Chicago Citation Examples: 18th Edition

Chicago citation examples at a glance

Source type	Notes & Bibliography	Author-Date
Book	Full note → shortened note → bibliography	In-text citation → reference list
Journal article	Specific cited page in note → full article range in bibliography	Specific cited page in text → full article range in reference list
Webpage	Note with page/site/date/URL → bibliography when needed	Organization/author + year → reference list
Book chapter	Chapter author + edited book + cited page	Chapter author + year + cited page
Ebook	Book format + URL/database/ebook format	Author-year + electronic book details
News/magazine article	Note; bibliography when appropriate	Author-year + reference list
Thesis/dissertation	Note + bibliography	Author-year + reference list
Video/podcast	Creator/host + title + platform + duration	Author-year + reference list

For detailed rules rather than examples, start with the Chicago Style Guide.

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Book citation example

For a modern book, Chicago 18 normally does not require a place of publication.

Demonstration source

Maya Bennett, Cities at Dusk, Northfield Press, 2025.

Notes & Bibliography

Full Note

Maya Bennett, Cities at Dusk (Northfield Press, 2025), 73.

Shortened Note

Bennett, Cities at Dusk, 81.

Bibliography Entry

Bennett, Maya. Cities at Dusk. Northfield Press, 2025.

Author-Date

In-Text Citation

(Bennett 2025, 73)

Reference List Entry

Bennett, Maya. 2025. Cities at Dusk. Northfield Press.

The specific page changes from citation to citation. It does not become part of the permanent whole-book entry.

See the full Chicago Book Citation guide for multiple authors, edited books, editions, translations, ebooks, and ISBN lookup.

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Book with two authors

Chicago 18 lists both authors in notes and Author-Date text citations when there are exactly two.

Demonstration source

Maya Bennett and Daniel Cho, Mapping the Modern City, Northfield Press, 2024.

Notes & Bibliography

Full Note

Maya Bennett and Daniel Cho, Mapping the Modern City (Northfield Press, 2024), 118.

Shortened Note

Bennett and Cho, Mapping the Modern City, 121.

Bibliography

Bennett, Maya, and Daniel Cho. Mapping the Modern City. Northfield Press, 2024.

Author-Date

In-Text

(Bennett and Cho 2024, 118)

Reference List

Bennett, Maya, and Daniel Cho. 2024. Mapping the Modern City. Northfield Press.

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Book with three or more authors

Under Chicago 18:

• notes and Author-Date text citations use first author + et al. for three or more authors;
• bibliography/reference-list entries list all authors up to six;
• for more than six, list the first three + et al.

Demonstration source with three authors

Maya Bennett, Daniel Cho, and Elena Ruiz, Researching Public Memory, Northfield Press, 2026.

Full Note

Maya Bennett et al., Researching Public Memory (Northfield Press, 2026), 54.

Shortened Note

Bennett et al., Researching Public Memory, 60.

Bibliography

Bennett, Maya, Daniel Cho, and Elena Ruiz. Researching Public Memory. Northfield Press, 2026.

Author-Date In-Text

(Bennett et al. 2026, 54)

Reference List

Bennett, Maya, Daniel Cho, and Elena Ruiz. 2026. Researching Public Memory. Northfield Press.

For the complete current author thresholds, see Chicago 18th Edition.

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Journal article citation example

A journal citation uses the specific page cited in the note or Author-Date citation, but the bibliography/reference list gives the article’s full page range when the article uses normal pagination.

Demonstration source

Daniel Cho and Elena Ruiz, “Memory and Public Space,” Journal of Urban History 51, no. 2 (2025): 201–24.

The DOI below is fictional and used only to demonstrate structure:

https://doi.org/10.0000/example-doi

Notes & Bibliography

Full Note

Daniel Cho and Elena Ruiz, “Memory and Public Space,” Journal of Urban History 51, no. 2 (2025): 214, https://doi.org/10.0000/example-doi.

