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Chicago Citation Guide (17th Edition): Magazine Articles

How Can I Tell if it's a Magazine?

Multiple magazines with covers facing out on display. Image from Flickr by Mannobhai

Photo courtesy of Flickr by Manoj Jacob. Available under a Creative Commons license.

Not sure whether your article is from a magazine? Look for these characteristics:

Popular magazines:

  • Main purpose is to entertain, sell products or promote a viewpoint.
  • Appeal to the general public.
  • Often have many photos and illustrations, as well as many advertisements.
  • Author may or may not have subject expertise.
  • Name and credentials of authors often NOT provided.
  • Articles tend to be short –less than 5 pages
  • Unlikely to have a bibliography or references list

Trade magazines:

  • Main purpose is to update and inform readers on current trends in a specific industry or trade.
  • Audience is members of a specific industry or trade or professors and students in that trade or industry
  • May have photos and numerous advertisements, but still assume that readers understand specific jargon of the profession.
  • Usually published by an association.
  • Authors are professionals working in the specific industry or trade.

Articles may also come from journals or newspapers.

Formatting

Numbering:

  • Number your footnotes consecutively, starting at the beginning of your paper.

Footnotes:

  • Create a footnote citation on the same page as the quote or paraphrase used from that source.  Indent the first line of your footnote by 0.5 inches and begin with the appropriate full-size number, followed by a period and a space. 
  • Remember to insert this same number into the body of your paper as a superscript 3 after the final punctuation of the corresponding quote or paraphrase.

Shortened Footnotes:

  • If using the same source more than once in your paper, use the full footnote format the first time and this shortened footnote format after that: 

Author's Last Name(s), "Source Title (shortened to four words)," Exact Page Number(s) Used.  

Bibliography Entries: 

  • Arrange your sources alphabetically by the author's last name or the first available part of the entry.  If there are multiple sources by the same author, arrange those sources by author's last name, then by date, and then alphabetically by title. 
  • Each subsequent line after the first line of your citation should use a "hanging indent" and be indented by 0.5 inches.
  • Single space your entries, but leave one full blank line between each entry.  Leave two blank lines between the title "Bibliography" and the first entry.

What is a DOI number?

DOI Numbers for Journal Articles

Some electronic content like journal articles are assigned a unique number called a Digital Object Identifier (DOI). The DOI gives a way to find an article. If a DOI is provided for a journal article, include it after the page numbers of the article as "https://doi.org/DOI Number."

Magazine Article From a Library Database - One Author

Footnote:

1. Author's First Name Last Name, "Title of Article," Name of Magazine, Date of Publication, Page Number of Exact Citation, https://doi.org/DOI Number or Name of Database.

Bibliography Entry:

Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article." Name of Magazine, Date of Publication. https://doi.org/DOI Number or Name of Database.

Footnote Example 

1. Becca Weinstein, "Trying Before Buying," Psychology Today, May-June 2012, 46, CINAHL Complete.
Shortened Footnote Example

2. Weinstein, "Trying Before Buying," 46.
Bibliography Entry Example

Weinstein, Becca. "Trying Before Buying." Psychology Today, 2016. CINAHL Complete.

Magazine Article From a Library Database - Two Authors

Footnote:

1. First Author's First Name Last Name and Second Author's First Name Last Name, "Title of Article," Name of Journal, Date of Publication, Page Number of Exact Citation, https://doi.org/DOI Number or Name of Database.

Bibliography Entry:

First Author's Last Name, First Name, and Second Author's First Name Last Name. "Title of Article." Name of Journal, Date of Publication. https://doi.org/DOI Number or Name of Database.

Footnote Example 

1. David J. Jefferson and Temma Ehrenfeld,  "The Divorce Generation Grows Up," Newsweek, April 21, 2008, 149, MAS Ultra.
Shortened Footnote Example

2. Jefferson and Ehrenfeld, "Divorce Generation Grows Up," 46.
Bibliography Entry Example

Jefferson, David J. and Temma Ehrenfeld. "The Divorce Generation Grows Up." Newsweek, April 21, 2008. MAS Ultra.

