson and Robert Kysar, A Beginner's Guide to the Books of the Bible (Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1991), 151.

Four to Ten Authors

For sources with four to ten authors, list all authors in the bibliography; in the footnote, list only the first author’s name followed by the phrase et al. (Latin for “and others”)

 Evans, Julie, Patricia Grimshaw, David Philips, and Shurlee Swain.  Equal Subjects, Unequal Rights:              Indigenous Peoples in British Settler Societies.  Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2003.

1. Julie Evans et al.,  Equal Subjects, Unequal Rights: Indigenous Peoples in British Settler Societies  (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2003), 52.

More than Ten Authors

For sources with more than ten authors, list the first seven authors in the bibliography, followed by  et al.. In the footnote, list only the first author's name followed by et al..

Holder, Arthur G. Christian Spirituality: The Classics . New York: Routledge, 2009. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/up/detail.action?docID=446822.

1. Arthur G. Holder, Christian Spirituality: The Classics (New York: Routledge, 2009), 30, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/up/detail.action?docID=446822.

Print Book:

Richard, Lucien, editor.  What are They Saying about the Theology of Suffering?  New York: Paulist Press, 1992.

1. Lucien Richard, ed.,  What are They Saying about the Theology of Suffering?  (New York: Paulist Press, 1992), 20.

Online Book:

Kidwell, Jeremy, and Sean Doherty, editors. Theology and Economics: A Christian Vision of the Common Good . New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2015. https://login.uportland.idm.oclc.org/login?url= http://link.springer.com/10.1057/9781137536518.

1. Jeremy Kidwell and Sean Doherty, eds., Theology and Economics: A Christian Vision of the Common Good (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2015), 103, https://login.uportland.idm.oclc.org/login?url= http://link.springer.com/10.1057/9781137536518.

Boitani, Piero. The Bible and Its Rewritings . Translated by Anita Weston. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.

1. Piero Boitani, The Bible and Its Rewritings , trans. Anita Weston (New York: Oxford University Press, 1999), 89.

Augustine. The Confessions of St. Augustine . Translated by Edward Bouverie Pusey. Waiheke Island, New Zealand: Floating Press, 1921. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/up/detail.action?docID=349865.

1. Augustine, The Confessions of St. Augustine , trans. by Edward Bouverie Pusey (Waiheke Island, New Zealand: Floating Press, 1921), 65, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/up/detail.action?docID=349865.

Deffenbaugh, Daniel G. and David L. Dungan. “The Bible and Ecology.” In The International Bible Commentary , edited by William R. Farmer, 314-323. Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 1998.

1. Daniel G. Deffenbaugh and David L. Dungan, “The Bible and Ecology,” in The International Bible Commentary , ed. William R. Farmer (Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 1998), 315.

When citing an introduction, a preface, a foreword, or an afterword, write the name of the author(s) of the piece you are citing. Then give the name of the part being cited, which should not be italicized or enclosed in quotation marks; in italics, provide the name of the work and the page range. Finish the citation with the details of publication.

Shepard, Paul. Introduction to Nature and Madness, 24-41. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1998.

1. Paul Shepard, introduction to Nature and Madness  (Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1998), 35.

If the writer of the piece is different from the author of the complete work, then start the citation with the author of the introduction or foreword, and write the full name of the principal work's author after the title of the work. 

Sacks, Oliver. Foreword to A Man without Words, by Susan Schaller, 9-12. 2nd ed. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2012.

1. Oliver Sacks, foreword to A Man Without Words , by Susan Schaller, 2nd ed. (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2012), 10.

For reference books that provide content in alphabetical order, in the footnote, use s.v. (Latin for “ sub verbo ) before the title of the entry that you are citing. (If you are citing more than one title, use the plural form, s.vv. ). Publisher information does not need to be included in the footnote.

Print Reference Book:

Camelot, P. T. "Ephesus." In The New Catholic Encyclopedia , edited by William J. McDonald, vol. 5, 457-458. New York: McGraw Hill, 1967.

1. The New Catholic Encyclopedia , s.v. “Ephesus.”

Online Reference Book:

Include a publication date or last updated date if available; otherwise, include an access date.

Hunt, M. J. "Red Sea." In The New Catholic Encyclopedia,  2nd ed., vol. 11, 962-963. Detroit, MI: Gale, 2003. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3407709364/GVRL?u=port18814&sid=GVRL&xid=c11723f0.

