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Chicago Style Citation Generator

Build Chicago style footnotes, shortened notes, bibliography entries and author-date references for books, articles, chapters, websites and theses.

Authors — leave the given names blank for an organisation

1.

This is a manual-entry formatter: it arranges the details you type into Chicago order and punctuation. It cannot look up a DOI, ISBN or URL, because that would mean sending your data to another server — everything here runs in your browser and nothing is uploaded. Chicago is a large style with many special cases, so check anything unusual against the manual itself.

What is the Chicago Style Citation Generator?

A Chicago citation generator arranges the details you enter into Chicago order and punctuation, producing a full footnote, a shortened note for later citations, a bibliography entry, and the author-date reference and in-text form.

  • Footnote, shortened note, bibliography and author-date output side by side
  • 17th and 18th edition rules, including the place-of-publication change
  • Correct et al. threshold per edition for notes and bibliography entries
  • Books, journal articles, chapters, web pages and theses supported
  • Shortened notes built with Chicago's four-word title rule and leading article dropped
  • Manual entry only — no DOI or ISBN lookups, nothing leaves your browser

How to use the Chicago Style Citation Generator

  1. 1

    Choose the Chicago edition your department requires, then the source type.

  2. 2

    Add each author, putting the surname and given names in separate boxes.

  3. 3

    Fill in the title, year and the publication details for that source type.

  4. 4

    Add the specific pages your footnote points at, if you need them.

  5. 5

    Copy the footnote, shortened note, bibliography entry or author-date form you need.

About the Chicago Style Citation Generator

The ByteTools Chicago Style Citation Generator produces all five forms Chicago asks for at once: the full footnote, the shortened note you use the second time you cite something, the bibliography entry, and the author-date reference with its matching in-text citation. Choose a source type, fill in the details, and every version updates as you type.

Both current editions are supported, because departments have not moved in step. The 17th edition includes the publisher's city and switches to et al. from four authors in a note; the 18th dropped the city entirely and switches at three. Picking an edition changes the output and the field list accordingly.

Author formatting is handled for you — the first name inverted in the bibliography, natural order in notes, and the correct et al. threshold for the edition you picked. This is a manual-entry formatter: it never looks up a DOI or ISBN, because that would mean sending your data elsewhere. Everything stays in your browser.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Chicago notes-bibliography and author-date?

Notes-bibliography uses numbered footnotes plus a bibliography and is common in history and the humanities. Author-date puts a short parenthetical citation in the text with a reference list at the end, and suits the sciences. This tool generates both from the same details.

Does Chicago 18th edition still include the city of publication?

No. The 17th edition wrote New York: Penguin Press, 2016, while the 18th edition dropped the place and prints Penguin Press, 2016. Selecting an edition here changes the output and hides the city field where it no longer applies.

When do you use et al. in Chicago style?

In the 17th edition a note lists up to three authors in full and switches to the first author plus et al. from four. The 18th edition switches at three. Bibliography entries list far more names before shortening.

What is a shortened note in Chicago style?

It is the compact form used after the first full footnote for a source: the author's surname, a short title of four words or fewer with any leading article removed, and the page number. This tool builds it for you automatically.

Do I need to add italics after copying?

Yes. Copying as plain text loses formatting, so re-apply italics to the book title, journal name or thesis title in your word processor. The preview on screen shows exactly which part should be italic.

Why does this tool not fetch citations from a DOI or ISBN?

Looking up an identifier means sending a request to an outside database. Everything on ByteTools runs locally in your browser so nothing is transmitted, and typing the details from the source in front of you also means the citation matches the edition you actually read.

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