May 2025: All pages throughout this guide have been updated in accordance with the 18th edition of The Chicago Manual of Style. Some of the major updates are listed below, along with the corresponding section number in The Chicago Manual of Style, 18th ed., which is available as a physical book from Columbia College Library.
Author Names:
Bibliography:
Books:
Class Handouts, Presentations, and Readings:
Encyclopedias & Dictionaries (Reference Works):
Newspapers:
Social Media:
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The Chicago Manual of Style was originally created in 1937 by Kate L. Turabian at the University of Chicago. It is most commonly used by writers in the fields of History, Literature, and the Arts.
Chicago Style features two different methods of citation that can be used:
Footnotes are generally structured as follows:
Bibliography entries generally contain, in the following order:
Adapted from The University of Alberta Chicago Citation Style QuickGuide
Bibliography: Contains details on ALL the sources cited in a text or essay, and supports your research and/or premise.
Citation: The details about one source you are citing.
Citing: The process of acknowledging the sources of your information and ideas.
Footnotes: Notes placed at the end of the page in your paper to cite sources found on that page.
Paraphrasing: Taking information that you have read and putting it into your own words.
Plagiarism: Taking the ideas or words of another person and using them as your own.
Quoting: Copying words of text originally published elsewhere, and pasting them into the body text of your own assignment, with quotation marks at the beginning and end.
Shortened Footnote: A subsequent footnote that includes enough information for readers to find the full citation in your bibliography or in an earlier footnote.
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This sample paper can be used as a template to set up your assignment. It includes a title page, main body paragraph with footnotes, and a bibliography.
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This citation guide is based on the following resources:
Canadian Guide to Uniform Legal Citation. 10th ed. In English and French. Thomson Reuters, 2023.
The Chicago Manual of Style, 18th ed. The University of Chicago Press, 2024.
The contents are accurate to the best of our knowledge.