1. The New Catholic Encyclopedia , s.v. “Red Sea,” https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3407709364/GVRL?u=port18814&sid=GVRL&xid=c11723f0.

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• Writing Tips

How to Reference a Book – Chicago Style

3-minute read

• 28th April 2023

The Chicago Manual of Style actually sets out rules for two separate citation styles : in-text author–date citations and a footnote/bibliography system. Depending on your outlook, this dual system is either usefully versatile or unhelpfully confusing!

Nevertheless, whichever approach you’re using, it’s vital that you know how to cite a book correctly. On our academic blog today, we run through the basics for doing this using both approaches. This post has been updated in line with the Chicago Manual of Style 17th Edition.

Author–Date Citations

As with many parenthetical referencing systems, Chicago-style author–date citations require you to provide the author’s surname and the date of publication in the main text when referencing a source.

A citation of a book by cheeky French philosopher Paul Ricoeur would, therefore, appear as:

Interpretation involves the metaphorical and speculative domains of meaning (Ricoeur 1978).

If the author is named in the text, only the year is required in the citation. The only other thing you’ll need to provide in in-text citations are relevant page numbers when quoting a source:

Ricoeur (1978, 17) states that “metaphor is defined in terms of movement.”

All cited texts should then be added to a reference list at the end of your document, with sources listed alphabetically by author surname and full publication details provided. For a book, this includes:

Author Surname, First Name. Year of Publication. Title . City of Publication: Publisher.

In Ricoeur’s case, this translates to:

Ricoeur, Paul. 1978. The Rule of Metaphor . London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.

Footnotes/Bibliography

The other form of Chicago referencing places citations in footnotes, as indicated by superscript numbers in the main text (e.g., 1 , 2 , 3 ). The information required for the first citation of a book is:

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n. Author Name, Title (City of Publication: Publisher, Year), Page Number(s).

Returning to our philosopher friend, the first footnote for The Rule of Metaphor would therefore appear as:

1. Paul Ricoeur, The Rule of Metaphor (London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1978), 24.

Subsequent citations of the same text can be shortenedd to just author surname, a shortened version of the book title and the relevant page number (or “pinpoint reference,” as it is otherwise known):

2. Ricoeur, Rule of Metaphor , 112.

As well as footnotes, this version of Chicago referencing lists all cited texts in a bibliography at the end of the document.

The information required is similar to the first footnote, but with slightly different punctuation and the author name reversed so that sources can be listed alphabetically by surname:

Ricoeur, Paul. The Rule of Metaphor . London: Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1978.

A Final Thought

Since these two versions of Chicago referencing are very different, the single most important thing you can do before you begin writing is check which version is specified by your style guide .

Also, it’s worth mentioning that Paul Ricoeur would probably have rejected being described as “cheeky.” Nevertheless, it’s how we prefer to think of him.

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Chicago Referencing – Citing an Edited Book

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• 18th September 2016

With Chicago referencing, citing an edited book or a chapter from a collection of essays isn’t quite the same as referencing other books .

There’s also a difference between the two formats used in Chicago referencing (author–date citations and the footnote and bibliography system). In the following, we run through both.

Author–Date: In-Text Citations

The Chicago author–date system requires giving the author’s surname, the year of publication and relevant page numbers in parentheses for citations:

Ricoeur is “attuned to plurality” (Langsdorf 2002, 41).

With an edited book, it’s usually the author of the chapter that you should cite. The only time to use the editor’s name in citations is when citing an edited book in its entirety.

Author–Date: Reference List

In the reference list, the information required for a chapter from an edited book is:

Author Surname, First Name. Year of Publication. “Title of Chapter.” In Title of Book , edited by Editor Name, page range. Place of Publication: Publisher.

For instance, the paper cited above would appear as:

Langsdorf, Lenore. 2002. “The Doubleness of Subjectivity: Regenerating the Phenomenology of Intentionality.” In Ricoeur as Another: The Ethics of Subjectivity , edited by Richard A. Cohen and James L. Marsh, 33-55. Albany: State University of New York Press.

If referencing the volume as a whole, cite the editor(s) in place of the author(s):

Cohen, Richard A., and James L. Marsh, eds. 2002. Ricoeur as Another: The Ethics of Subjectivity . Albany: State University of New York Press.

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Note that when a book has more than one author/editor, it’s only the first listed whose names are reversed.

