In short
- Chicago has two forms. Notes and bibliography is used in history and the humanities. Author-date is used in some sciences and social sciences.
- Notes and bibliography: a small number in your text points to a footnote. The first note for a source is in full, and later ones are short. The list at the end is a Bibliography, in A to Z order by surname.
- Author-date: the surname and year in brackets, with no comma between them: (Kahneman 2011, 81). The list at the end is called References, in A to Z order by surname.
- This page follows the Chicago Manual of Style, 18th edition (2024).
- KanBananza formats both forms: footnotes and a bibliography, or in-text citations and a reference list.
Chicago style comes from The Chicago Manual of Style, published by the University of Chicago Press. Historians use its notes and bibliography form, and so do many courses in art history, literature, music and religion. Some sciences and social sciences use its author-date form. This guide follows the 18th edition (2024). The examples are KanBananza’s own output, so you can check yours against them.
Which form do you need?
Your course handbook will say. If it says “Chicago” and your subject is history or another humanities subject, it usually means notes and bibliography. Don’t mix the two forms in one piece of work.
| Form | Used in | In the text | At the end |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notes and bibliography | History, art history, literature and other humanities | A raised number, with a footnote | Bibliography |
| Author-date | Some sciences and social sciences | (Kahneman 2011, 81) | References |
Notes and bibliography
How footnotes work
When you use a source, put a small raised number at the end of the sentence, after the full stop or comma. In Word or Google Docs, use Insert footnote and the number and the space at the foot of the page appear for you. Number the notes 1, 2, 3 and so on through the whole essay, and give each note its own number, even when you cite the same source again. Some courses want endnotes, at the end, instead of footnotes; the notes look the same.
The first note: in full
The first time you cite a source, the note gives all its details, with the page you used at the end. Names are in normal order (first name, then surname), the parts are separated by commas, and a book’s publisher and year go in brackets. For three or more authors, a note gives the first author and “et al.”.
Later notes: short
After the first note, cite the same source with a short note: the surname, a short title of up to four words, and the page. Your reader can find the full details in the first note and in the bibliography.
| Source | Footnotes |
|---|---|
| One author | First note: Daniel Kahneman, Thinking, Fast and Slow (Allen Lane, 2011), 81. Later notes: Kahneman, Thinking, Fast and Slow, 81. |
| Two authors | First note: Alan D. Baddeley and Graham Hitch, “Working Memory,” in The Psychology of Learning and Motivation, vol. 8, ed. Gordon H. Bower (Academic Press, 1974), 81. Later notes: Baddeley and Hitch, “Working Memory,” 81. |
| Three or more authors | First note: Mark Saunders et al., Research Methods for Business Students, 8th ed. (Pearson, 2019), 81. Later notes: Saunders et al., Research Methods, 81. |
| An organisation | First note: Name of the Organisation, Title of the Report (Publisher, 2024), 81, https://www.example.com/page. Later notes: Name of the Organisation, Title of the Report, 81. |
| No date | First note: Name of the Organisation, “Title of the Page,” Name of the Website, accessed October 20, 2026, https://www.example.com/page. Later notes: Name of the Organisation, “Title of the Page.” |
| Two sources at once | One note, with a semicolon between them: Kahneman, Thinking, Fast and Slow, 81; Braun and Clarke, “Using Thematic Analysis,” 81. |
| A source you read about in another one | Name the original, then “quoted in” and the source you read: Jane Smith, Title of the Original (Publisher, 1990), 12, quoted in Firstname Surname, Title of the Book, 2nd ed. (Publisher, 2024), 81. |
The first notes are what KanBananza copies. The later notes follow Chicago’s rules for short notes.
Ibid.
“Ibid.” is short for ibidem, Latin for “in the same place”. It’s used in a note that cites the same source as the note right before it. The 18th edition discourages ibid. and prefers a short note instead, as above. It still allows ibid., so if your course handbook asks for it, follow the handbook.
