Writing@CSU Guide

Citation Guide: Chicago Manual of Style (Notes System)

This guide explains the notes system. A separate guide explains the Chicago Manual of Style author/date system.

The Chicago Manual of Style (CMS) documentation system is used in both the humanities and the social sciences. CMS is more complex than either MLA or APA as it offers to approaches for documenting sources: 1) a notes system and 2) an author/date system that is more similar to APA style.

Unlike MLA and APA, CMS notes system does not use parenthetical in-text citations and instead uses footnotes (bottom of page) or endnotes (listed at end of document) signaled by a superscripted number following the reference. In many cases, footnotes or endnotes replace an end of document bibliography: works cited or reference page. However, it is advised that a bibliography accompany any document with numerous notes. It is best to check with your instructor on what is expected when you are asked to use this style.

This guide is largely based on style recommendations from the 17th edition of the Chicago Manual of Style; however, you may also wish to consult the 6th edition of Kate Turabian's A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996). In Turbian's manual, you will find many corresponding or similar documentation patterns.

[Guide Updated June 2022]

Citing Sources within Your Document (Using In-Text Numbering)

The CMS notes in-text citation system is simple: It relies on numbers. A superscripted number replaces parenthetical in-text citations. The superscripted number flags the reader's attention to the existence of a citation note with the same number located either at the bottom of the page or the end of a document or book.

CMS In-Text Numbering Formatting and Rules

Superscript Rules

CMS In-Text Numbering Rules are as follows:

  • In-text superscripted numbers appear after the punctuation and quotation marks at the end of a cited clause or sentence. There is no space between the punctuation and the numeral.
  • Source material located in the first part of a sentence separated by an em dash (two hyphens) is cited with the number placed before the dash begins.
  • Beginning with 1, each number follows in sequential order from page to page regardless of whether they are footnotes or endnotes.
  • Superscripted numbers can be easily created in most common Word Processing programs including Microsoft® Word, Apple® Pages, and Google® Docs.

Examples

1. Superscript Number Placed at the End of a Sentence

Writing your way out is how you escape the Penguin Room.1

In this case, superscript number 1 is an implied reference indicating that the origin of the source material will be found in a footnote or endnote.


2. Superscript Number Placed after a Clause

Calderazzo's "Find the Penguin Room" solution,3 the curious and unexpected response to one of the basic questions many beginning writers ask, is introduced in the first chapter.

In this case, superscript number 3 is an express reference. It includes an author tag, or attribute, naming the origin of the source material.


3. Superscript Number Placed before an em dash in a Sentence

What kind of person brings a penguin collection to the broiling slickrock desert5—a simple enough question—is the type of thing that triggers the instinctual curiosity of a seasoned freelance writer.

In this case, superscript number 5 implies a reference specific to that part of the sentence which precedes the em dash.


4. Two or More Superscript Numbers in One Sentencea

Calderazzo's use of Annie Dillard's "write as if you were dying" notion,7 though a grim thought, conveniently closes the opening chapter on finding inspiration, following your curiosity and thinking like a freelancer.8

In this case, superscript number 7 references the source indicated within the quotation marks whereas, superscript number 8 references an entire chapter.


Superscript Formatting

In all three programs, by using the "footnote" feature, the superscripted numbers will be automatically inserted and footnoted below. The footnotes can be formatted the same way that the document's text is formatted.

Note: often times the footnote's default format does not match the document's text, so make sure to update the formatting to match.

Microsoft® Word

Screenshot of Microsoft Word with a yellow box around 'Insert Footnote'demonstrating how to use the footnote function to add in superscripted numbers

Apple® Pages

Screenshot of Pages with a yellow box around 'Footnote'demonstrating how to use the footnote function to add in superscripted numbers

Google® Docs

Screenshot of Google Docs with a yellow box around 'Footnote'demonstrating how to use the footnote function to add in superscripted numbers

Documenting Sources Using Numbered Notes & A Bibliography

The end documentation in the CMS notes system is called a "Notes" page. It is a list located at the end of a document or book containing all the bibliographic information needed to find out more about cited source material and only contains sources actually cited in the document. The numbers in the list directly correspond to the in-text superscripted number citing the source material.

A Notes page is both different and separate from a dedicated bibliography. In the case of a limited number of citations, footnotes at the bottom of each page may replace the endnotes.

