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Chicago Style (18th ed.) - Notes & Bibliography Format

Guide and examples for citations in Notes-Bibliography CMOS.

Book Notes

Full Note, General Format for Books With All Possible Variables:

1. Author Name, "Title of Chapter or Article," in Book Title, edition, ed. First Last, trans. First Last (Publisher, Year), volume #:page #, url/format if ebook.

Remember: If your source doesn't need an element, skip it. Each color highlight in the sample above corresponds to one element and any punctuation it needs. (See: Chapter/Article in a Book/Anthology)

Bibliography, General Format

Author Surname, First Name. Book Title. Edition. Edited by Firstname Lastname. Total# vols. Publisher, Year. Format/location.

You only need "Title of Chapter..." in if your source was authored by someone other than the author or editor of the overall work!

  • One author writes a book, and you only use one chapter? Just cite the overall book in the bibliography and specific page numbers in the footnotes.
  • One author writes a book but includes essays from other authors in it, and it's one of those essays you're citing? Use the "Title.." in structure.

How many authors:

Up to six authors are now listed in a bibliography or reference list entry; if more than six, only the first three are listed, followed by “et al.”

In a shortened note, up to two authors are now listed; if more than two, only the first is listed, followed by “et al.”

In the footnote, all authors are given in normal Firstname Lastname order. In the bibliography, the first author will be listed by Lastname, Firstname, but the other authors will keep First Last order.

Editors instead of an author:

insert the editor's name in place of the author's name, followed by a comma and the abbreviated word "ed." (e.g. John Smith, ed.). If you have more than one editor, use "eds."

Example 4: 2-6 Authors/Editors

Full Note: 

1. Jeri A. Sechzer et al., eds., Women and Mental Health (Johns Hopkins University Press, 1996), 243.

Concise Note:

2. Sechzer et al., Women and Mental Health, 245.

Bibliography:

Sechzer, Jeri A., S. M. Pfaffilin, F. L. Denmark, A. Griffin, and S. J. Blumenthal, eds. Women and Mental Health. Johns Hopkins University Press, 1996.
 

Abbreviate "edition" to "ed."

  • Second edition = 2nd ed.
  • Third edition = 3rd ed.
  • Fourth edition = 4th ed.
  • Revised edition = rev. ed. (in the note) or Rev. ed. (bibliography)

Full Note:

1. Daniel Rhodes, Clay and Glazes for the Potter, rev. ed. (Krause Publications, 2000), 85.

Concise Note:

2. Rhodes, Clay and Glazes, 120.

Bibliography:

Rhodes, Daniel. Clay and Glazes for the Potter. Rev. ed.  Krause Publications, 2000.

If a book is a certain volume in a numbered set, that information is included before the page number.

1. Author First Name/Initial Surname, Book Title, edition (Publisher, Year), volume #:page #.

Example

Full Note:

1. Muriel St. Clare Byrne, ed., The Lisle Letters (University of Chicago Press, 1981), 4:243.

Concise Note:

2. Byrne, Lisle Letters, 4:245.

Bibliography:

Byrne, Muriel St. Clare, ed. The Lisle Letters. 6 vols. University of Chicago Press, 1981

CMOS 14.19-22

Published After 1900

With the 18th edition, books published after the year 1900 do not name a place of publication in the citation.

Published Before 1900

Include the city and year of publication, but not the publisher. (It is assumed that the publishing house is probably long out of business and therefore not particularly helpful.)

E-Books

E-books are generally referenced in the same way as other books with added url or doi.

Full Note:

1. Author First Name/Initial Surname, Book Title, edition (Publisher, Year),  page #, format/location.

Concise Note:

2. Author Surname, Title, page #.

Bibliography:

Author Surname, First Name or Initial. Book Title. Edition. Publisher, Year. Format/location.

CMOS 14.58-61

Example 1: E-book from Database (Paginated Book)

Full Note:

1. Jack Santino, The Hallowed Eve: Dimensions of Culture in a Calendar Festival in Northern Ireland (University Press of Kentucky, 1998), 69, https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.lscsproxy.lonestar.edu/lib/lonestar-ebooks/detail.action?docID=1915122.

