Chicago: Citing Books

The examples found in the Chicago section are based on the style guide The Chicago Manual of Style, 17th ed., 2017. Follow the format and examples below to cite books.

  • If the city of publication is not well-known, include the state, province or country. If two or more cities are given, use the location listed first.
  • The publisher’s name may be shortened by omitting the words Inc., Co., Ltd., and Publishing Co.
  • If no publication date is given, use n.d.

Footnotes

1. First Name Last Name, Title of Book (City: Publisher, Date), page.

1. Natalie Jomini Stroud, Niche News: The Politics of News Choice (New York: Oxford University Press, 2011), 149.

Bibliography

Last Name, First Name. Title of Book. City: Publisher, Date.

Stroud, Natalie Jomini. Niche News: The Politics of News Choice. New York: Oxford University Press, 2011.

Format

  • The editor or translator takes the place of the author.

Footnotes

1. Martin Hallett and Barbara Karasek, eds., Folk & Fairy Tales, 4th ed. (Peterborough, ON: Broadview Press, 2009), 18-21.

Bibliography

Hallett, Martin, and Barbara Karasek, eds. Folk & Fairy Tales. 4th ed. Peterborough, ON: Broadview Press, 2009.

Format

  • The author’s name appears first.
  • The name of the translator or editor comes after the title.
  • In the note, add “trans.” or “ed.” before the translator’s or editor’s name.
  • In the bibliography, insert “Edited by” or “Translated by” before the name.

Footnotes

2. Luc Brisson, How Philosophers Saved Myths: Allegorical Interpretation and Classical Mythology, trans. Catherine Tihanyi (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2004), 56.

Bibliography

Brisson, Luc. How Philosophers Saved Myths: Allegorical Interpretation and Classical Mythology. Translated by Catherine Tihanyi. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2004.

Format

  • The title of the chapter is enclosed within quotation marks.

Footnotes

4. Chapter author’s First Name Last Name, “Title of Chapter,” in Book Title, ed. editor’s First Name Last Name (City: Publisher, Date), page(s).

4. David Ludden, “The Process of Empire: Frontiers and Borderlands,” in Tributary Empires in Global History, ed. Peter Fibiger Bang and C. A. Bayly (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2011), 128-129.

Bibliography

Chapter author’s Last Name, First Name. “Title of Chapter.” In Book Title, edited by First Name Last Name, page range of chapter. City: Publisher, Date of publication.

Ludden, David. “The Process of Empire: Frontiers and Borderlands.” In Tributary Empires in Global History, edited by Peter Fibiger Bang and C. A. Bayly, 125-150. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2011.

Format

Follow the format for a print book and add the e-book or access information at the end of the citation:
  • If the book was accessed through a library database such as Ebook Central, include the name of the database.
  • If your book was consulted online, add the URL or DOI (if available) at the end of the citation. Note that with older works, some publication information may be missing (see note 5).
  • If the book was downloaded from a library or bookseller include the e-book format (PDF e-book, Kindle edition, etc.) (see note 6).
  • If the ebook has no publication date, insert the access date before the database name, DOI or URL like this: “accessed June 17, 2018”.

Don’t forget to include the page numbers. If the e-book doesn’t have page numbers, use the chapter number or the section headings in quotations (e.g. “Introduction”).

Footnotes

4. Peter Decker, Old Fences, New Neighbors (Golden, CO: Fulcrum, 2006), 56, Ebook Central.

5. Jane Austen, Persuasion (1818; Project Gutenberg, 2012), chap. 5, http://www.gutenberg.org/files/158/158-h/158-h.htm.

6. Paul Tough, How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012), Kindle edition, chap. 2.

Bibliography

Decker, Peter. Old Fences, New Neighbors. Golden, CO: Fulcrum, 2006. Ebook Central.

Austen, Jane. Persuasion. 1818, Project Gutenberg, 2012. http://www.gutenberg.org/files/158/158-h/158-h.htm.

Tough, Paul. How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012. Kindle edition.

Format

  • Well-known encyclopedias and dictionaries are normally cited only in the footnotes and not in the bibliography. Their publication information is not required (see footnote examples 7 & 8).
  • Reference works that are not well known are cited in both footnotes and bibliography, with full publication information (see footnote example 9).
  • If entries inside the work are arranged in alphabetical order, place “s.v.” (meaning “under the word”) in front of the name of the entry you are citing.
  • List entries with an author under the author’s name and indicate the pages (see footnote example 9).

Footnotes

7. The New Encyclopaedia Britannica: Micropedia, 15th ed. (1984), s.v. “Suicide.”

8. Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, 10th ed. (1993), s.v. “badinage.”

9. Margaret Pabst Battin, “Suicide,” in Encyclopedia of Bioethics, ed. Stephen G. Post (New York: Macmillan-Thomson, 2004), 2477.

Bibliography

Battin, Margaret Pabst. “Suicide.” In Encyclopedia of Bioethics, edited by Stephen G. Post, 2475-2483. New York: Macmillan-Thomson, 2004.

Format

  • Well-known encyclopedias and dictionaries are normally cited only in the notes and not in the bibliography. Their publication information is not required.
  • Reference works that are not well-known are cited in both places with the available publication information.
  • The DOI (if available) or the URL is added at the end of the citation.
  • If the reference work is arranged in alphabetical order, place “s.v.” (meaning “under the word”) in front of the name of the entry you are citing.
  • List entries with an author under the author’s name (see footnote example 11).
  • For reference works from a library database such as Credo Reference, include the publication information and the name of the database (see example 12).
  • If the source has no publication date, insert the access date before the URL or database name like this: “accessed June 17, 2018”.

Footnotes

10. Merriam-Webster, s.v. “establishment,” accessed December 19, 2017, http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/establishment.

11. Colin McQuillan, “German Idealism,” in Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, ed. James Friesen and Bradley Dowden, last updated April 23, 2012, http://www.iep.utm.edu/germidea/.

12. “War Crimes,” in World of Criminal Justice, ed. Shirelle Phelps, (Farmington: Gale, 2002), Credo Reference.

Bibliography

McQuillan, Colin. “German Idealism.” In Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, edited by James Friesen and Bradley Dowden. Last updated April 23, 2012. http://www.iep.utm.edu/germidea/.

“War Crimes.” In World of Criminal Justice, edited by Shirelle Phelps. Farmington: Gale, 2002. Credo Reference.