Shortened Note

Cho and Ruiz, “Memory and Public Space,” 219.

Bibliography Entry

Cho, Daniel, and Elena Ruiz. “Memory and Public Space.” Journal of Urban History 51, no. 2 (2025): 201–24. https://doi.org/10.0000/example-doi.

Author-Date

In-Text Citation

(Cho and Ruiz 2025, 214)

Reference List Entry

Cho, Daniel, and Elena Ruiz. 2025. “Memory and Public Space.” Journal of Urban History 51 (2): 201–24. https://doi.org/10.0000/example-doi.

For DOI lookup, article IDs, long author lists, online-first articles, and page-range rules, see Chicago Journal Article Citation.

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Journal article with an article ID instead of page range

Some journals use an article number or e-location instead of continuous pages.

Demonstration source

Elena Ruiz et al., “Mapping Environmental Memory with Digital Archives,” Open Research Studies 12, no. 4 (2026): e10482.

Full Note

Elena Ruiz et al., “Mapping Environmental Memory with Digital Archives,” Open Research Studies 12, no. 4 (2026): 7, e10482.

Shortened Note

Ruiz et al., “Mapping Environmental Memory,” 9.

Bibliography

Ruiz, Elena, Daniel Cho, Maya Bennett, et al. “Mapping Environmental Memory with Digital Archives.” Open Research Studies 12, no. 4 (2026): e10482.

Author-Date In-Text

(Ruiz et al. 2026, 7)

Reference List

Ruiz, Elena, Daniel Cho, Maya Bennett, et al. 2026. “Mapping Environmental Memory with Digital Archives.” Open Research Studies 12 (4): e10482.

The article ID identifies the article as a whole. A page number can still identify a specific location inside a PDF when stable internal pages exist.

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Website citation example with an organization and date

A webpage may use an organization as the responsible creator.

Demonstration source

Northfield Historical Society, “Digital Archive Access Policy,” effective March 1, 2026, https://example.org/archive-policy.

Notes & Bibliography

Full Note

“Digital Archive Access Policy,” Northfield Historical Society, effective March 1, 2026, https://example.org/archive-policy.

Shortened Note

Northfield Historical Society, “Digital Archive Access Policy.”

Bibliography Entry

Northfield Historical Society. “Digital Archive Access Policy.” Effective March 1, 2026. https://example.org/archive-policy.

Author-Date

In-Text Citation

(Northfield Historical Society 2026)

Reference List Entry

Northfield Historical Society. 2026. “Digital Archive Access Policy.” Effective March 1. https://example.org/archive-policy.

The organization, page, and URL above are fictional.

For authors, organization ownership, last-modified dates, policies, home pages, and URL cleanup, see Chicago Website Citation.

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Website citation example with no date

When a webpage has no publication or revision date and a formal citation is required, Chicago uses an access date. In Author-Date, use n.d.

Demonstration source

Northfield University, “About the Urban Archive,” accessed August 30, 2026, https://example.edu/urban-archive.

Notes & Bibliography

Full Note

“About the Urban Archive,” Northfield University, accessed August 30, 2026, https://example.edu/urban-archive.

Shortened Note

Northfield University, “About the Urban Archive.”

Bibliography Entry

Northfield University. “About the Urban Archive.” Accessed August 30, 2026. https://example.edu/urban-archive.

Author-Date

In-Text Citation

(Northfield University n.d.)

Reference List Entry

Northfield University. n.d. “About the Urban Archive.” Accessed August 30, 2026. https://example.edu/urban-archive.

Do not use n.d. simply because automatic metadata lookup failed. Check the visible page for a publication, effective, revised, or last-modified date first.

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Archived webpage citation example

An archived version can be useful when the page changed or disappeared.

Demonstration structure

Northfield University. “Urban Archive Project.” Archived August 30, 2026, at https://web.archive.org/....

The archive date should be the actual preserved snapshot date.

See Chicago Website Citation for when an access date or archived version is appropriate.