Magazine Article from a Library Database - Three Authors

Footnote:

1. First Author's First Name Last Name, Second Author's First Name Last Name, and Third Author's First Name Last Name, "Title of Article," Name of Journal, Date of Publication, Page Number of Exact Citation, https://doi.org/DOI Number or Name of Database.

Bibliography Entry:

First Author's Last Name, First Name, Second Author's First Name Last Name, and Third Author's First Name Last Name. "Title of Article." Name of Journal, Date of Publication. https://doi.org/DOI Number or Name of Database.

Footnote Example 

1. Michael Tjepkema, Tracey Bushnik, and Evelyne Bougie, "Life Expectancy of First Nations, Metis and Inuit Household Populations in Canada," Health Reports, December, 2019, 5, https://doi.org/10.25318/82-003-x201901200001-eng.
Shortened Footnote Example

2. Tjepkema, Bushnik, and Bougie, "Life Expectancy First Nations," 6.
Bibliography Entry Example

Tjepkema, Michael, Tracey Bushnik, and Evelyne Bougie. "Life Expectancy of First Nations, Metis and Inuit Household Populations in Canada." Health Reports, December, 2019. https://doi.org/10.25318/82-003-x201901200001-eng.

Magazine Article from a Library Database - Four or More Authors

Footnote:

1. First Author's First Name Last Name et al., "Title of Article," Name of Journal, Date of Publication, Page Number of Exact Citation, https://doi.org/DOI Number or Name of Database.

Bibliography Entry:

First Author's Last Name, First Name, Second Author's First Name Last Name, Third Author's First Name Last Name, and Fourth Author's First Name Last Name. "Title of Article." Name of Journal, Date of Publication. https://doi.org/DOI Number or Name of Database.

 If there are four or more authors: in the footnote, list only the first author, followed by et al. (“and others”); in the bibliography, list up to ten authors

Footnote Example 

1. Justin Worland et al., "Racial-Justice Organizers," TIME Magazine, December 21, 2020, 79, Academic Search Complete.
Shortened Footnote Example

2. Worland et al., "Racial-Justice Organizers," 80.
Bibliography Entry Example

Worland, Justin, Anna Purna Kambhampaty, Mariah Espada, Amy Gunia, Karl Vick, and Vivienne Walt. "Racial-Justice Organizers." TIME Magazine, December 21, 2020. Academic Search Complete.

Magazine Article From a Library Database - Unknown Author

Footnote:

1. "Title of Article," Name of Magazine, Date of Publication, Page Number of Exact Citation, https://doi.org/DOI Number or Name of Database.

Bibliography Entry:

"Title of Article." Name of Magazine, Date of Publication. https://doi.org/DOI Number or Name of Database.

 If the author is unknown, begin the citation with the title of the article.

Footnote Example 

1."Convenience Store Shopping Behavior: Packaged Beverages," Convenience Store News, December 18, 2000, 113, Business Source Complete.
Shortened Footnote Example

2. "Convenience Store Shopping Behavior," 113.
Bibliography Entry Example

"Convenience Store Shopping Behacior: Packaged Beverages." Convenience Store News, December 18, 2020. Business Source Complete.

Magazine Article From a Website

Footnote:

1. Author's First Name Last Name, "Title of Article," Name of Magazine, Date of Publication, URL.

Bibliography Entry:

Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article." Name of Magazine, Date of Publication. URL.

Footnote Example 

1. Colby Kosh, "Tiny Human Brains Threaten Giant Dinosaur Bones in Alberta," Maclean's, July 25, 2012, www.macleans.ca/news/canada/a-blight-at-the-museum.
Shortened Footnote Example

2. Kosh, "Tiny Human Brains."
Bibliography Entry Example

Kosh, Colby. "Tiny Human Brains Threaten Giant Dinosaur Bones in Alberta." Maclean's, July 25, 2012. www.macleans.ca/news/canada/a-blight-at-the-museum.