Footnote and Bibliography: Footnote Citations

In the footnote and bibliography system , superscript numbers are used to indicate a citation (e.g., 1 , 2 , 3 ). In the footnote, the information to provide for a chapter from an edited book is:

n . Author Name(s), “Chapter Title,” in Book Title, ed. Editor Name(s) (Place of Publication: Publisher, Year), page number(s).

In practice, this would appear as follows:

1. John van den Hengel, “Can There Be a Science of Action?,” in Ricoeur as Another: The Ethics of Subjectivity , ed. Richard A. Cohen and James L. Marsh (Albany: State University of New York Press, 2002), 73-74.

As above, cite the editor(s) in place of the author(s) when referencing an edited volume as a whole. Subsequent citations of the same source can then be abbreviated to just the author/editor surname, chapter title and page numbers:

1. John van den Hengel, “Can There Be a Science of Action?,” in Ricoeur as Another: The Ethics of Subjectivity , ed. Richard A. Cohen and James L. Marsh (Albany: State University of New York Press, 2002), 73-74. 2. Richard A. Cohen and James L. Marsh, eds., Ricoeur as Another: The Ethics of Subjectivity . (Albany: State University of New York Press, 2002), viii. 3. van den Hengel, “Can There Be a Science of Action?,” 80.

Footnote and Bibliography: Bibliography

In the bibliography, the information required for a chapter from an edited book is similar to the first footnote, but with different punctuation, a complete page range and the first listed author/editor’s name reversed:

van den Hengel, John. “Can There Be a Science of Action?” In Ricoeur as Another: The Ethics of Subjectivity , edited by Richard A. Cohen and James L. Marsh, 71-92. Albany: State University of New York Press, 2002.

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Chicago Style Guide 17th Edition: Chapter in an edited book

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Reference: Author(s) Last name, First name Initial(s). “Title of chapter.” In Book Title , edited by First name Last name, Pages. Place of publication: Publisher, Year of publication.

Sheringham, Michael. “Archiving.” In Restless Cities , edited by Matthew Beaumont and Gregory Dart, 10-24. London: Verso, 2010.

In-Text Citation:  Use a superscript number (like this: ¹) in the text at the place where you are indicating that you are citing from a source.

According to Michael Sheringham in  Restless Cities , the rubbish or waste of a city can be seen as a sort of archive.²

Footnote: #. First Author(s) First name Initials Last name, “Title of Chapter,” in Book Title , ed. First name Initials Last name of editor (Place of Publication: Publisher, Year of publication), Page.

2. Michael Sheringham, “Archiving,” in Restless Cities , ed. Matthew Beaumont and Gregory Dart (London: Verson, 2010), 9.

Still unsure what in-text citation and referencing mean? Check here . 

Still unsure why you need to reference all this information? Check here . 

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How to Cite a Book Chicago Style: Everything You Should Know

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So, you have found a proper publication you can use for your essay but now you are struggling with getting the right format for Chicago style book citation. No wonder, since the Chicago style uses two completely different systems for citing the sources:

• Notes and Bibliography system: used in humanitarian disciplines
• Author-Date style: used in Science.

In this guide we’ll tell you how to cite a book Chicago style in notes and bibliography system. Feel free to use this information to write top notch essays! In case you require professional assistance with academic writing, consider StudyCrumb. Here, you can pay for essay and rest assured knowing that the result will be fascinating.

Chicago Style Citation Book: General Rules

When it comes to a Chicago style book citation , you should keep in mind that there are 3 types of reference entries. They include:

• Chicago style bibliography : reference entry that appears on your Bibliography page.
• Full note: citing sources that are used for the first time.
• Brief note: subsequent citations of sources that have been cited before.

A formal essay requires you to include all necessary data about any book or magazine article you have used. A proper Chicago style book reference has the following general format:

Below you can find examples of citations created for footnotes & endnotes and your Bibliography page.  Example:

There can be certain variations to this rule, depending on the type of your source. Let us dive deeper into it! When working on a lengthy study, you must integrate a considerable number of credible sources. If you have difficulties with this meticulous taks, seek help with research paper from true experts.