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Book chapter citation example

A separately authored chapter inside an edited book begins with the chapter author, not the editor.

Demonstration source

Elena Ruiz, “Reading the Industrial City,” in Urban Memory and Place, edited by Maya Bennett and Daniel Cho, Northfield Press, 2025.

Chicago 18 no longer requires the chapter’s full page range in a standard bibliography/reference-list entry.

Notes & Bibliography

Full Note

Elena Ruiz, “Reading the Industrial City,” in Urban Memory and Place, ed. Maya Bennett and Daniel Cho (Northfield Press, 2025), 64.

Shortened Note

Ruiz, “Reading the Industrial City,” 68.

Bibliography Entry

Ruiz, Elena. “Reading the Industrial City.” In Urban Memory and Place, edited by Maya Bennett and Daniel Cho. Northfield Press, 2025.

Author-Date

In-Text Citation

(Ruiz 2025, 64)

Reference List Entry

Ruiz, Elena. 2025. “Reading the Industrial City.” In Urban Memory and Place, edited by Maya Bennett and Daniel Cho. Northfield Press.

The chapter, book, editors, and publisher in this example are fictional.

See Chicago Book Chapter Citation for chapter-versus-whole-book decisions, editions, ebook chapters, and contributor roles.

Generator note: The current plugin includes a Book chapter source type but does not yet expose dedicated editor/translator contributor fields. Edited-book chapter output should therefore be manually checked until that metadata support is added.

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Edited book cited as a whole

If your source is the collection itself rather than one contribution, the editors can lead the citation.

Demonstration source

Maya Bennett and Daniel Cho, editors, Urban Memory and Place, Northfield Press, 2025.

Full Note

Maya Bennett and Daniel Cho, eds., Urban Memory and Place (Northfield Press, 2025).

Shortened Note

Bennett and Cho, Urban Memory and Place.

Bibliography

Bennett, Maya, and Daniel Cho, eds. Urban Memory and Place. Northfield Press, 2025.

Author-Date In-Text

(Bennett and Cho 2025)

Reference List

Bennett, Maya, and Daniel Cho, eds. 2025. Urban Memory and Place. Northfield Press.

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Translated book citation example

Include the original author and identify the translator.

Demonstration source

Hana Mori, The Winter Garden, translated by Samuel Reed, Northfield Press, 2024.

Full Note

Hana Mori, The Winter Garden, trans. Samuel Reed (Northfield Press, 2024), 139.

Shortened Note

Mori, Winter Garden, 142.

Bibliography

Mori, Hana. The Winter Garden. Translated by Samuel Reed. Northfield Press, 2024.

Author-Date In-Text

(Mori 2024, 139)

Reference List

Mori, Hana. 2024. The Winter Garden. Translated by Samuel Reed. Northfield Press.

The author, translator, title, and publisher above are fictional.

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Ebook citation example

For a downloadable ebook, identify the ebook format when useful. If fixed page numbers are unavailable, use a chapter, section, or another real locator.

Demonstration source

Maya Bennett, Cities at Dusk, Northfield Press, 2025, Kindle.

Full Note

Maya Bennett, Cities at Dusk (Northfield Press, 2025), chap. 6, Kindle.

Shortened Note

Bennett, Cities at Dusk, chap. 7.

Bibliography

Bennett, Maya. Cities at Dusk. Northfield Press, 2025. Kindle.

Author-Date In-Text

(Bennett 2025, chap. 6)

Reference List

Bennett, Maya. 2025. Cities at Dusk. Northfield Press. Kindle.

For online books, databases, editions, historical books, and ISBN lookup, see Chicago Book Citation.

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News or magazine article citation example

News sites, newspapers, magazines, and similar article-like sources are not generic webpages merely because you accessed them online.

Demonstration source

Maya Bennett, “Cities Reconsider Their Industrial Waterfronts,” Northfield Times, April 12, 2026, https://example.com/waterfronts.