Concise Note:

2. Santino, Hallowed Eve, 73.

Bibliography:

Santino, Jack. The Hallowed Eve: Dimensions of Culture in a Calendar Festival in Northern Ireland. University Press of Kentucky, 1998. https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.lscsproxy.lonestar.edu/lib/lonestar-ebooks/detail.action?docID=1915122.

Example 2: E-Book with a DOI and No Page Numbers

Full Note:

1. Mark Evan Bonds, Absolute Music: The History of an Idea (Oxford University Pres, 2014), chap. 3, https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199343638.00.0004.

Concise Note:

2. Bonds, Absolute Music, chap. 11, https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199343638.00.0004.

Bibliography:

Bonds, Mark Evan. Absolute Music: The History of an Idea. Oxford University Pres, 2014. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199343638.00.0004.

Example 1: Republished in Open Online Collection (no page numbers)

In this case, the book lacks page numbers. Both "letter 2" and "chap. 4" serve as locational information in place of pages. We also document the original publication date, 1817, and the date of this exact version being published on Project Gutenberg.

Full Note:

1. Mary Shelley, Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus (1817; Project Gutenberg, 1993), letter 2, http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/84.

Concise Note:

2. Shelley, Frankenstein, chap. 4.

Bibliography:

Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus. 1817; Project Gutenberg, 1993. http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/84.

Example 2: Digitized Book in Open Online Collection

Full Note:

1. Harry Delacombe, The Boys' Book of Airships (Frederick A. Stokes, 1909), 50, https://archive.org/details/boysquotbookair00Dela

Concise Note:

2. Delacombe, Airships, 64.

Bibliography:

Delacombe, Harry. The Boys' Book of Airships. Frederick A. Stokes, 1909. https://archive.org/details/boysquotbookair00Dela

Full Note:

1. Kevin R. Johnson, How Did You Get To Be Mexican? A White/Brown Man's Search for Identity (Temple University Press, 2000), Kindle, chap. 5.

Concise Note:

2. Johnson, White/Brown Man, chap. 7.

Bibliography:

Johnson, Kevin R. How Did You Get To Be Mexican? A White/Brown Man’s Search for Identity. Temple University Press, 2000. Kindle edition.

Print Books

CMOS 18 does not require place of publication for books published since 1900.
For works published before 1900, omit the publisher but give the city of publication.

Full Note:

1. Author First Name/Initial Surname, Book Title, edition (Publisher, Year), page #.

Concise Note:

2. Author Surname, Book Title, page #.

Bibliography:

Author Surname, First Name or Initial. Book Title. Edition. Publisher, Year.

If you are dealing with an editor instead of an author, insert the editor's name in the place where the author's name is now, followed by a comma and the word "ed." without the quotation marks (e.g. John Smith, ed.). If you have more than one editor, use "eds." The rest of the format remains the same.

Example 1: One Author

Full Note:

1. Salman Rushdie, The Ground Beneath Her Feet (Henry Holt, 1999), 25. 

Concise Note:

2. Rushdie, The Ground Beneath, 25. 

Bibliography:

Rushdie, Salman. The Ground Beneath Her Feet. Henry Holt, 1999.

Example 2: Edition Info

Full Note:

1. Daniel Rhodes, Clay and Glazes for the Potter, rev. ed. (Krause Publications, 2000), 85.

Concise Note:

2. Rhodes, Clay and Glazes, 120.

Bibliography:

Rhodes, Daniel. Clay and Glazes for the Potter. Rev. ed. Krause Publications, 2000.

Example 3: Two Authors

Full Note:

1. Liam P. Unwin and Joseph Galloway, Peace In Ireland (Stronghope Press, 1990), 139. 

Concise Note:

2. Unwin and Galloway, Peace in Ireland, 220.

Bibliography:

Unwin, Liam P., and Joseph Galloway. Peace in Ireland. Stronghope Press, 1990. 
 