Chicago Style: Translated Book

Chicago Style Citation for Translated Book is an example of a more detailed reference entry. Do you often retrieve citations from foreign sources? If yes, you probably still do it in English. Therefore you should find their translations first and then refer to these versions rather than to original ones. Note that you will need to specify the translator’s name. Mention that your source isn’t an original work by adding the words “Translated by.” When citing a book in Chicago footnotes or endnotes, shorten this word to “trans.” Let’s look at a general formula given below:

Here is what such entry should look in your paper’s notes and Bibliography:

Chicago Style: Edited Book

Some specific quotes might require referring to any special edition of some book. Chicago style citation edited book reference should include the editor’s name as well as numbers of pages which contain the exact information you are using in your essay. Introduce an editor with the words “Edited by” in your Bibliography. In notes, an abridged version “ed.” is used. Don’t forget to pay attention where this edition was published and what was the period of its publication. Here’s a general formula for edited works that you can use for reference.

Here’s an example of such citation.

Citing Reprinted Book: Chicago Style

A special format is reserved for referencing reprinted works: Chicago Style Citation for Reprinted Book. A popular example is a new publication of an old classic work. Now you will have different pages where a required piece of text is written. In this case it is also important to name the actual publisher of the new version. Also, specify the number of an edition. Follow this format to cite a reprinted work in Chicago style. 

Use this example for reference:

Chicago Style Book Review

Sometimes you need to take a critical approach to the selected source. When reviewing books, you might want to find out what other reviewers have said about them. To reference any book review, Chicago style foresees a special type of citation. You have to specify reviewers’ names as well as original authors’ names here. Include doi or URL if it’s an online review. Follow this format:

Chicago Style: Article in a Book

When needed, you can point to some special article using Chicago style: article in a book format. Complete information about the article must be listed among your sources. Mention an article’s and book’s names, as well as an editor’s name if there is any. Here’s a general formula you can use to cite an article in a book in Chicago style.

Looking for how to cite a speech Chicago ? Do not worry, we have the whole blog dedicated to this topic.

Chicago Style Citation Chapter in Book

A similar format to the above, Chicago Style: Chapter in a Book , allows you to add citations from specific chapters. It might be handy in case the book is huge. Following this pattern, you need to add information about the chapter name into your reference. Here’s a formula you can use.

How to Cite a Picture in a Book: Chicago Style

But what if you need to refer to pictures in your sources, to talk about situations or characters they depict? We’ll show you how to cite a picture in a book in Chicago style. First, you need to name the picture’s author, instead of the book's author. Then, provide the date this picture was taken – just don’t mix it with the publication date. Here’s a general format of a Chicago citation for an image found in a book.

Now, let’s look at an actual example so you can get an idea.

Chicago Style Citation Book With Editor and Translator

Let us proceed to more complicated matters. How should you refer to publications with multiple people involved? Here is a special format in Chicago style citation: book with editor and translator. It might come handy if you have some formula for a book with multiple different translations and at least one extra edition. Here’s a formula of the citation you should follow in this case. 

How to Cite a Book With Multiple Authors Chicago Style

But what if the book you have selected was written by several people? To properly refer to a book with multiple authors in Chicago Style, you must put these people’s names in the same order as specified in this source.  Don’t use an alphabetical order unless this is how they appear on the front cover. Only the first name should be inverted in your Bibliography entry. Here’s a formula of our book citation with multiple authors in Chicago style.

Chicago/Turabian Notes-Bibliography Style for a Book With a Single Author

A simplified alternative named Turabian style has been developed for educational purposes, mostly for students’ papers not intended for publication. Turabian citation for a book with one single author will look exactly like a general format given in the beginning of this article. As was mentioned earlier, Notes-Bibliography requires putting full references to citations on a page directly at the bottom of this page. This way your teacher can read about your source without having to use a reference list.  However, bear in mind that citations in the  Chicago author date style system will be different.

Chicago Style Book With Editor No Author

What if your source is a compilation of materials coming from many people? Or if an author the work you have selected is unknown? In this case, you should learn how to cite a book with no author, Chicago style. Instead of the author’s name, you place a work’s title. Next, you will include details on publication place and year just like you did before. Below you can see a formula to use:

Except books, you may also want to cite an encyclopedia or dictionary. That's why we created one more blog that will tell how to cite the dictionary Chicago .

Last Thoughts on Chicago Style Book Citation

Chicago style format is one of the most popular sets of rules for proper citation format including those for books. The way you cite books shows your capability to put your sources into order. Following Chicago rules ensures a proper credit for the author of every publication you have used to write your essay. As a result this shows how well you have grasped the academic rules of essay writing. Citing sources might seem complicated at the first glance so feel free to use our guide and you will master the Chicago Style in no time!