Notes & Bibliography

Full Note

Maya Bennett, “Cities Reconsider Their Industrial Waterfronts,” Northfield Times, April 12, 2026, https://example.com/waterfronts.

Shortened Note

Bennett, “Industrial Waterfronts.”

Bibliography

Bennett, Maya. “Cities Reconsider Their Industrial Waterfronts.” Northfield Times, April 12, 2026. https://example.com/waterfronts.

Author-Date

In-Text Citation

(Bennett 2026)

Reference List

Bennett, Maya. 2026. “Cities Reconsider Their Industrial Waterfronts.” Northfield Times, April 12. https://example.com/waterfronts.

The article and publication above are fictional.

A dedicated newspaper source guide is not part of the launch architecture, so this page gives a concise example without turning newspaper citations into a competing article.

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Thesis or dissertation citation example

A thesis or dissertation should identify the author, title, degree type, institution, year, and database or repository details when relevant.

Demonstration source

Elena Ruiz, “Public Memory and Postindustrial Landscapes,” PhD dissertation, Northfield University, 2025.

Notes & Bibliography

Full Note

Elena Ruiz, “Public Memory and Postindustrial Landscapes” (PhD diss., Northfield University, 2025), 88.

Shortened Note

Ruiz, “Public Memory,” 94.

Bibliography

Ruiz, Elena. “Public Memory and Postindustrial Landscapes.” PhD diss., Northfield University, 2025.

Author-Date

In-Text Citation

(Ruiz 2025, 88)

Reference List

Ruiz, Elena. 2025. “Public Memory and Postindustrial Landscapes.” PhD diss., Northfield University.

This source is fictional.

A dedicated thesis/dissertation guide can be considered in Phase 2 if keyword demand supports it.

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Video citation example

Video citations identify the person or organization responsible for the content, the title, platform or event, date, duration when useful, and URL.

Demonstration source

Daniel Cho, “How Digital Archives Change Local History,” public lecture, April 18, 2026, posted by Northfield University, YouTube, 42:16, https://example.com/video.

Notes & Bibliography

Full Note

Daniel Cho, “How Digital Archives Change Local History,” public lecture, April 18, 2026, posted by Northfield University, YouTube, 42:16, https://example.com/video.

Shortened Note

Cho, “Digital Archives,” at 18:32–45.

Bibliography

Cho, Daniel. “How Digital Archives Change Local History.” Public lecture, April 18, 2026. Posted by Northfield University. YouTube, 42:16. https://example.com/video.

Author-Date

In-Text Citation

(Cho 2026, at 18:32–45)

Reference List

Cho, Daniel. 2026. “How Digital Archives Change Local History.” Public lecture, April 18. Posted by Northfield University. YouTube, 42:16. https://example.com/video.

This example is fictional.

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Podcast episode citation example

Podcast citations can identify the host or creator, podcast title, season/episode information when available, episode title, publisher, date, duration, and URL.

Demonstration source

Elena Ruiz, host, Memory in Motion, season 2, episode 4, “Archives after Industry,” Northfield Media, May 6, 2026, 38:12, https://example.com/podcast.

Full Note

Elena Ruiz, host, Memory in Motion, season 2, episode 4, “Archives after Industry,” Northfield Media, May 6, 2026, 38:12, https://example.com/podcast.

Shortened Note

Ruiz, “Archives after Industry.”

Bibliography

Ruiz, Elena, host. Memory in Motion. Season 2, episode 4, “Archives after Industry.” Northfield Media, May 6, 2026. Podcast, 38:12. https://example.com/podcast.

Author-Date In-Text

(Ruiz 2026)

Reference List

Ruiz, Elena, host. 2026. Memory in Motion. Season 2, episode 4, “Archives after Industry.” Northfield Media, May 6. Podcast, 38:12. https://example.com/podcast.

This example is fictional.

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Social media citation example

Chicago often allows social-media content to be cited in the text or a note without requiring a bibliography/reference-list entry.

For a formal citation, the platform, date, account identity, and URL matter.

