Skip to Main Content

Chicago Citation Guide 17th Edition

General Guidelines for Footnotes

Numbers in parentheses refer to specific pages in the Chicago 17th Edition manual.

Numbering

Note numbers in text are set as superscript numbers (p. 751). 

At the bottom of the page, the note numbers are normally full size and followed by a period (p. 751).

Notes should be numbered consecutively, beginning with 1 (p. 756).

Tip: Use your word processor's "footnote" feature to assist with formatting.

Full Note vs. Shortened Note

The first note referring to a work must be a full note, but subsequent citations for that same work can be shortened. The shortened form should include just enough information to remind readers of the full title or lead them to the bibliography; usually the last name of the author(s), the key words of the main title, and the page number.  Check with your instructor to determine whether this shortened form is acceptable. (p. 757-761)

Example:
1. Salman Rushdie, The Ground beneath Her Feet (New York: Henry Holt, 1999), 25.
2. Unwin, Liam P., and Joseph Galloway. Peace in Ireland. Boston: Stronghope Press, 1990.
3. Rushdie, The Ground beneath, 28.

Consecutive footnotes for the same work

When citing the same source in multiple footnotes one after the other, cite the source in full the first time, and then use the abbreviated form for all subsequent citations until another source is cited (p. 759-760).

Example:
1. Rushdie, The Ground beneath, 25.                                                              
2. Rushdie, 28.

URLs

When the note entry includes a URL that must be broken at the end of a line, the break should be made after a colon of double slash (//); before a single slash (/), a tilde (~), a period, a comma, a hyphen, an underline (_), a question mark, a number sign, or a percent symbol; or before or after an equal sign or an ampersand (p. 750).

How to Cite a Direct Quotation

Numbers in parentheses refer to specific pages in the Chicago 17th Edition manual.

Chapter 13 (pp. 708-738) of the Chicago Manual offers recommendations and guidelines for incorporating words quoted from other sources.

Run In Quotes (p. 711)

In incorporating quotations into a text, phrase the surrounding sentence in such a way that the quoted words fit logically and grammatically. Run in quotes are incorporated into the surrounding text and enclosed in quotation marks, "like this."

Block Quotes (p. 711-712)

A quotation of a hundred words of more (at least 6-8 lines of text) can generally be set off as a block quotation. Block quotations are not enclosed by quotation marks, begin on a new line, and are indented.

A quotation of 2 or more paragraphs should be set off as a block quotation.

Permissible Changes to Quotations (p. 710-711)

Chicago style allows minor changes to quotations in specific situations. Most notably, and different than other citation styles, obvious typographic errors may be corrected silently (without comment or sic - see p. 733), unless the passage quoted is from an older work where idiosyncrasies of spelling are generally preserved.

How to Cite When Paraphrasing

Even if you put information in your own words by summarizing or paraphrasing, you must still use a footnote just as you would with a direct quotation. All the information required in the footnote for a paraphrased sentence is the same as if you were using a direct quotation.