Example 4: 2-6 Authors/Editors

Full Note: 

1. Jeri A. Sechzer et al., eds., Women and Mental Health (Johns Hopkins University Press, 1996), 243.

Concise Note:

2. Sechzer et al., Women and Mental Health, 245.

Bibliography:

Sechzer, Jeri A., S. M. Pfaffilin, F. L. Denmark, A. Griffin, and S. J. Blumenthal, eds. Women and Mental Health. Johns Hopkins University Press, 1996.
 

Full Note:

1. New York Public Library American History Desk Reference (Macmillan, 1997), 87.

Concise Note:

2. New York Public Library, 87.

Bibliography:

New York Public Library American History Desk Reference. Macmillan, 1997.
 

Full Note:

1. Aristotle, Nichomachean Ethics, trans. and ed. Rodger Crisp, Cambridge Texts in the History of Philosophy (Cambridge University Press, 2000), 102.  

Concise Note:

2. Aristotle, Nichomachean Ethics, 102.

Bibliography:

Aristotle. Nicomachean Ethics. Translated and edited by Roger Crisp. Cambridge Texts in the History of Philosophy. Cambridge University Press, 2000.

Chapter/Article in a Book/Anthology

With CMOS 18, the range of pages the chapter appears on is no longer required in the bibliography.

Full Note:

1. Author FirstName Surname, "Title of Chapter or Article," in Book Title, ed. Editor First Name/Initial Surname (Publisher, Year), page #.

Concise Note:

2. Author Surname, "Title of Chapter or Article," page #.

Bibliography:

Author Surname, First Name. "Title of Chapter or Article." In Book Title, edited by Editor First Name Surname. Publisher, Year.

CMOS 14.8-10

General Format for Multi-Volume Work:

Full Note:

1. Author FirstName Surname, "Title of Chapter or Article," in Book Title, ed. Firstname Lastname, vol. # (Publisher, Year), page #.

Concise Note:

2. Author Surname, "Title of Chapter or Article," Volume #:page #.

Bibliography:

Author Surname, First Name. "Title of Chapter or Article." In vol. # of Book Title, edited by FirstName LastName. Publisher, Year.

CMOS 14.22

Full Note:

1. H. F. Arnold, "The Night Wire," in Masterpieces of Terror and the Supernatural, ed. Marvin Kaye, (Barnes & Noble Books, 1993), 334.

Concise Note:

2. Arnold, "The Night Wire," 347.

Bibliography:

Arnold, H. F. "The Night Wire." In Masterpieces of Terror and the Supernatural, edited by Marvin Kaye. Barnes & Noble Books, 1993.

Example of Multi-Volume Work:

Full Note:

1. Mario Creet, "Fleming, Sir Sandford," in Dictionary of Canadian Biography: 1911-1920, vol. 14, (University of Toronto Press, 1998), 359.

Concise Note:

2. Creet, "Fleming, Sir Sandford," 14:359.

Bibliography:

Creet, Mario. "Fleming, Sir Sandford." In vol. 14, Dictionary of Canadian Biography: 1911-1920. University of Toronto Press, 1998.
 

Published Letter in a Book

Letters, postcards, telegrams don't need to be labeled, but correspondence like a memorandum or report should be specified.

Full Note:

1. Sender First Name1 Last Name1 to Recipient First Name2 Last Name2, Optional City of Origin, Month DD, YYYY, in Title of Book, by Author Name (Publisher Name, YYYY), pg#.

Concise Note:

2. Last Name1 to First Name2 Last Name2, Month DD, YYYY, pg#.

Bibliography:

Sender Last Name1, First Name1. Title of Book. (Edited/By) Author/Editor Name. Publisher Name, YYYY.

CMOS 14.13

Example 1: Letter in an Authored Book

Linnell's name is in brackets in the bibliography because the exact name wasn't given in the source (the "Irving N."), only his title, "Consul General."