If you are still struggling with Chicago citations, get in touch with our professional business essay writing services . Our academic experts have got years of experience formatting sources for essays and research papers, and they will be happy to help you too.

FAQ About Chicago Style Book Citations

1. how to do in-text citation of a book chicago style.

To create Chicago style in-text citation for a book, you will need to use an author-date format. Mention an author’s name, year of publication and the page number within round brackets. Here’s an example: (Doe, 2020, 11) . Make sure to put it after your quotation before the period.

2. In Chicago style citation, where to put the volume number of a book?

When citing a book inChicago style, put the volume number at the beginning of your reference. This should look as follows: Volume Number, Title of Volume . Place of Publication: Name of Publisher, Year of Publication.

3. What should I do if I need to cite a book in Chicago style, but it has already been cited?

If you cite a book in Chicago style for the first time, use the superscript number in your text after the end of quotation and before the period. Then, use the full note at the bottom of the page. If you need to create a subsequent citation for a book that has already been cited, use a short note. In the footnotes, the Latin term “Ibid.” can also be used instead of repeating the same reference as before.

4. What if your chicago-style book citation has two lines?

Chicago style book citation might take much place when there is much information to include. It is normal for your footnote reference to take two lines, just make sure to separate the 2nd line by an indent. If you have to include a super-long URL into your footnote, just cut it before the end of the 2nd line.

Emma Flores knows all about formatting standards. She shares with StudyCrumb readers tips on creating academic papers that will meet high-quality standards.

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Citing tables, figures, and images: Chicago (17th ed) citation guide

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This guide is based on The Chicago Manual of Style, 17th ed. It provides examples of citations for commonly-used sources, using Notes and bibliography style only . For more detailed information consult directly The Chicago Manual of Style  (17th ed.) [ print ]. 

For the Author-date style, see the  Social sciences/sciences system .

In Chicago Style, the term figure can refer to illustrations or images that are displayed or reproduced separately from the text. Illustrations or images, in this case, can refer to a wide range of visual materials, including photographs, maps, drawings, and charts placed within a text. [ 3.1 ] [ 3.5 ]

Figures can be used to more easily refer to illustrations cited in your writing. This is particularly helpful where there are several cited illustrations. An example of a textual reference to a figure might look like the following: "as figure 2 shows..."; "when comparing figures 3 and 4." The lowercase  figure  should be used when making references to figures in the text. [ 3.9 ]

Figure captions

Captions are usually included immediately below a figure, and provide a text explanation of the visual. [ 3.9 ] The amount of detail in captions can vary from a few words to several sentences. Caption text should, where appropriate, be formatted as complete sentences with capitalization and punctuation. [ 3.21 ]

The titles of works, such as those from which the figures are taken, should be reproduced according to the standard Chicago Style rules, discussed in Chapter 8 of the manual, for notes and textual references. [ 3.22 ]

A credit line, which includes a statement about the figure's source, should be included.  [ 3.29 ] This credit line often appears at the end of a caption. [ 3.30 ]

Figure 4. Frontispiece of Christian Prayers and Meditations (London: John Daye, 1569), showing Queen Elizabeth at prayer in her private chapel. Reproduced by permission of the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Trustees of the Lambeth Palace Library.

Figure 3. Detailed stratigraphy and geochronology of the Dubawnt Supergroup.

Citing figures found in other works

When citing a figure, such as an illustration included within another text, you can include the abbreviation  fig.  to refer to the figure.

     1. First Name Last Name of creator, Title of Work  (Place of publication: Publisher, Year of publication), page number,  figure number.

     1. Kate van Orden, Music, Authorship, and the Book in the First Century of Print (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2013), 38, fig. 2.

Images are sometimes referred to as illustrations, artwork, or art in the Chicago Style, and refer to images presented separately from text (as opposed to an embedded chart or figure). Images, or illustrations, can come in a range of forms, including charts, maps, line drawings, paintings, and photographs. [ 3.1 ]

• Information about paintings, photographs, sculptures, or other works of art can usually be presented in the text rather than in a note or bibliography. [ 14.235 ]
• If note or bibliography entry is needed, follow the guidelines below. 

