Chicago Citation Style

Introduction: What is Chicago Style?

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Learning Objectives:

  • Students will be able to explain what "Chicago Style" means within the context of citation. 
  • Students will be able to identify when to use Chicago Style for in-text citations, notes, and bibliographic or reference list entries in their writing. 
  • Students will be able to practice creating and editing Chicago Style citations with the help of online and print citation guides.

Decorative, image of chicago style manual book

The Chicago Manual of Style was published in 1949, and is currently on its seventeenth edition, released in 2017. Chicago-style citations come in two varieties: notes and bibliography, and author-date. These two varieties are used in different disciplines, but share similar qualities. The notes and bibliography system is used mainly by people working in the humanities (art, history, literature, etc.) The author-date system is more commonly used in the natural sciences and social sciences. When in doubt, clarify with your instructor which style is most appropriate, and don’t forget about the library’s Chicago-style citation guide.

Why is it important to cite correctly? 

  1. Citing properly gives credit to the authors/creators.
  2. Citing helps other people (and you!) find your sources.
  3. Citing helps support your conclusions.

Citing sources correctly is also important because of the contents of the UNCG Academic Integrity Policy. This University policy states that all students are required to use citations to avoid plagiarism. It’s important to note that citation generators are not always accurate, and it’s important to check any citations for errors.

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