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The basics of Chicago Note 18

Learn the basics of Chicago Note 18 referencing. Format in-text citations, footnotes and reference lists correctly to cite sources and support your academic writing.

Chicago style has both a footnote-bibliography style and an author-date system. Federation Library only supports the footnote-bibliography style. Refer to the Chicago Manual of Style for what’s new in the 18th edition.

Chicago Note 18 referencing style is a footnote style which consists of a footnote and bibliography entry.

Footnote

A footnote is a reference placed at the bottom of a page providing reference information for the reader. It consists of two parts:    

  • A superscript number (small number) within the text at the end of a sentence.
  • A corresponding number at the bottom of the page with details of the source. 
Citation format Example
In-text …correct grammar is essential.3  
Footnote 3 William Strunk, Jr. and E. B. White, The Elements of Style, 4th ed. (Allyn and Bacon, 2000), 41–50.  

Learn more about how to format footnotes.

Full reference

Each source cited in the text has a corresponding entry in the bibliography which appears in alphabetical order at the end of the piece of work.

Each bibliography entry contains the information need to identify and locate the source.

The rules of Chicago Note 18 determine the order in which these elements appear, as well as the punctuation and use of capital letters and italicised font.

Learn more about how to format a bibliography entry.

Reference list

The reference list is numbered in the order of your cited sources and should contain enough identifying detail to allow your reader to locate the source.

Learn how to arrange and format your bibliography.

Key differences between footnotes and bibliographies  

Footnotes Bibliographies
Author’s names are in the order of first names, then last name. Author’s names are written as last name first, followed by first names.
Elements of the citation are separated by commas. Elements of the reference are separated by a full stop.
Include reference to specific page numbers or other identifying information. Refer to the entire item and include all elements of the reference citation.