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Chicago Style (Author/Date)

The Chicago Manual of Style

This guide is based on The Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS) - 17th edition. Part III: Source Citations and Indexes.

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Citation Elements

The Chicago Manual of Style Author-Date system consists of two parts:

  1. An in-text citation
  2. A reference list entry

The in-text citation refers the reader to the full source information found in the reference list.

For each in-text citation, there must be an entry in the reference list.

1. In-text Citations

CMOS in-text citations include two elements:

  1. Author
  2. Year of Publication

Format for a paraphrase: (Author Year)

Format for a quote: (Author Year, page(s)) 

When a reference is to a specific part of a book or journal article, add a page number(s) or other locator after a comma.

2. Reference List Citations

CMOS reference list citations include four elements separated by a period:

  1. Author.
  2. Year of Publication.
  3. Title of the Item in Title Case.
  4. Source of the item.

Do not include access dates unless the date of publication cannot be determined.