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17th edition · two systems · 2026 Guide

Chicago style — footnotes & bibliography or author–date

The Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition) offers two systems — Notes–Bibliography for humanities and Author–Date for sciences.

Updated June 2026·6-min read·By LivoDraft
Quick answer

Chicago (17th edition, 2017) offers two systems. Notes–Bibliography uses a superscript number tied to a footnote plus a full Bibliography — standard in history and the humanities. Author–Date uses an in-text (Sharma 2023, 45) with a matching alphabetical Reference list — used in the sciences. Choose one system and apply it throughout.

Overview

What is Chicago citation style?

Chicago follows The Chicago Manual of Style, currently the 17th edition (2017). Uniquely, it supports two citation systems — you choose the one your discipline expects and use it consistently.

Notes–Bibliography (footnotes + bibliography) suits history, art history and religion; Author–Date (in-text + reference list) suits the sciences. See the full set on the citation-styles hub.

In-text

Chicago in-text citations

In Notes–Bibliography you place a superscript number after the sentence and put the source in a footnote. In Author–Date you bracket the author, year and page.

Notes–Bibliography (footnote)1. Rahul Sharma, "Machine Learning for SHM," J. Civ. Eng. 12, no. 3 (2023): 45.
Author–Date (in-text)(Sharma 2023, 45)
Bibliography

The Bibliography

In Notes–Bibliography, end with a Bibliography: alphabetical, hanging indent, author inverted, full page range. In Author–Date, use a Reference list with the year moved next to the author.

Journal articleSharma, Rahul. "Machine Learning for Structural Health Monitoring." Journal of Civil Engineering 12, no. 3 (2023): 45–67.
BookMehta, Aditi. Foundations of Research Design. 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2022.
At a glance

Chicago vs the other styles

Chicago is one of six styles LivoDraft generates. Choose the one your department or journal requires:

APA (Author, Year)MLA (Author 45)HarvardIEEE [1]ChicagoVancouver (1)
When to use

Who uses Chicago?

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Use Chicago for

History, art history, religion and many humanities (Notes–Bibliography); sciences that follow Chicago (Author–Date). Literature usually uses MLA; psychology uses APA.

Cite in Chicago — automatically & verified

LivoDraft formats every in-text citation and the full bibliography in Chicago style, building the bibliography from real, DOI-verified papers — never fabricated entries.

Draft & cite my document  →All styles
FAQ

Chicago citation FAQ

What is Chicago citation style?+
Chicago is the citation style of The Chicago Manual of Style, now in its 17th edition (2017). It offers two systems: Notes–Bibliography (numbered footnotes plus a bibliography), used in history and the humanities, and Author–Date (in-text author and year plus a reference list), used in the sciences.
What are the two Chicago systems?+
Notes–Bibliography uses a superscript number tied to a footnote or endnote, with a full Bibliography at the end. Author–Date uses an in-text citation (Sharma 2023, 45) with a matching alphabetical Reference list. You pick one system and use it throughout.
How do you write a Chicago footnote?+
Place a superscript number after the sentence and write the note as: First Last, 'Title,' Journal Name volume, no. issue (Year): page. The matching bibliography entry inverts the author name and drops the specific page.
Which subjects use Chicago?+
History, art history, religion and many humanities use Notes–Bibliography; physical and social sciences that follow Chicago use Author–Date. Literature usually uses MLA; psychology uses APA.