In addition to bibliographic information, each note may contain content that is indirectly relevant to your topic, but which may be tangentially interesting or useful to your reader: your research challenges, conflicting evidence and disagreements among experts, for instance, would fall into this category.

CMS Notes Page Formatting rules

CMS Notes Page formatting rules call for the end of documentation to begin on a new page at the end of your document and be numbered according to the order the citation appears in-text. If your document is 6 and a half pages long (text is on the 7th page), the Notes Page should begin on page 8.

Unless explicitly informed otherwise by your instructor, the Notes page is not included in the total page count of an assignment. So if an assignment calls for 6 pages, the document should meet that page requirement before the addition of the Notes page.

CMS Notes page formatting rules are as follows:

  • The title "Notes" (no quotation marks) should be centered one inch from the top of the first page.
  • Double space between the title and first entry, and all subsequent entries.
  • Arrange entries numerically, not alphabetically.

Individual entries should be formatted in the following way:

  • Indent the first line of each entry five spaces from the left margin (the normal tab-button default space). Subsequent lines are flush-left.
  • Number each entry consecutively following their initial in-text order of appearance. Each number should be followed by a period and one space.
  • Page numbers are included only when specific passages rather than entire sources are being cited and in the case of quotations.
  • Common abbreviations used to make notes less redundant and cluttered should be identified in a separate list placed between the title and the first entry on the Notes page.

Subsequent use of a citation from the same source should be shortened to reduce bulk, but still contain enough information to identify the source. The most common short form used is author last name, title shorted to less than four words, and page number(s) for the information referenced or quoted.

Footnotes Formatting Rules

When footnotes replace endnotes, separate them from the body text with a triple-space or a twelve-space bar line beginning flush-left and then apply the same formatting rules as for endnotes.


CMS Bibliography Formatting Rules

CMS Bibliography formatting rules differ significantly from the Notes rules:

  • The title "Bibliography" (no quotation marks) replaces the word "Notes" at the top of the page.
  • Numbers are omitted altogether and entries are arranged alphabetically, last name first, instead of numerically.
  • The five-space indentation rule is also reversed. Instead of a default indentation, a hanging indent is used: The first line of each entry is flush-left while any subsequent lines are indented five spaces.
  • When a complete Bibliography is required, it follows the Notes page.

Examples of Notes & Bibliography Formatting Rules

There are general formatting rules for both notes and bibliographies worth noting and subtle changes between notes and bibliography citation formats. This includes differences such as how an author's name is listed, using periods or commas between objects in citations, and knowing which titles to italicize versus which to put in quotations.

More specific and in-depth examples are found in the CMS Directory of Notes & Bibliography Formatting Section

Notes Basic Format

Things to Note

  • Author is listed First name Last name
  • Commas separate items in the citation
  • Depending on the text cited, more or less information will be included in the citation
  • Notes can be shortened on subsequent reference to the same source (see in second example)

Numeral. Author First Name Last Name, Title, Publication Information (includes location, publisher, and date), Page Number (when citing specific portions or passages), Digital Access (when using digital sources).

Example

1. John Doe, "Document Title: Document Subtile," Magazine Title, February 29th, 2020, https://www.fake-magazine-for-citation.com.

2. Doe, "Title First Four Words," 2-4.

Bibliography Basic Format

Things to Note

  • Author is listed Last name, First name
    • Note exceptions for multiple authors:
    • Second, third, and fourth authors are listed First name Last name.
    • More than four authors are still written out in the Bibliography
  • Periods separate items in the citation
  • Depending on the text cited, more or less information will be included in the citation.
  • Texts from same author (see number 4)
  • Author Last Name, First Name. Title. Publication Information (includes location, publisher, and date). Page Number (when citing specific portions or passages). Digital Access (when using digital sources).

    Example

    Doe, John. "Article Title." Magazine Title. February 29th, 2020, https://www.fake-magazine-for-citation.com.

