Chicago Style: Notes-Bibliography System

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The Chicago Manual of Style (CMS) offers two main citation systems: the author-date system and the notes-bibliography system. The notes-bibliography system, which is covered on this page, is commonly used in the humanities, especially in history, literature, and the arts. It provides a flexible format for citing a wide range of sources. Below is an explanation of the notes-bibliography system, along with examples to illustrate its application.

Footnotes and Endnotes

Basic Format

In the notes-bibliography system, citations are provided in footnotes or endnotes. A superscript number in the text corresponds to a numbered note at the bottom of the page (footnote) or at the end of the document (endnote).

  • In-Text: The superscript number is placed at the end of the sentence or clause containing the citation.
  • Footnote/Endnote: The note includes full bibliographic details when cited for the first time.

Examples

  1. In-Text Example:
  • The impact of climate change on marine biodiversity has been well documented.¹
  1. Footnote/Endnote Example:
  • ¹ John Smith, The Impact of Climate Change on Marine Life (New York: Marine Publishing, 2020), 45.

Shortened Citations

For subsequent citations of the same source, a shortened form is used. This can include the author’s last name, a shortened title of the work, and the page number.

  • First Citation: John Smith, The Impact of Climate Change on Marine Life (New York: Marine Publishing, 2020), 45.
  • Subsequent Citations: Smith, Impact of Climate Change, 47.

Bibliography

Basic Format

The bibliography provides a complete list of all sources cited in the notes, arranged alphabetically by the author’s last name. Each entry includes full bibliographic details.

  • Books: Author’s Last Name, First Name. Title of Book. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year.
  • Articles: Author’s Last Name, First Name. “Title of Article.” Title of Journal Volume Number, Issue Number (Year): Page Range.

Examples

  1. Book:
  • Bibliography Entry: Smith, John. The Impact of Climate Change on Marine Life. New York: Marine Publishing, 2020.
  • First Footnote: John Smith, The Impact of Climate Change on Marine Life (New York: Marine Publishing, 2020), 45.
  • Subsequent Footnote: Smith, Impact of Climate Change, 47.
  1. Journal Article:
  • Bibliography Entry: Jones, Emily. “Coral Reefs and Climate Adaptation.” Marine Biology Journal 35, no. 2 (2018): 123-140.
  • First Footnote: Emily Jones, “Coral Reefs and Climate Adaptation,” Marine Biology Journal 35, no. 2 (2018): 125.
  • Subsequent Footnote: Jones, “Coral Reefs and Climate Adaptation,” 127.
  1. Edited Book Chapter:
  • Bibliography Entry: Brown, Michael. “The Future of Coral Reefs.” In Oceans in Peril, edited by Sarah Green, 101-120. London: Oceanic Press, 2019.
  • First Footnote: Michael Brown, “The Future of Coral Reefs,” in Oceans in Peril, ed. Sarah Green (London: Oceanic Press, 2019), 103.
  • Subsequent Footnote: Brown, “Future of Coral Reefs,” 105.
  1. Online Source:
  • Bibliography Entry: Wilson, David. “The Effects of Rising Sea Levels.” Climate Change Research Online. Accessed March 15, 2021. http://www.climatechangeonline.org/effects-rising-sea-levels.
  • First Footnote: David Wilson, “The Effects of Rising Sea Levels,” Climate Change Research Online, accessed March 15, 2021, http://www.climatechangeonline.org/effects-rising-sea-levels.
  • Subsequent Footnote: Wilson, “Effects of Rising Sea Levels.”

Multiple Authors

Two Authors

  • Bibliography Entry: Brown, Lisa, and Mark Smith. Sustainable Marine Practices. Boston: Environmental Press, 2017.
  • First Footnote: Lisa Brown and Mark Smith, Sustainable Marine Practices (Boston: Environmental Press, 2017), 23.
  • Subsequent Footnote: Brown and Smith, Sustainable Marine Practices, 25.

Three or More Authors

  • Bibliography Entry: Williams, Richard, Sandra Lee, and Thomas Green. “Marine Conservation Strategies.” Environmental Studies Quarterly 22, no. 3 (2016): 200-220.
  • First Footnote: Richard Williams, Sandra Lee, and Thomas Green, “Marine Conservation Strategies,” Environmental Studies Quarterly 22, no. 3 (2016): 205.
  • Subsequent Footnote: Williams, Lee, and Green, “Marine Conservation Strategies,” 207.

Additional Considerations

Ibid.

For consecutive citations of the same source, the term “ibid.” (short for the Latin “ibidem,” meaning “in the same place”) can be used.

  • Example:
  • First Footnote: John Smith, The Impact of Climate Change on Marine Life (New York: Marine Publishing, 2020), 45.
  • Subsequent Footnote: Ibid., 47.

Multiple Works by the Same Author

If citing multiple works by the same author, include a shortened title for differentiation.

  • Example:
  • First Footnote: John Smith, Marine Life under Threat (London: Oceanic Press, 2020), 12.
  • Second Footnote: John Smith, “Adapting to Climate Change,” Journal of Marine Science 30, no. 1 (2020): 50.
  • Subsequent Footnotes: Smith, Marine Life under Threat, 15; Smith, “Adapting to Climate Change,” 52.

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