Bibliographic and Footnote Style Guide

Chicago

Two Chicago Systems

The Chicago Manual of Style presents two basic documentation systems, the humanities style
(notes and bibliography) and the author-date system. Choosing between the two often
depends on subject matter and nature of sources cited, as each system is favored by different
groups of scholars. If you are unsure what system you should use for your paper, please ask
your professor, teaching assistant, or publisher which you should follow.

The humanities style is preferred by many in literature, history, and the arts. This style
presents bibliographic information in notes and, often, a bibliography. It accommodates a
variety of sources, including esoteric ones less appropriate to the author-date system.

The more concise author-date system has long been used by those in the physical, natural,
and social sciences. In this system, sources are briefly cited in the text, usually in parentheses,
by author's last name and date of publication. The short citations are amplified in a list of
references, where full bibliographic information is provided.

You must choose to use either the notes and bibliography system ([N] and [B] below) or the
author-date system ([T] and [R] below). Do not mix the two systems. Again, ask your
professor if you are unsure which is preferred.

Adapted from The Chicago Manual of Style Online, Fifteenth Edition. "Chicago-Style
Citation Quick Guide." http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html
(accessed December 21, 2008).

For more information and more examples on both these types, please visit the web site listed
above, or for complete guidelines, see Chapters 16 and 17 in the print version of The Chicago
Manual of Style, Fifteenth Edition which is available at the 1st-Floor Reference Desk in
Bobst Library (BREF Z253 .U69 2003).
Go to Citing PRINT Sources, Chicago. Go to Citing ELECTRONIC Sources, Chicago.