    Titles

    In CMS, all titles are set in titlecase, with the only exception being social media citations. Depending on the document's source, the title can be either italicized or placed in quotations:

    • Italicized Titles
    • Italicized Titles
      • Books
      • Publications (i.e. Magazines, Newspapers, Journals)
      • Stage Productions
      • Concerts
      • Website Names
      • Blog Names
      • Musical Compositions
      • Performances and Plays
      • Recordings (i.e. poetry readings, lectures)
      • Slideshows
      • Films
      • Videocassettes
      • Court Cases
      • Congressional Records and Documents
      • Journals
      • Hearings
      • Congressional and Legislative Reports
      • Congressional Bills and Resolutions
      • U.S. Statues or Acts
      • Government Documents
      • Letter Collections
      • Dissertations and Thesis
      • Reference Works (i.e. dictionaries, encyclopedias)
      • Artworks
    • "Titles in Quotations"
    • "Titles in Quotations"
      • Chapters
      • Articles
      • Movie Reviews
      • Webpage Titles
      • Blog Titles
      • Email and Forum Subjects and Titles
      • Treaties
      • Interviews
      • Poems

Topics

Books

Periodicals

Websites, Blogs, and Social Media

Audiovisual Recordings

Legal and Public Documents

Government Documents and Publications

Interviews and Personal Communications

Papers, Contracts, and Reports

Special Types of References

Examples of How to Arrange Notes & Bibliography Entries


Books

Back to Topics

Things to Note

Notes Format:

Numeral. Author Name, Book Title, (Place of Publication: Name of Publisher, Year of Publication), Page Number(s)–if needed.

1. Michael Beschloss, Presidents of War (New York: Crown, 2018), 604.

2. Asao B. Inoue, Above the Well: An Antiracist Argument from a Boy of Color (Fort Collins, CO: The WAC Clearinghouse/Utah State University Press, 2021, PDF e-book), https://doi.org/10.37514/PER-B.2021.1244, 20.

3. Meghan Daum, ed., Selfish, Shallow, and Self-Absorbed: Sixteen Writers on the Decision Not to Have Kids (New York: Picador, 2015), 32.

Bibliography Format:

Author Last, First. Book Title. Place of Publication: Name of Publisher, Year of Publication-no parentheses.

Beschloss, Michael. Presidents of War. New York: Crown, 2018.

Inoue, Asao B. Above the Well: An Antiracist Argument from a Boy of Color. Fort Collins, CO: The WAC Clearinghouse/Utah State University Press, 2021, PDF e-book. https://doi.org/10.37514/PER-B.2021.1244.

Daum, Meghan, ed. Selfish, Shallow, and Self-Absorbed: Sixteen Writers on the Decision Not to Have Kids. New York: Picador, 2015.


Multiple Authors

Things to Note

Notes Format:

Numeral. Author Name, Book Title, (Place of Publication: Name of Publisher, Year of Publication), Page Number(s)–if needed.

1. Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt Steinberg, Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure (London: Penguin Press, 2018), 20.

2. Stephen J. Fichter et al., Catholic Bishops in the United States: Church Leadership in the Third Millennium (New York: Oxford University Press, 2019), 188.

Bibliography Format:

First Author–Last Name first and Next Author–First Name first. Book Title. Place of Publication: Name of Publisher, Year of Publication.

Lukianoff, Greg, and Jonathan Haidt. The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure. London: Penguin Press, 2018.

Fichter, Stephen J., Thomas P. Gaunt, Catherine Hoegeman, and Paul M. Perl. Catholic Bishops in the United States: Church Leadership in the Third Millennium. New York: Oxford University Press, 2019.


Unknown Author(s)

Things to Note

Notes Format:

Numeral. Book Title (Place of Publication: Name of Publisher, Year of Publication), Page Number(s) when citing specific portions or quoted passages.

1. Letting Ana Go (New York: Simon Pulse, 2013), 118–20.

Bibliography Format:

Book Title. Place of Publication: Name of Publisher, Year of Publication.

Letting Ana Go. New York: Simon Pulse, 2013.


Editor or Translator

Things to Note

Notes Format:

Numeral. Author, Book Title, trans. Translator Name, (Place of Publication: Name of Publisher, Year of Publication), Page Number(s)–if needed.

1. Elena Ferrante, The Story of the Lost Child, trans. Ann Goldstein (New York: Europa Editions, 2015), 34.

Bibliography Format:

Author. Title. Translated by Translator Name. Place of Publication: Name of Publisher, Year of Publication.

Ferrante, Elena. The Story of the Lost Child. Translated by Ann Goldstein. New York: Europa Editions, 2015.


