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Chicago Style Guide, for 17th Edition

Footnotes/Endnotes

Introduction

The first Chicago style consists of one note style, either foot- or end-notes, and a bibliography

Make sure to also take a look at the rules for Shortened Citations and Ibid as they will help you decrease the amount of time spent writing footnote/endnote citations.

Basic Structure

  • In Chicago style, footnotes or endnotes are used to reference pieces of work in the text.
  • To cite from a source a superscript number is placed after a quote or a paraphrase.
  • Citation numbers should appear in sequential order.
  • If using endnotes, numbered notes will appear on a separate, endnotes page at the end of your document and before the bibliography page. The page should be titled Notes (centered at top).
  • Footnotes must appear at the bottom of the page that they are referred to.  

Example

Political advisors were confident in their point-lead1.

Foot/Endnote

          1. Newton Minow and Craig LaMay, Inside the Presidential Debates: Their Improbable Past and Promising Future, (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2008), 24-25.


Footnotes/Endnotes are paired together with a bibliography at the end of the research publication. Make sure to consult the Bibliography section of this guide for assistance making your reference area.