Full Note:

1. Consul General Linnell to the Chargé d'Affaires at Berlin, 3 April 1939, in From Prague after Munich, Diplomatic Papers 1938-1940, by George F. Kennan (Princeton University Press, 1968), 107.  

Concise Note:

2. Linnell to the Chargé d'Affaires at Berlin, 3 April 1939, 109.

Bibliography:

[Linnell, Irving N.].  From Prague after Munich, Diplomatic Papers 1938-1940.  By George F. Kennan.  Princeton University Press, 1968.

Example 2: Letter in a Published Collection with Editor

Full Note:

1. Adams to Charles Milnes Gaskell, Baden, September 22, 1867, in Letters of Henry Adams, 1858-1891, ed. Worthington Chauncey Ford (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1930), 133-34. 

Concise Note:

2. Adams to Gaskell, London, March 30, 1868, 141.

Bibliography:

Adams, Henry. Letters of Henry Adams, 1858-1891. Edited by Worthington Chauncey Ford. Houghton Mifflin, 1930.

Image in a Book

Full Note:

1. Author First Name/Initial Surname, "Photograph Title," Year Photo was Taken (if provided), in Book Title (Publisher, Year), page or plate #. 

Concise Note:

2. Author Surname, "Photograph Title."

Bibliography:

Author Surname, First Name or Initial. "Photograph Title." Year Photo was Taken (if provided). In Book Title. Publisher, Year, page or plate #.
 

"Figure" can be abbreviated to fig. but table, map, plate, and other labels should be spelled out. Page number (if available) should precede the illustration number.

CMOS 14.57, 133

Full Note:

1. Franz Jansen, "8 O'Clock," 1920, in German Expressionist Woodcuts, ed. Shane Weller (Dover Publications, 1994), plate 12.

Concise Note:

2. Jansen, "8 O'Clock."

Bibliography:

Jansen, Franz. "8 O'Clock." 1920. In German Expressionist Woodcuts, edited by Shane Weller. Dover Publications, 1994, plate 12. 
 

Full Note:

1. Wayne L. Winston, Analytics Stories: Using Data to Make Good Things Happen (Wiley, 2021), 372, fig. 50.3.

Concise Note:

2. Winston, Analytics Stories, 155, table 20.1.

Bibliography:

Winston, Wayne L. Analytics Stories: Using Data to Make Good Things Happen. Wiley, 2021.

Encyclopedias, Dictionaries

Well-known reference books are generally only cited in notes, not the bibliography.  Full publication information is usually not included, but the edition must be specified.

CMOS 18 no longer recommends s.v. for "sub verbo." The word "under" may be included for clarity.

Online

Full Note:

1. Publication Title, "Title of Entry," by Author Name, date, url.

Concise Note:

2. Publication Title,  "Title of Entry."

Bibliography:

Often omitted.

CMOS 14.131

Print/Physical

Full Note:

1. Publication Title, Edition/date last modified, under "title of entry."

Concise Note:

2. Publication Title, Edition, s.v. "Title of Entry."

Bibliography:

Often omitted for well-known works. Others should be listed following the example for books.

CMOS 14.130

Full Note:

1. Grove Music Online, "Beneke, Tex [Gordon]," by Brian Peerless, January 20, 2002, https://doi.org/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.J036500.

2. Oxford English Dictionary, “flummery (n.),” July 2023, https://doi.org/10.1093/OED/3890166152.

3. Britannica, "Soul Food," by Anita Wolff, last updated October 23, 2024, https://www.britannica.com/topic/soul-food-cuisine.

4. Chambers Dictionary of the Unexplained, "Goblin," edited by Una McGovern, (Chambers Harrap, 2007). https://search.credoreference.com/articles/Qm9va0FydGljbGU6OTkyMzcz?summaryArticle=true&aid=99152.

Full Note:

1. Encyclopedia Britannica, 15th ed. (1980), under "salvation."

2. MLA Handbook, 9th ed. (Modern Language Association of America, 2020), 6.8.

 

Concise Note:

Same as full note (which already pretty concise!).

Bibliography:

Often omitted for famous, well-known works.