Edited Book/Anthology/Collection

Things to Note

Notes Format:

Numeral. First Editor, Second Editor, and Third Editor, ed(s)., Book Title, (Place of Publication: Name of Publisher, Year of Publication), Page Number(s)–if needed.

1. Nancy Buffington, Marvin Diogenes, and Clyde Moneyhun, eds. Living Languages: Contexts for Reading and Writing (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, Blair Press, 1997), 351.

Bibliography Format:

First Editor or Translator Name (last name first), Second Translator Name (first initial + last name), and Third Editor First Editor or Translator Name (last name first), Second Translator Name (first initial + last name), ed(s). Book Title. Place of Publication: Name of Publisher, Year of Publication.

Buffington, N., M., Diogenes, and C. Moneyhun, eds. Living Languages: Contexts for Reading and Writing. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, Blair Press, 1997.


Chapter or Selection in Book/Antholody/Collection

Things to Note

Notes Format:

Numeral. Chapter Author Name, "Chapter Title," Book or Anthology Book Title, ed(s). Editor(s) Initials or Name (if available), (Place of Publication: Name of Publisher, Year of Publication), Page Number(s).

1. John McPhee, "The Search for Marvin Gardens," in The Next American Essay, ed. John D'Agata, (St. Paul, MN: Graywolf Press, 2003), 9–20.

Bibliography Format:

Chapter Author Name. "Chapter Title." Book or Anthology Title, edited by Editor(s) Name, Page Number(s). Place of Publication: Name of Publisher, Year of Publication.

McPhee, John. "The Search for Marvin Gardens." In The Next American Essay, edited by John D'Agata, 9–20. St. Paul, MN: Graywolf Press, 2003.


Book with Group or Corporate Author

Things to Note

Notes Format:

Numeral. Group or Corporate Author, Book Title, (Place of Publication: Name of Publisher, Year of Publication), Page Number(s).

1. Human Rights Watch, World Report of 2021: Events of 2020 (New York: Human Rights Watch, 2021), 70, https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/media_2021/01/2021_hrw_world_report.pdf.

Bibliography Format:

Group or Corporate Author. Book Title. Place of Publication: Name of Publisher, Year of Publication.

Human Rights Watch. World Report of 2021: Events of 2020. New York: Human Rights Watch, 2021, 70. PDF e–book. https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/media_2021/01/2021_hrw_world_report.pdf.


Chapter in Single–Author Book

Things to Note

Notes Format:

Author Name. "Chapter Title," Book Title. (Place of Publication: Name of Publisher, Year of Publication), Page Number(s).

1. Susan Millar Williams, "Cross Purposes," chap. 6 in A Devil and a Good Woman, Too: The Lives of Julia Peterkin. (Athens and London: University of Georgia Press, 1997).

Bibliography Format:

Author Name. "Chapter Title." Book Title. Place of Publication: Name of Publisher, Year of Publication.

Williams, Susan Millar. "Cross Purposes." Chap. 6 in A Devil and a Good Woman, Too: The Lives of Julia Peterkin. Athens and London: University of Georgia Press, 1997.


Book Editions (Second, Third, etc.)

Notes Format:

Numeral. Author Name, Book Title, Numbered ed. or rev. ed. (Place of Publication: Name of Publisher, Year of Publication), Page Number(s).

1. Alan Brinkley, The Unfinished Nation: A Concise History of the American People, 7th ed. (New York: McGraw–Hill, 2013), 627.

Bibliography Format:

Author Name. Book Title. Numbered ed. or rev. ed. Place of Publication: Name of Publisher, Year of Publication.

Brinkely, Alan. The Unfinished Nation: A Concise History of the American People. 7th ed. New York: McGraw–Hill, 2013.


Republished Book

Notes Format:

Numeral. Author Name, Book Title, (Original Publication Year; repr., Place of Publication: Name of Publisher, Year of New Publication), Page Number(s).

1. Elsie Clews Parsons, Folk–Lore of the Sea Islands, South Carolina (1923; repr., Chicago: Afro–Am Press, 1969), 135–136.

Bibliography Format:

Author Name. Book Title. Original Publication Year. Reprint, Place of Publication: Name of Publisher, Year of New Publication.

Parsons, Elsie Clews. Folk–Lore of the Sea Islands, South Carolina. 1923. Reprint, Chicago: Afro–Am Press, 1969.


