Chicago Citation Style 17th Edition

The Chicago Manual of Style is often used to document sources for papers in the humanities (eg. history, fine arts, and political science). This guide is based on The Chicago Manual of Style (17th ed.), published in 2017.

Note: The Chicago Manual uses two styles of citation. This guide is intended as a guideline for the "Notes and Bibliography" style only.

In all types of research and scholarly writing, it is important to cite your sources in order to:

• Help readers identify and locate the source you used.

Readers may want to locate the source you have cited, to verify the information or to learn more about the topic. A proper citation includes all of the information for readers to locate the source.

• Provide evidence that your position is well-researched.

Scholarly writing is grounded in research. Citations strengthen your argument by demonstrating that your position is thoroughly researched.

• Give credit to the author of ideas which are not your own, and thereby avoid plagiarism.

Giving proper credit to those whose ideas, words, and thoughts you use is not only respectful to those authors, but also helps you avoid plagiarism.

Citation Generators

There are a variety of citation generators that can help quickly generate citations for sources. Remember to double-check citations for accuracy.

Citation Managers