The Best Examples of Chicago Style Footnotes: Practical Examples for Students

Start with the format by looking at real examples

Instead of starting with rules, let’s start with examples of Chicago style footnotes: practical examples that you can copy, tweak, and reuse. Then we’ll unpack the pattern.

Chicago Notes and Bibliography style (often just called “Chicago footnotes”) uses:

• A superscript number in the text
• A matching numbered footnote at the bottom of the page
• A separate bibliography at the end of the paper

Here’s how that looks in a paragraph:

Many historians argue that urban policy in the 1980s reshaped American cities.¹

And the footnote at the bottom of the page:

1. Thomas J. Sugrue, The Origins of the Urban Crisis: Race and Inequality in Postwar Detroit (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2014), 5.

In the bibliography at the end of the paper:

Sugrue, Thomas J. The Origins of the Urban Crisis: Race and Inequality in Postwar Detroit. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2014.

That simple pattern—footnote with full details the first time, shorter notes later, and a final bibliography—is the backbone behind all the other examples of Chicago style footnotes: practical examples you’ll see below.

Classic book citations: the most common examples of Chicago style footnotes

Let’s start with the best examples you’ll use constantly: books.

Example of a book with one author

In-text (superscript):
Urban renewal programs were often framed as progress.²

Footnote 2 (first reference):

2. Jane Jacobs, The Death and Life of Great American Cities (New York: Vintage Books, 1992), 45.

Bibliography entry:
Jacobs, Jane. The Death and Life of Great American Cities. New York: Vintage Books, 1992.

Notice the pattern in this example of a Chicago style footnote:

• Author first name then last name
• Title in italics
• Publication city, publisher, year in parentheses
• Page number at the end

Example of a book with two or more authors

In-text:
Some researchers highlight the role of social capital in education.³

Footnote 3 (first reference):

3. Robert D. Putnam and David E. Campbell, American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2010), 112–113.

Bibliography entry:
Putnam, Robert D., and David E. Campbell. American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2010.

If there are more than three authors, Chicago allows you to use “et al.” in the footnote after the first author’s name, but list up to ten authors in the bibliography.

Journal article examples of Chicago style footnotes: practical examples for research papers

Most college research papers lean heavily on journal articles, especially in 2024–2025 when so much scholarship is online. Let’s look at a few real examples.

Example of a print or PDF journal article with a DOI

In-text:
Recent studies show long-term effects of air pollution on health outcomes.⁴

Footnote 4:

4. C. Arden Pope III and Douglas W. Dockery, “Health Effects of Fine Particulate Air Pollution: Lines that Connect,” Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association 56, no. 6 (2006): 713, https://doi.org/10.1080/10473289.2006.10464545.

Bibliography entry:
Pope, C. Arden, III, and Douglas W. Dockery. “Health Effects of Fine Particulate Air Pollution: Lines that Connect.” Journal of the Air & Waste Management Association 56, no. 6 (2006): 709–742. https://doi.org/10.1080/10473289.2006.10464545.

This is one of the best examples of Chicago style footnotes for modern research: it shows the volume, issue, year, page, and DOI, which is standard in 2024–2025.

Example of an online journal article without a DOI

In-text:
Online learning outcomes can vary widely across institutions.⁵

Footnote 5:

5. Andrew J. Perrin, “Digital Learning and the Future of Higher Education,” American Journal of Education 128, no. 3 (2022): 401, accessed August 15, 2024, https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/719456.

Bibliography entry:
Perrin, Andrew J. “Digital Learning and the Future of Higher Education.” American Journal of Education 128, no. 3 (2022): 395–418. Accessed August 15, 2024. https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/719456.

When there’s no DOI, Chicago style allows a stable URL and (often) an access date. Many professors in 2024 still like to see that access date for online sources.

Website and government report examples of Chicago style footnotes: practical examples

Students often struggle most with websites. Let’s look at real examples that match how you actually research today.

Example of a government website (CDC)

In-text:
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention emphasizes layered prevention strategies for respiratory viruses.⁶

Footnote 6:

6. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Respiratory Virus Guidance,” updated March 1, 2024, accessed October 10, 2025, https://www.cdc.gov/respiratory-viruses/guidance.html.