Multivolume Works

Things to Note

Titled Volume

Notes Format:

Numeral. Author Name(s), Volume Book Title, vol. Number of followed by Multivolume Work Title (Place of Publication: Name of Publisher, Year of Publication), Volume Number: Page Number(s).

1. Louis A. Garavaglia and Charles G. Worman, Firearms of the American West, 1803 – 1865, vol. 1 of Firearms of the American West (Niwot, CO: University Press of Colorado, 1998), 31–32.

Bibliography Format:

Author Name(s). Volume Book Title. Vol. Number of Multivolume Work Title. Place of Publication: Name of Publisher, Year of Publication.

Louis A. Garavaglia and Charles G. Worman. Firearms of the American West, 1803 – 1865. Vol. 1 of Firearms of the American West. Niwot, CO: University Press of Colorado, 1998.


Untitled Volume

Notes Format:

Numeral. Author Name(s), Multivolume Book Title, (Place of Publication: Name of Publisher, Year of Publication), Volume Number: Page Number(s).

Example

Bibliography Format:

Author Name(s). Volume Book Title. Vol. Number of Multivolume Work Title. Place of Publication: Name of Publisher, Year of Publication.

Hanqi, Fang, ed. A History of Journalism in China. Vol. 7 Singapore: Silkroad Press, 2013.


Book in a Series

Things to Note

Notes Format:

Numeral. Author Name, Book Title, Name of Book Series (Place of Publication: Name of Publisher, Year of Publication), Page Number(s).

1. Michael Levine, African Americans and Civil Rights: from 1619 to the Present, Social Issues in American History Series (Phoenix, AZ: Orynx Press, 1996), 42.

Bibliography Format:

Author Name. Book Title. Name of Book Series. Place of Publication: Name of Publisher, Year of Publication.

Levine, Michael. African Americans and Civil Rights: from 1619 to the Present, Social Issues in American History Series. Phoenix, AZ: Orynx Press, 1996.


Book Without Publication in Notes Format

Things to Note

Notes Format:

Numeral. Author Name, Book Title (n.p., n.d.), Page Number(s).

1. Roy G. Biv, On Learning the Color Spectrum (n.p., n.d.), 15.

Bibliography Format:

Author–Last Name first. Book Title. N.p., n.d..

Biv, Roy G. On Learning the Color Spectrum. N.p., n.d.


Book Introduction, Preface, Forward, or Afterword

Things to Note

Notes Format:

Numeral. Book Part Author Name, Part to Book Title, by Book Author, (Place of Publication: Name of Publisher, Year of Publication), Page Number(s).

1. David Lodge, Introduction to Emma, by Jane Austen (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1971), 5.

Bibliography Format:

Book Part Author. Part to Book Title, by Book Author Place of Publication: Name of Publisher, Year of Publication.

Lodge, David. Introduction to Emma, by Jane Austen. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1971.



Periodicals

Back to Topics

Journals

Things to Note

Notes Format:

Numeral. Author Name, "Article Title", Journal Title Volume Number (Year of Publication): Page Number(s).

1. Sterling Brown, "Arcadia, South Carolina," Opportunity: A Journal of Negro Life 12 (1934): 59–60.

2. James Clifford, "On Ethnographic Authority," Representations 1, no. 2 (1983): 118–46.

Bibliography Format:

Author Name. "Article Title." Journal Title Volume Number (Year of Publication): Article Page Number(s).

Brown, Sterling. "Arcadia, South Carolina." Opportunity: A Journal of Negro Life 12 (1934): 59–60.

Clifford, James. "On Ethnographic Authority." Representations 1, no. 2 (1983): 118–46.


Magazines

Things to Note

Notes Format:

Numeral. Author–First Name first, "Article Title, Magazine Title, Day Month Year of Publication, Page Number(s) when citing specific portions or quoted passages.

1. Molly Ball, "Nation Divided: The Midterms Delivered a Split Decision that Primes Both Parties for Battle," Time, November 19, 2018, 28.

Bibliography Format:

Author Name. "Article Title." Magazine Title, Day Month Year of Publication, Article Page Numbers.

Ball, Molly. "Nation Divided: The Midterms Delivered a Split Decision that Primes Both Parties for Battle." Time, November 19, 2018, 28–36.


Newspapers

Things to Note