No author, and social media posts
If a source has no author, use the organisation behind it if there is one (for a web page, the website’s owner). If not, start the note and the bibliography entry with the title. Chicago usually cites a social media post in a footnote only, not in the bibliography. KanBananza does the same: it leaves social media posts out of the bibliography on purpose.
The bibliography
The bibliography goes at the end, headed Bibliography. It holds the same details as your first notes, set out differently:
- Order: A to Z by the first author’s surname, or by the title if there’s no author.
- Names: the first author is surname first: Kahneman, Daniel. Other authors are in normal order. The bibliography gives more names than a note: the five-author example below names all five, where the note says “et al.”.
- Punctuation: full stops between the parts, and no brackets around the publisher and year.
- Layout: a hanging indent, so the first line of each entry starts at the margin. Your course handbook will say whether to use single or double spacing.
- Capital letters: titles have a capital for each main word. KanBananza puts titles into this form for you, but give them a quick check: an odd small word can come out wrong.
- Italics and quotation marks: books, journals and newspapers in italics; articles, chapters and web pages in “quotation marks”. Website names, like Simply Psychology, are plain.
- Place of publication: the 18th edition no longer asks for it.
- DOIs and dates: give a DOI as a link starting https://doi.org/. When a web page has no date, add the date you accessed it.
Author-date
In author-date, you give the author’s surname and the year in brackets, with no comma between them. Add the page after a comma. If you name the author in your sentence, put the year (and page) in brackets straight after the name: Kahneman (2011, 81).
| Source | In the text |
|---|---|
| One author | (Kahneman 2011) |
| Two authors | (Braun and Clarke 2006) |
| Three or more authors | (Saunders et al. 2019) |
| An organisation | (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence 2019) |
| No date | (McLeod, n.d.) |
| A page or a quote | (Kahneman 2011, 81) |
| Author named in your sentence | Kahneman (2011, 81) |
| Two sources at once | (Braun and Clarke 2006; Kahneman 2011) |
| A source you read about in another one | (Smith 1990, 12, quoted in Surname 2024, 81) |
With no date, the citation has a comma before “n.d.”, as in (McLeod, n.d.). Two works by the same author in the same year get a letter after the year, like 2011a and 2011b, in the text and in the list.
The reference list
The list at the end is headed References. It’s in A to Z order by surname, with a hanging indent, like the bibliography. The one big difference is the date: in author-date, the year comes straight after the author’s name, so readers can match it to your citation. A day and month, for a news article or web page, go later in the entry.
Examples for each kind of source
Each card shows the first footnote and the bibliography entry for notes and bibliography, then the reference and the in-text citation for author-date. Where there’s no real example, the card shows the pattern to follow.
Book
Footnote
Daniel Kahneman, Thinking, Fast and Slow (Allen Lane, 2011), 81.
Bibliography
Kahneman, Daniel. Thinking, Fast and Slow. Allen Lane, 2011.
Author-date reference
Kahneman, Daniel. 2011. Thinking, Fast and Slow. Allen Lane.
Later notes: Kahneman, Thinking, Fast and Slow, 81.
Author-date, in the text: (Kahneman 2011, 81)
Book with an edition or several authors
Footnote
Mark Saunders et al., Research Methods for Business Students, 8th ed. (Pearson, 2019), 81.
Bibliography
Saunders, Mark, Philip Lewis, and Adrian Thornhill. Research Methods for Business Students. 8th ed. Pearson, 2019.
Author-date reference
Saunders, Mark, Philip Lewis, and Adrian Thornhill. 2019. Research Methods for Business Students. 8th ed. Pearson.
Later notes: Saunders et al., Research Methods, 81.
Author-date, in the text: (Saunders et al. 2019, 81)
Chapter in an edited book
Footnote
Alan D. Baddeley and Graham Hitch, “Working Memory,” in The Psychology of Learning and Motivation, vol. 8, ed. Gordon H. Bower (Academic Press, 1974), 81.