Demonstration source

Northfield Historical Society (@NorthfieldHistory), “Today we opened the newly digitized Riverside photograph collection,” Instagram, June 8, 2026, https://example.com/post.

Note

Northfield Historical Society (@NorthfieldHistory), “Today we opened the newly digitized Riverside photograph collection,” Instagram, June 8, 2026, https://example.com/post.

Shortened Note

Northfield Historical Society, “Newly digitized Riverside photograph collection.”

Author-Date In-Text

(Northfield Historical Society 2026)

A bibliography or reference-list entry may be appropriate when the post is important enough to document formally.

The post, account, and URL above are fictional.

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Personal communication citation example

Personal communications such as emails, text messages, and direct messages are usually cited in the text or in a note, not in a bibliography or reference list.

Demonstration note

Maya Bennett, email message to author, July 14, 2026.

Author-Date text citation

(Maya Bennett, email message to author, July 14, 2026)

Because a private message is not available for readers to retrieve, a formal end-list entry is usually unnecessary.

This example is fictional.

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How the same source changes across Chicago systems

The key difference is not the source itself. It is how Chicago connects the source to your text.

Using the fictional book Cities at Dusk:

Notes & Bibliography

Text:

The study identifies a major change in waterfront planning.¹

Footnote:

1. Maya Bennett, Cities at Dusk (Northfield Press, 2025), 73.

Later note:

1. Bennett, Cities at Dusk, 81.

Bibliography:

Bennett, Maya. Cities at Dusk. Northfield Press, 2025.

Author-Date

Text:

The study identifies a major change in waterfront planning (Bennett 2025, 73).

Reference list:

Bennett, Maya. 2025. Cities at Dusk. Northfield Press.

You do not combine the footnote system and ordinary Author-Date citations unless your instructor or publisher specifically requires a hybrid treatment.

For the full comparison, see the Chicago Style Guide.

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What changed in Chicago 18 that affects these examples?

Several current rules make Chicago 18 examples different from older 17th-edition templates.

Modern books normally omit place of publication

You usually no longer add a city before the publisher.

Chapter page ranges are no longer required in end-list entries

The chapter’s full range is omitted from standard bibliography/reference-list entries, while the specific cited page remains in the note or text citation.

Author thresholds changed

Notes and Author-Date text citations

• one author → list author;
• two authors → list both;
• three or more → first author + et al.

Bibliography and reference list

• up to six authors → list all;
• more than six → first three + et al.

Journal month or season can usually be omitted

The year, volume, and issue normally provide the necessary publication identification.

Repeated author names are written again

Chicago 18 prefers repeating author names in bibliographies/reference lists rather than replacing them with a 3-em dash.

See Chicago 18th Edition: What Changed for the complete launch-site explanation.

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How do I know which example to use?

First identify the source type.

Ask:

1. Is it a whole book?
2. Is it a separately authored chapter inside an edited book?
3. Is it a scholarly journal article?
4. Is it an ordinary webpage?
5. Is it actually a newspaper/magazine article read online?
6. Is it a thesis, video, podcast, social-media post, or another distinct publication type?

Then identify your Chicago system:

• Notes & Bibliography; or
• Author-Date.

The URL or file format does not determine the source type.

A journal article remains a journal article when read in a browser.

A report remains a report when downloaded as a PDF.

A chapter remains a chapter when viewed through Google Books.

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Common citation-example mistakes

Copying an example from the wrong Chicago system

A bibliography entry is not an Author-Date reference-list entry.

A footnote is not a parenthetical Author-Date citation.

Copying a Chicago 17 example

Older examples may contain:

• publication cities for modern books;
• old author thresholds;
• full chapter page ranges;
• 3-em dashes for repeated authors.

Replacing source-level pages with the page you quoted

For journal articles, keep the article’s full page range in the bibliography/reference list and put the specific cited page in the note/text citation.

Using a generic webpage example for every online source

Identify the actual publication type first.