     1. First Name Last Name of creator, Title of Work, date of creation or completion, medium, Name of Institution, location (if applicable), URL.

As illustrated in Three Planets Dance over La Sill [1] ,  the phenomenon of 'syzygy' is when celestial bodies align in the sky. 

     1. Yuri Beletsky, Three Planets Dance over La Silla , June 3, 2013, photograph, European Southern Observatory, https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw1322a/ .

Incorporating images into the text of your paper

• If you chose to incorporate images into the text of your paper, the image should appear as soon as possible after the first text reference to it. [ 3.8 ]
• Images should bear numbers, and all text references to them should be by the numbers (eg. “as figure 1 shows…”) The word “figure” should be lowercased and fully spelled out, unless in parenthetical references (where “fig” may be used). [ 3.9 ]
• Below the image, the caption will begin with “Figure” or “Fig.” followed by a number and period. (Eg. Figure 1.) [ 3.23 ]
• A caption may consist of a word or two, an incomplete or a complete sentence, several sentences, or a combination. [ 3.21 ]
• Within a caption, most titles (including those for paintings, drawings, photographs, statues, and books) will be capitalized and italicized. [ 3.22 ]
• A brief statement of the source of an illustration, known as a credit line, is usually appropriate and sometimes required by the owner of the illustration.[ 3.29 ]
• A credit line usually appears at the end of a caption, sometimes in parentheses. [ 3.30 ]
• In addition to author, title, publication details, and (occasionally) copyright date, the credit line should include any page or figure number. If the work being credited is listed in the bibliography or reference list, only a shortened form need appear in the credit line [ 3.32 ]
• Illustrations from works in the public domain may be reproduced without permission. For readers’ information, however, a credit line is appropriate. [ 3.35 ]

Chicago in-text citation example

When celestial bodies are in alignment (see fig. 1) it is called syzygy.

*Note: The above formatting is meant as a guideline only. There is no definitive format for a figure caption. For example, see some examples of captions from the Chicago manual:                        

• Figure 1. Frontispiece of  Christian Prayers and Meditations  (London: John Daye, 1569), showing Queen Elizabeth at prayer in her private chapel. Reproduced by permission of the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Trustees of the Lambeth Palace Library.
• Figure 2. Francis Bedford,  Stratford on Avon Church from the Avon, 1860s. Albumen print of collodion negative, 18.8 × 28.0 cm. Rochester, International Museum of Photography at George Eastman House.
• Figure 3. The myth that all children love dinosaurs is contradicted by this nineteenth-century scene of a visit to the monsters at Crystal Palace. (Cartoon by John Leech. “Punch’s Almanack for 1855,”  Punch  28 [1855]: 8. Photo courtesy of the Newberry Library, Chicago.)

Bibliography 

General format.

Last name First name. Title of Work. Date of creation or completion. Medium. Name of Institution. Location (if applicable). URL.

Beletsky, Yuri. Three Planets Dance over La Silla.  June 3, 2013. Photograph. European Southern Observatory. https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw1322a/ .

In Chicago Style, a table is defined as list presented as an array with horizontal rows and vertical columns. [ 3.2 ]

When more than one table is included, table numbering is recommended. However, this numbering should be separate from figure/illustration numbering (for example, fig. 1, fig 2., table 1, fig 3.). [ 3.50 ]

References to tables in the text should use the lowercase form of the word table. [ 3.50 ] A numbered table should be included as soon as possible after it is first referenced in the text. [ 3.51 ]

Notes to a table come in several types, and are always included directly below a table. These notes should have a separate numbering scheme from the text notes. [ 3.76 ]

For tables taken from another source, acknowledgement needs to be made in an unnumbered footnotes starting with  Source:  or  Sources:  [ 3.77 ]

Sources: Data from Richard H. Adams Jr., “Remittances, Investment, and Rural Asset Accumulation in Pakistan,” Economic Development and Cultural Change 47, no. 1 (1998): 155–73; David Bevan, Paul Collier, and Jan Gunning, Peasants and Government: An Economic Analysis (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1989), 125–28.

Sources: Data from Adams (1998); Bevan, Collier, and Gunning (1989).