Bibliography
Baddeley, Alan D., and Graham Hitch. “Working Memory.” In The Psychology of Learning and Motivation, vol. 8, edited by Gordon H. Bower. Academic Press, 1974.
Author-date reference
Baddeley, Alan D., and Graham Hitch. 1974. “Working Memory.” In The Psychology of Learning and Motivation, edited by Gordon H. Bower, vol. 8. Academic Press.
Later notes: Baddeley and Hitch, “Working Memory,” 81.
Author-date, in the text: (Baddeley and Hitch 1974, 81)
Journal article
Footnote
Virginia Braun and Victoria Clarke, “Using Thematic Analysis in Psychology,” Qualitative Research in Psychology 3, no. 2 (2006): 81, https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa.
Bibliography
Braun, Virginia, and Victoria Clarke. “Using Thematic Analysis in Psychology.” Qualitative Research in Psychology 3, no. 2 (2006): 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa.
Author-date reference
Braun, Virginia, and Victoria Clarke. 2006. “Using Thematic Analysis in Psychology.” Qualitative Research in Psychology 3 (2): 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa.
Footnote: five authors
Daniel Kahneman et al., “A Survey Method for Characterizing Daily Life Experience: The Day Reconstruction Method,” Science 306, no. 5702 (2004): 1776–80, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1103572.
Bibliography: five authors
Kahneman, Daniel, Alan B. Krueger, David A. Schkade, Norbert Schwarz, and Arthur A. Stone. “A Survey Method for Characterizing Daily Life Experience: The Day Reconstruction Method.” Science 306, no. 5702 (2004): 1776–80. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1103572.
Later notes: Braun and Clarke, “Using Thematic Analysis,” 81.
Author-date, in the text: (Braun and Clarke 2006, 81) and (Kahneman et al. 2004)
Web page
Footnote pattern
Firstname Surname, “Title of the Page,” Name of the Website, March 5, 2024, https://www.example.com/page.
Bibliography pattern
Surname, Firstname. “Title of the Page.” Name of the Website, March 5, 2024. https://www.example.com/page.
Author-date pattern
Surname, Firstname. 2024. “Title of the Page.” Name of the Website, March 5. https://www.example.com/page.
Author-date, in the text: (Surname 2024)
Web page with no date
Footnote
Saul McLeod, “Working Memory Model,” Simply Psychology, accessed October 20, 2026, https://www.simplypsychology.org/working-memory.html.
Bibliography
McLeod, Saul. “Working Memory Model.” Simply Psychology. Accessed October 20, 2026. https://www.simplypsychology.org/working-memory.html.
Author-date reference
McLeod, Saul. n.d. “Working Memory Model.” Simply Psychology. Accessed October 20, 2026. https://www.simplypsychology.org/working-memory.html.
Later notes: McLeod, “Working Memory Model.”
Author-date, in the text: (McLeod, n.d.)
Report or guideline
Footnote pattern
Name of the Organisation, Title of the Report (Publisher, 2024), https://www.example.com/page.
Bibliography pattern
Name of the Organisation. Title of the Report. Publisher, 2024. https://www.example.com/page.
Author-date pattern
Name of the Organisation. 2024. Title of the Report. Publisher. https://www.example.com/page.
Author-date, in the text: (Name of the Organisation 2024)
News article
Footnote pattern
Firstname Surname, “Title of the Article,” Name of the Newspaper, March 5, 2024, https://www.example.com/page.
Bibliography pattern
Surname, Firstname. “Title of the Article.” Name of the Newspaper, March 5, 2024. https://www.example.com/page.
Author-date pattern
Surname, Firstname. 2024. “Title of the Article.” Name of the Newspaper, March 5. https://www.example.com/page.