Assuming every missing field should be invented

Do not invent:

• author;
• publication date;
• issue number;
• page range;
• DOI;
• editor;
• publisher.

Copying a fictional example as though it were a real source

The fictional examples on this page demonstrate punctuation and ordering only.

Use the details from your own source.

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Generate your own Chicago citation

The Chicago Citation Generator can create the citation from your actual source rather than requiring you to replace every field in a template manually.

Depending on the source, you can search or import using:

• DOI;
• URL;
• ISBN;
• title or keywords;
• PMID or PubMed URL;
• manual entry;
• BibTeX;
• RIS;
• supported PDF DOI detection.

After retrieval:

1. review the metadata;
2. correct incomplete fields;
3. choose Notes & Bibliography or Author-Date;
4. add the cited page or other locator;
5. copy the output;
6. optionally save the source to your bibliography/reference list.

For details about source lookup, metadata normalization, CSL processing, duplicate detection, and current limitations, see How the Chicago Citation Generator Works.

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Source-specific Chicago guides

For deeper treatment of the four core launch source types:

• Chicago Book Citation
• Chicago Journal Article Citation
• Chicago Website Citation
• Chicago Book Chapter Citation

For system mechanics:

• Chicago Notes & Bibliography
• Chicago Author-Date
• Chicago Footnotes
• Chicago Bibliography

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Frequently asked questions

What is an example of a Chicago citation?

A simple Chicago 18 book citation in Notes & Bibliography might be:

Bennett, Maya. Cities at Dusk. Northfield Press, 2025.

In Author-Date, the corresponding reference-list entry places the year after the author:

Bennett, Maya. 2025. Cities at Dusk. Northfield Press.

The book and publisher in this example are fictional.

Does Chicago use footnotes or in-text citations?

Both systems exist. Notes & Bibliography uses numbered footnotes or endnotes. Author-Date uses parenthetical author-year citations.

What is an example of a Chicago footnote?

For a fictional book:

Maya Bennett, Cities at Dusk (Northfield Press, 2025), 73.

A later shortened note could be:

Bennett, Cities at Dusk, 81.

What is an example of Chicago Author-Date?

For the same fictional book:

(Bennett 2025, 73)

with the full source in the reference list.

Do Chicago 18 book citations include the city of publication?

Usually no. A place of publication is no longer normally required for modern books.

Do Chicago 18 chapter citations include the chapter’s full page range?

Not in a standard bibliography or reference-list entry. Specific cited pages still belong in notes or Author-Date citations.

How do I cite three authors in Chicago 18?

In a note or Author-Date text citation, use the first author + et al. In a bibliography/reference list, list all three authors.

How do I cite seven authors?

Use the first author + et al. in notes and Author-Date text citations. In a bibliography/reference list, list the first three + et al.

Does a journal bibliography entry use the page I quoted?

It uses the full article page range when traditional pages exist. Put the specific cited page in the note or Author-Date citation.

Can an article ID replace page numbers?

Yes. Some journals use an article ID or e-location instead of a full article page range.

What if a webpage has no date?

For a formal undated webpage citation, include an access date. In Author-Date, use n.d. in place of the year.

Are all online sources cited as websites?

No. A journal article, ebook, newspaper article, video, report, or chapter keeps its own source type even when accessed online.

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Official Chicago sources

This examples page was checked against current Chicago 18th-edition guidance:

• Notes and Bibliography: Sample Citations
• Author-Date: Sample Citations
• Chicago-Style Citation Quick Guide
• What’s New in the 18th Edition

ChicagoReferenceGenerator.com is an independent citation resource and is not affiliated with or endorsed by The University of Chicago or The University of Chicago Press.

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Continue with the guide you need

• Generate a Chicago Citation
• Chicago Style Guide
• Chicago Notes & Bibliography
• Chicago Author-Date
• Chicago Footnotes
• Chicago Bibliography
• Chicago 18th Edition
• Chicago Book Citation
• Chicago Journal Article Citation
• Chicago Website Citation
• Chicago Book Chapter Citation