Home / Guides / Citation Guides / Chicago Style / How to Cite an E-book in Chicago

How to Cite an E-book in Chicago

Given the prevalence of e-books and the devices and platforms used to access them, it is likely that you may need to cite an e-book when completing a paper or project. Chicago style guidelines indicate that citations should specify if the book was consulted in an e-book format because of the potential for differences between versions. Besides adding information about the e-book’s format, e-book citations are very similar to  print books citations in Chicago  style. This guide will show you how to cite an e-book in notes-bibliography style using the 17th edition of the Chicago Manual of Style .

Guide Overview

• Citing an e-book from an e-reader
• Citing an e-book accessed online
• Citing an e-book found in a database
• Citing an e-book on CD-ROM
• Citing an e-book with no page numbers
• What you need

Citing an E-Book from an E-Reader (Kindle, iPad, Nook, etc.)

Citation structure:.

1. First name Last name, Book Title (City: Publisher, year published), page or location number, E-Reader name.

Bibliography:

Last name, First name. Book Title . City: Publisher, year published. E-Reader name.

Citation Example:

1. Bram Stoker,   Dracula (Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, 2000), 25, Kindle.

Stoker, Bram.  Dracula . Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, 2000. Kindle.

Citing an E-Book Accessed Online

1. First name Last name, Book Title (City: Publisher, year published), page or location number, URL.

Last name, First name. Book Title . City: Publisher, year published. URL.

1. Carol J. Clover, The Medieval Saga (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1982), 19, https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7591/j.ctvn1t9s7.

Clover, Carol J. The Medieval Saga . Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1982. https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7591/j.ctvn1t9s7.

Citing an E-Book Found in a Database

If you access an e-book via a commercial or institutional database for which a URL is not available or would not be accessible for your reader, you should include the name of the database instead of a URL.

1. First name Last name, Book Title (City: Publisher, year published), page or location number, Database Name.

Last name, First name. Book Title . City: Publisher, year published. Database Name.

1. John Stolle-McAllister, Intercultural Interventions: Politics, Community, and Environment in the Otavalo Valley (Amherst, NY: Cambria Press, 2019), MD-SOAR.

Stolle-McAllister, John. Intercultural Interventions: Politics, Community, and Environment in the Otavalo Valley . Amherst, NY: Cambria Press, 2019. MD-SOAR.

Note: Some e-books may be available online through your library’s databases or catalogs.

Citing an E-Book on CD-ROM

While it is no longer common to access e-books via CD-ROM, some textbooks or other similar books come with CD versions that you may need to cite. In such cases, the format should be placed at the end of the citation instead of the URL/database name/e-reader name.

1. First name Last name, Book Title (City: Publisher, year published), page or location number, CD-ROM.

Last name, First name. Book Title . City: Publisher, year published. CD-ROM.

1. Ana C. Jarvis, Basic Spanish , Spanish ed. (Boston: Houghton Mifflin College Division, 2007), chap. 1, CD-ROM.

Jarvis, Ana C.  Basic Spanish . Spanish ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin College Division, 2007. CD-ROM.

Citing an E-Book with No Page Numbers

When citing e-books in Chicago style (especially e-book versions of older books), it is preferable to use a version with scanned pages in order to be able to use the original page numbers. However, such versions may not be available. If you are citing an e-book that does not have page numbers, you should use whatever location information is available in place of the page number in a note. For example, you can use the chapter number or section heading of the passage you are citing.

The Chicago Manual of Style advises against using location indicators from your e-reader device in place of page numbers, as these may change based on text size and other settings set by individual readers. If an e-reader location indicator must be used, you should also include the total number of locations to help your readers find the cited passage on their own device. (For example, “loc. 45 of 1028.”)

1. First name Last name, Book Title (City: Publisher, year published), chapter number or section heading, format or URL.

Last name, First name. Book Title . City: Publisher, year published. Format or URL.

1. Ernest Hemingway, The Sun Also Rises (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1926), chap. 2, https://www.gutenberg.org/files/67138/67138-h/67138-h.htm.

Hemingway, Ernest.  The Sun Also Rises . New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1926. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/67138/67138-h/67138-h.htm.

What You Need

A citation for an e-book usually includes the following:

• Author name
• Edition information (if applicable)
• Publisher city
• Publisher name
• Publication year
• Page number or location information (in note only)
• E-reader name, database name, format, or URL

Chicago Formatting Guide

Chicago Formatting

• Book Chapter
• Conference Paper
• Musical Recording

Citation Examples

• Thesis or Dissertation
• Encyclopedia
• Sheet Music
• YouTube Video

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