Search for a source using a URL, DOI, title or keywords, or enter the source details manually.
Add the people or organizations responsible for the source.
Create a Chicago citation in a few simple steps. Choose your source, find the correct publication, review the available details, and generate a formatted citation for your paper or bibliography.
Choose the source type you want to cite and select the Chicago format required for your work. Then enter a title, keyword, DOI, or URL to search for the source.
Selecting the correct Chicago system at the start helps the generator format the retrieved source information for the style you need.
Review the search results and choose the publication that matches the source you want to cite. Check the title, author, publication, date, and other available details before continuing.
This review step helps reduce errors caused by selecting a similar publication or relying on incomplete source information.
After selecting the correct source, generate your Chicago citation. The generator formats the available information according to the Chicago style selected in the citation style field.
Review the finished citation, make any final checks required for your assignment or publication, and copy the result into your work.
Choose the Chicago edition and documentation system required for your work. The current Chicago Manual of Style is the 18th edition, which provides both Notes and Bibliography and Author-Date systems.
Use the current edition of The Chicago Manual of Style for modern academic, professional, and publishing workflows.
A previous Chicago edition that may still be required when an instructor, institution, or publication specifically requests it.
Chicago offers two documentation systems. Notes and Bibliography uses numbered notes with a bibliography, while Author-Date uses parenthetical in-text citations with a reference list. Students should follow the system required by their instructor, institution, or publisher.
A Chicago citation is a way of documenting information and sources used in academic, professional, and published writing. Chicago style supports two main documentation systems: Notes and Bibliography and Author-Date.
In Notes and Bibliography, sources are documented with numbered footnotes or endnotes and are commonly listed in a bibliography. In Author-Date, sources are cited briefly in the text and matched to a reference list.
Start with the book, article, website, report, or other source you need to document.
Use the available author, title, date, publisher, journal, DOI, URL, and other relevant information.
Choose the Chicago edition and documentation system required for your assignment or publication.
Find answers to common questions about Chicago citation systems, editions, source searches, and generated citations.
A Chicago citation generator helps format source information into citations based on the Chicago edition and documentation system you select.
Chicago provides Notes and Bibliography and Author-Date. Notes and Bibliography uses numbered notes and commonly a bibliography, while Author-Date uses parenthetical in-text citations and a reference list.
Use the edition and documentation system required by your instructor, institution, or publisher. If no specific requirement is given, check the current Chicago guidance before selecting an edition.
Yes. Chicago provides guidance for documenting websites and other online sources. Enter the available source information or search by URL, title, or keywords to begin.
Yes. You can enter a DOI when the source provides one. The generator can use the available publication information to create the selected Chicago citation.
Yes. Review the source details and the finished citation against your assignment, institutional instructions, or publication requirements, especially when the retrieved source information is incomplete.