 Note: If the magazine article has two authors, follow the same author format as shown in the sections on Magazine Article From a Library Database - Two Authors or Magazine Article in Print - Two Authors. 

Magazine Article in Print - One Author

Footnote:

1. Author's First Name Last Name, "Title of Article," Name of Magazine, Date of Publication, Page Number of Exact Citation.

Bibliography Entry:

Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article." Name of Magazine, Date of Publication.

Footnote Example 

1. Meagan Campbell, "'One Snap, One Frame': A Life in Pictures," Maclean's, July 4, 2016, 44.
Shortened Footnote Example

2. Campbell, "One Snap, One Frame," 50.
Bibliography Entry Example

Campbell, Meagan. "'One Snap, One Frame': A Life in Pictures." Maclean's, July 4, 2016.

Magazine Article in Print - Two Authors

Footnote:

1. First Author's First Name Last Name and Second Author's First Name Last Name, "Title of Article," Name of Journal, Date of Publication, Page Number of Exact Citation.

Bibliography Entry:

First Author's Last Name, First Name, and Second Author's First Name Last Name. "Title of Article." Name of Journal, Date of Publication.

Footnote Example 

1. Cameron Ainsworth-Vincze and Josh Dehass, "Where Do I Belong?," Maclean's, November 22, 2010, 58.
Shortened Footnote Example

2. Ainsworth-Vincze and Dehass, "Where Do I Belong?," 58.
Bibliography Entry Example

Ainsworth-Vincze, Cameron and Josh Dehass. "Where Do I Belong?," Maclean's, November 22, 2010.

Magazine Article in Print - Three Authors

Footnote:

1. First Author's First Name Last Name, Second Author's First Name Last Name, and Third Author's First Name Last Name, "Title of Article," Name of Magazine, Date of Publication, Page Number of Exact Citation.

Bibliography Entry:

First Author's Last Name, First Name, Second Author's First Name Last Name, and Third Author's First Name Last Name. "Title of Article." Name of Magazine, Date of Publication.

Footnote Example 

1. Irene Berman-Vaporis, Lawson Parker, and Rosemary Wardley, "The State of Women," National Geographic, December, 2020, 32.
Shortened Footnote Example

2. Berman-Vaporis, Parker, and Wardley, "The State of Women," 33.
Bibliography Entry Example

Berman-Vaporis, Irene, Lawson Parker, and Rossemary Wardley. "The State of Women." National Geographic, December, 2020.

Magazine in Print - Four or More Authors

Footnote:

1. First Author's First Name Last Name et al., "Title of Article," Name of Magazine, Date of Publication, Page Number of Exact Citation.

Bibliography Entry:

First Author's Last Name, First Name, Second Author's First Name Last Name, Third Author's First Name Last Name, and Fourth Author's First Name Last Name. "Title of Article." Name of Magazine, Date of Publication.

Footnote Example 

1. Jeffrey Kluger et al., "Frontline Health Workers," TIME Magazine, December 21, 2020, 72.
Shortened Footnote Example

2. Kluger et al., "Frontline Health Workers," 76.
Bibliography Entry Example

Kluger, Jeffrey, Abigail Abrams, Jamie Ducharme, Tara Law, Katie Reilly, Francesca Trianni, Francesca Berardi, Charlie Campbell, Abhishyant, Kidangoor, Madeline Roache, and Abby Vesoulis. "Frontline Health Workers." TIME Magazine, December 21, 2020.

Magazine Article in Print - Unknown Author

Footnote:

1. "Title of Article," Name of Magazine, Date of Publication, Page Number of Exact Citation.

Bibliography Entry:

"Title of Article." Name of Magazine, Date of Publication.

Footnote Example 

1. "When Eating Breakfast, Make it a Big One," Maclean's, July 7, 2008, 63.
Shortened Footnote Example

2. "When Eating Breakfast," 63.
Bibliography Entry Example

"When Eating Breakfast, Make it a Big One." Maclean's, July 7, 2008.