Author-date, in the text: (Surname 2024)
Thesis or dissertation
Footnote pattern
Firstname Surname, “Title of the Thesis” (PhD diss., Name of the University, 2024), 81, https://www.example.com/page.
Bibliography pattern
Surname, Firstname. “Title of the Thesis.” PhD diss., Name of the University, 2024. https://www.example.com/page.
Author-date pattern
Surname, Firstname. 2024. “Title of the Thesis.” PhD diss., Name of the University. https://www.example.com/page.
Later notes: Surname, “Title of the Thesis,” 81.
Author-date, in the text: (Surname 2024, 81)
Tip: Chicago’s short form for a doctoral dissertation is “PhD diss.”, and KanBananza uses it. The title goes in quotation marks, not italics.
A full bibliography and reference list
This is what KanBananza copies for three of the sources on this page, in each form’s A to Z order. Paste a list into Word or Google Docs and the italics and hanging indents come with it.
Bibliography (notes and bibliography)
- Braun, Virginia, and Victoria Clarke. “Using Thematic Analysis in Psychology.” Qualitative Research in Psychology 3, no. 2 (2006): 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa.
- Kahneman, Daniel. Thinking, Fast and Slow. Allen Lane, 2011.
- McLeod, Saul. “Working Memory Model.” Simply Psychology. Accessed October 20, 2026. https://www.simplypsychology.org/working-memory.html.
References (author-date)
- Braun, Virginia, and Victoria Clarke. 2006. “Using Thematic Analysis in Psychology.” Qualitative Research in Psychology 3 (2): 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa.
- Kahneman, Daniel. 2011. Thinking, Fast and Slow. Allen Lane.
- McLeod, Saul. n.d. “Working Memory Model.” Simply Psychology. Accessed October 20, 2026. https://www.simplypsychology.org/working-memory.html.
To build your list while you read, not the night before the deadline, see how to reference as you go. In a dissertation, where footnotes pile up, how to track sources in each chapter shows how to keep each chapter’s sources together.
Common mistakes
- Mixing the two forms. Use footnotes or author-date, not both.
- The note number in the wrong place. It goes after the full stop or comma, not before it.
- Writing every note in full. After the first note, use a short note.
- Surname first in a note. Notes use normal order (Daniel Kahneman); only the bibliography puts the surname first.
- Note punctuation in the bibliography. Notes use commas and brackets; the bibliography uses full stops and no brackets.
- A comma between the author and the year in author-date. It’s (Kahneman 2011), not (Kahneman, 2011).
- No page number in a note for a quote. Give the page you used.
Chicago in KanBananza
- Choose Chicago (notes and bibliography) or Chicago (author-date) for a board with the style chip at the top of its Sources stack, or Referencing style… in the stack’s menu. A board’s first Sources stack asks what the board is for: choose History and it suggests Chicago (notes and bibliography). Full Bananza
- In notes and bibliography, a card’s Copy for this card offers the Bibliography and a Footnote for a source. Each card’s Sources used list has a page box, so the footnote or in-text citation comes with your page. Full Bananza
- Right-click a page and choose Save as a source. It reads the page’s title, authors and date on your computer, and nothing is sent anywhere. Free
- + Add a source takes a link, a DOI or an ISBN, or a title you type. Free Looking up a DOI or ISBN fills in the details from Crossref or Open Library. Full Bananza
- The details window shows what a source Will paste as and highlights anything missing. If a detail is missing, KanBananza says so before you copy, and it pastes as a marked gap like “[date]”. Free
- Copying gives rich text: italics and hanging indents survive pasting into Word and Google Docs. Full Bananza
- Tidy with Pip fixes capital letters and the order of names in a source’s details. It shows every change before it’s applied and never adds new details. It needs a Pip plan or the free week. Pip
Harvard (Cite Them Right) is free. Chicago, in both forms, and the other styles come with Full Bananza, from £5 a year. Everything is formatted on your computer.
