Guide to Chicago Author-Date Citation Style

Meriam Library California State University, Chico

For more information, consult the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition (Call number: READY REF Z253 U69
2003). The same information in abbreviated form can be found in Turabians Manual for Writers of Term Papers,
Theses, and Dissertations (READY REF LB2369 T8 1996). Online guides are available at:
http://www.csuchico.edu/lref/newciting.html.
Rules for Citing Using Chicago Style
1. Chicago Manual of Style and Turabians Manual for Writers allow for two different citation practices. This
handout explains how to format a reference list using the author-date format. For information on creating
bibliographies and footnotes using Chicago Style, see the Chicago Manual of Style, chapters 16 and 17, or
Manual for Writers, chapters 8 and 9.
2. When using this style, you should provide brief in-text citations called parenthetical references. Those will refer
your reader to a full citation in a reference list at the end of the paper.
3. Arrange the reference list alphabetically by author.
4. List author first. If no author is present, use the editors name. If no editor is present, start with the book title or
article title.
5. Spell out author names. Do not use initials unless they are used by the author on the publication. In a reference
list, list the authors last name, followed by a comma then the authors first and/or middle name.
6. Book and periodical titles should be in italics.
7. Chapter and article titles are not placed within quotation marks.
8. Capitalize the first title word and the first subtitle word of books, chapters, and articles. Capitalize each
significant word in journal titles. Capitalize proper nouns (such as names). See the examples that follow for
clarification of this rule.
See Chapters 16 and 17 of the Chicago Manual of Style for more citation examples.
See Chapter 10 of Turabians Manual for Writers for more citation examples.
Citation Examples
Book, one author:
Fussell, Paul. 1975. The great war and modern memory. New York: Oxford University Press.
Chapter from book:
Marcus, Jane. 1989. The asylums of Antaeus: Women, war, and madnessIs there a feminist fetishism? In The
new historicism, ed. by H. Aram Veeser, 132-151. New York: Routledge.
Journal article (print, microfilm, PDF), one author:
Mott, Frederick Walker. 1916. The effects of high explosives upon the central nervous system. The Lancet
1:331-338.
Journal article (online from a library subscription database), two authors:
Schneiderman, Lawrence, and Nancy Jecker. 1998. Judging who should live: Schneiderman and Jecker on the
duty not to treat. Journal of Medicine & Philosophy 23:500-515. http://search.epnet.com/.

Journal article (online from an Internet-only journal). Time sensitive information requires access date:
Rosen, Peter A., and Rick L. Wilson. 2007. An analysis of the defense first strategy in college football overtime
games. Journal of Qualitative Analysis in Sports 3 (2). http://www.bepress.com/jqas/vol3/iss2/1.
Newspaper article (print, microfilm, PDF), one author:
Tommasini, Anthony. 1998. Master teachers whose artistry glows in private. New York Times, October 27.
Newspaper article (print, microfilm, PDF), no known author:
New York Times.1999. Cigarette sales fall 30% as California tax rises. September 14.
Newspaper article (online version), one author:
Steinberg, Jacques. 2007. HBO chief takes leave after assault arrest. New York Times, May 8.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/08/business/08cnd-hbo.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin.
Report from a private organization available on organization Web site:
Burch, Traci. 2007. A study of felon and misdemeanant voter participation in North Carolina. The Sentencing
Project, 2007. http://www.sentencingproject.org/Admin/Documents/publications/fd_northcarolina.pdf
(accessed May 8, 2007).
Government document, executive report (online version):
U.S. Executive Office of the President. Office of National Drug Control Policy. 2006. Pushing back against
meth: A progress report on the fight against methamphetamine in the United States.
http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/publications/pdf/pushingback_against_meth.pdf (accessed May
22, 2007).
Maxon, Cheryl. 1998. Gang members on the move. Bulletin. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice,
Office of Justice Programs, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles/171153.pdf.
Government Document, legislative (online version):
U.S. Congress. 2006. USA PATRIOT improvement and reauthorization act of 2005. 109th Cong., 2d sess., P.L.
109-177. http://web.lexis-nexis.com/congcomp/ (January 9, 2007).

KCF 5/07