Footnote styles: Chicago, MHRA and OSCOLA
Chicago, MHRA and OSCOLA all put citations in footnotes. See the same sources in each, side by side, and how their footnotes differ.
- Checked 21 October 2026
What you’ll notice
- All three give the full details in the first footnote, with the first name before the surname.
- All three end a footnote with a full stop. OSCOLA leaves the full stops out of abbreviations, like “2nd edn”.
- Chicago uses double quotation marks for an article’s title. MHRA and OSCOLA use single ones.
- MHRA and OSCOLA put a web address in angle brackets. OSCOLA leaves out “https://” before “www”.
Your course handbook says which style to use. Don’t mix styles in one piece of work.
The same sources, side by side
| Source | Chicago | MHRA | OSCOLA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Website | FOOTNOTE Amara Green, “Why Students Struggle to Sleep,” Student Sleep Project, 2025, https://www.example.org/sleep/why-students-struggle. | FOOTNOTE Amara Green, ‘Why Students Struggle to Sleep’, Student Sleep Project, 2025 <https://www.example.org/sleep/why-students-struggle> [accessed 14 October 2026]. | FOOTNOTE Amara Green, ‘Why Students Struggle to Sleep’ (Student Sleep Project, 2025) <www.example.org/sleep/why-students-struggle> accessed 14 October 2026. |
| Book | FOOTNOTE David Okafor, Attachment in Early Childhood, 2nd ed. (Northgate Press, 2023). | FOOTNOTE David Okafor, Attachment in Early Childhood, 2nd edn (Northgate Press, 2023). | FOOTNOTE David Okafor, Attachment in Early Childhood (2nd edn, Northgate Press 2023). |
| Journal article | FOOTNOTE Ravi Patel and Meera Shah, “Sleep and Exam Results in First-Year Students,” Journal of Student Health 12, no. 3 (2024): 41–58, https://doi.org/10.5555/jsh.2024.0123. | FOOTNOTE Ravi Patel and Meera Shah, ‘Sleep and Exam Results in First-Year Students’, Journal of Student Health, 12.3 (2024), pp. 41–58, doi:10.5555/jsh.2024.0123. | FOOTNOTE Ravi Patel and Meera Shah, ‘Sleep and Exam Results in First-Year Students’ (2024) 12 Journal of Student Health 41. |
| Newspaper article | FOOTNOTE Aisha Khan, “Universities Open Their Libraries for Longer,” The Daily Courier (London), February 3, 2025, https://www.example.org/news/libraries-open-longer. | FOOTNOTE Aisha Khan, ‘Universities Open Their Libraries for Longer’, The Daily Courier, 3 February 2025 <https://www.example.org/news/libraries-open-longer> [accessed 14 October 2026]. | FOOTNOTE Aisha Khan, ‘Universities Open Their Libraries for Longer’ The Daily Courier (London, 3 February 2025) <www.example.org/news/libraries-open-longer> accessed 14 October 2026. |
Referencing is easier as you go
Our step-by-step guides show how to keep your sources in order while you research and write, so the reference list is ready when you are.
Skip the typing next time
In KanBananza, right-click any page and choose “Save as a source”. The details are filled in for you, anything missing is flagged, and your reference list is made in your style. Harvard is free; the other styles come with Full Bananza.
These guides and KanBananza’s references are here to help, but they don’t replace your course’s own referencing guide: check your references against your handbook, and ask your tutor or library if you’re not sure. You’re responsible for your own work. Style names belong to their owners, who aren’t connected with KanBananza and don’t endorse it. See our terms.