Citing Sources

When you complete a paper or project, you will have a list of all the sources you used in your research. In Chicago style, this list is called the Bibliography.

Your Bibliography goes at the end — on the back of your project board, at the end of your paper or job book, or on the last slide of your presentation.

• Organize your Bibliography alphabetically by the author’s last name. If there is no author, alphabetize by the first main word of the title.
• Single-space each entry in your Bibliography. Put a blank line between each entry.
• For each entry, the first line is not indented and all other lines are indented.

Here's an example:

Every time you use a quotation, a piece of information, or an image from another source, cite the source right where you use it, whether it’s on your project board or in your paper, job book or presentation.

In Chicago style, use footnotes or endnotes. The first time you cite a particular source, use the full bibliographic information and page number, either at the bottom of the page (a footnote) or at the end of the paper (an endnote). Here's an example:

Note that in a Chicago-style footnote or endnote, the page number is in the middle of the note.

The next time you cite that same source, you can use a shortened note. A shortened note includes only the last name of the first author, the first few words of the title, and the page number. Here's an example:

If there is no author, simply leave that element out. If there are no page numbers, simply leave that element out. Here's an example:

Librarian Tip

Use your software’s built-in footnote tool to insert footnotes or endnotes; the software will automatically format and number the notes correctly.

• In Microsoft Word, go to the References menu and click Insert Footnote or Insert Endnote.
• In Mac Pages, go to the Insert menu and select Footnote (you can convert it to an endnote later).
• In Google Docs, go to the Insert menu and select Footnote (there is no easy way to create endnotes in Google Docs).

Short quotations

For short passages of one sentence or less, use quotation marks at the beginning and end of the quotation. In Chicago style, put the footnote or endnote after the closing quotation mark. Here's an example:

Long quotations

For longer passages of more than one sentence, use a block quote. In Chicago style, a block quote is a separate paragraph, with all lines indented and single-spaced (the rest of the paper is double-spaced). Do not use quotation marks around a block quote. Put a period at the end of the quotation, and then add the note. Here's an example:

When you want to use someone else’s idea but put it in your own words, paraphrase or summarize. To paraphrase or summarize an idea, you need to condense or clarify that idea. It’s not enough to take someone else’s sentence and replace some of the words; you need to truly understand the idea and state it in a new way.

In Chicago style, put the footnote or endnote at the end of your paraphrase or summary, after the final period. Here's an example: