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Citation and Style Guides

A guide to citation, including style guides, writing tools, plagiarism, and copyright.

Chicago Style

Chicago style was developed by the University of Chicago Press and is used extensively in History, Art History, Social Sciences and other disciplines. This style has two systems: Notes and Bibliography and Author-Date. They are very similar, but are formatted differently. Always check with your instructor to see which system they require.

The Notes and Bibliography system uses superscript Arabic numerals to indicate footnotes for in-text citations and includes a Bibliography at the end of the paper.

The Author-Date system uses parenthetical in-text citations and includes a References page at the end of the paper.

What is Turabian style? Is it different from Chicago?
  • Chicago style was designed originally for book publishers. Turabian re-interprets it for scholarly papers.
  • They are essentially the same, but there are minor differences.
  • Check with your instructor about which version you should use.

Online Style and Citation Guides

Contact a librarian if you need help using this or any citation style.

Frequently Cited Formats

Below you can find some basic examples of commonly cited material types. Note that formatting can differ even within these categories based on things like the number of authors, missing date information, and more. Refer to a citation guide when you encounter missing information or a unique format.

Print Books and Ebooks

Footnote

1. Author First Name Last Name, Title (Publisher, Publication year), page number. Format or URL (if ebook).

Citation in Bibliography

Author Last Name, First Name. Title. Publisher, Publication year.

Example

1. Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man (Random House, Inc., 1947), 227.

Ellison, Ralph. Invisible Man. Random House, Inc., 1947.

Journal Article

Footnote

1. Author First Name Last Name, "Article Title," Journal Title vol #, issue # (date): relevant page number, DOI or URL.

Citation in Bibliography

Author Last Name, First Name. "Article Title." Journal Title vol #, issue # (date): page range of article, DOI or URL.

Example

1. Erin Cunningham, "Interiors, Histories, and the Preservation of Chicago's Hull House Settlement," Buildings &
     Landscapes 23, no. 2 (2016): 57, https://doi.org/10.5749/buildland.23.2.0053.

Cunningham, Erin. "Interiors, Histories, and the Preservation of Chicago's Hull House Settlement," Buildings &
     Landscapes 23, no. 2 (2016): 53-64. https://doi.org/10.5749/buildland.23.2.0053.

Webpage

Websites vary widely in format. Sometimes you may not find much information about authors or publication dates, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't still cite it. Refer to a citation guide when you encounter missing information or a unique format like a social media post or online video.

Footnote

1. Author First Name Last Name, "Title of Page," Name of Website, Publishing Organization, Publication date (include access date if none available), URL.

Citation in Bibliography

Author Last Name, First Name. "Title of Page." Name of Website. Publishing Organization, Publication date (include access date if none available). URL.

Example

1. Tina Burnside, "Morrill Hall Takeover, University of Minnesota," MNopedia, Minnesota Historical Society, September
     30, 2025. https://www3.mnhs.org/mnopedia/search/index/event/morrill-hall-takeover-university-minnesota.

Burnside, Tina. "Morrill Hall Takeover, University of Minnesota." MNopedia. Minnesota Historical Society, September
     30, 2025. https://www3.mnhs.org/mnopedia/search/index/event/morrill-hall-takeover-university-minnesota.

Print Books and Ebooks

In-text citation

(Last Name date, page #)

Citation in reference list

Author Last Name, First Name. Date. Title. Publisher. Format or URL (if ebook).

Example

(Ellison 1947, 227)

Ellison, Ralph. 1947. Invisible Man. Random House, Inc..

Journal Article

In-text citation

(Last Name date, page #)

Citation in reference list

Author Last Name, First Name. Date. "Title of Article." Title of Journal volume # (issue #): page range. DOI or URL.

Example

(Cunningham 2016, 57)

Cunningham, Erin. 2016. "Interiors, Histories, and the Preservation of Chicago's Hull House Settlement." Buildings &
     Landscapes 23 (2): 53-64. https://doi.org/10.5749/buildland.23.2.0053.

Webpage

Websites vary widely in format. Sometimes you may not find much information about authors or publication dates, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't still cite it. Refer to a citation guide when you encounter missing information or a unique format like a social media post or online video.

In-text citation

(Author Last name date)

Citation in reference list

Author Last Name, First Name. Date. "Title of Page." Name of Website. Date of publication or last modification. URL.

Example

(Burnside 2025)

Burnside, Tina. 2025. "Morrill Hall Takeover, University of Minnesota." MNopedia. Last modified September 30, 2025. 
     https://www3.mnhs.org/mnopedia/search/index/event/morrill-hall-takeover-university-minnesota.