Bibliography entry:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Respiratory Virus Guidance.” Updated March 1, 2024. Accessed October 10, 2025. https://www.cdc.gov/respiratory-viruses/guidance.html.

This example of a Chicago style footnote shows how to handle:

• Corporate author (no individual person listed)
• Updated date
• Accessed date
• Direct URL

Example of a PDF government report

In-text:
Federal data show gradual changes in dietary patterns among U.S. adults.⁷

Footnote 7:

7. U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020–2025, 9th ed. (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Publishing Office, December 2020), 48, https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov/sites/default/files/2020-12/Dietary_Guidelines_for_Americans_2020-2025.pdf.

Bibliography entry:
U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020–2025. 9th ed. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Publishing Office, December 2020. https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov/sites/default/files/2020-12/Dietary_Guidelines_for_Americans_2020-2025.pdf.

These kinds of examples of Chicago style footnotes: practical examples are especially helpful for public health, policy, and nutrition papers.

Chicago style footnotes for online news and magazine articles

News sources are everywhere in 2024–2025 research assignments, especially when you’re writing about current events or tech.

Example of an online newspaper article

In-text:
Recent reporting has highlighted the rapid growth of AI tools in education.⁸

Footnote 8:

8. Natasha Singer, “A New Wave of A.I. Tools Is Changing How Students Learn,” New York Times, April 3, 2024, accessed October 10, 2025, https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/03/technology/ai-tools-students.html.

Bibliography entry:
Singer, Natasha. “A New Wave of A.I. Tools Is Changing How Students Learn.” New York Times, April 3, 2024. Accessed October 10, 2025. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/03/technology/ai-tools-students.html.

Example of an online magazine article

In-text:
Educators are experimenting with hybrid classrooms to support flexibility.⁹

Footnote 9:

9. Derek Newton, “The Future of Hybrid Learning Is Already Here,” Forbes, September 5, 2023, accessed October 10, 2025, https://www.forbes.com/sites/dereknewton/2023/09/05/the-future-of-hybrid-learning-is-already-here/.

Bibliography entry:
Newton, Derek. “The Future of Hybrid Learning Is Already Here.” Forbes, September 5, 2023. Accessed October 10, 2025. https://www.forbes.com/sites/dereknewton/2023/09/05/the-future-of-hybrid-learning-is-already-here/.

These examples include author, article title in quotation marks, publication name in italics, date, and URL.

Citing videos, lectures, and other modern media: newer examples of Chicago style footnotes

In 2024–2025, professors increasingly expect you to cite multimedia sources correctly, not just books and articles.

Example of a YouTube video

In-text:
Short educational videos can support students’ understanding of complex topics.¹⁰

Footnote 10:

10. Khan Academy, “Introduction to Chi-Square Tests,” YouTube video, 11:24, April 15, 2023, accessed October 10, 2025, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4oOCeUqeYQ.

Bibliography entry:
Khan Academy. “Introduction to Chi-Square Tests.” YouTube video, 11:24. April 15, 2023. Accessed October 10, 2025. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4oOCeUqeYQ.

Example of a recorded lecture or webinar

In-text:
One public health expert argues that communication strategies are as important as medical interventions.¹¹

Footnote 11:

11. Anthony S. Fauci, “Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic,” lecture, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, October 12, 2023, recording, accessed October 10, 2025, https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/event/lessons-from-the-covid-19-pandemic/.

Bibliography entry:
Fauci, Anthony S. “Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic.” Lecture, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, October 12, 2023. Recording. Accessed October 10, 2025. https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/event/lessons-from-the-covid-19-pandemic/.

These newer examples of Chicago style footnotes: practical examples show how flexible the system is with online and multimedia content.

Shortened notes: how examples of Chicago style footnotes change after the first citation

Once you’ve cited a source in full, Chicago lets you use a shortened form in later footnotes. This keeps your pages from turning into citation walls.

Take the earlier Sugrue example:

First footnote (full):

1. Thomas J. Sugrue, The Origins of the Urban Crisis: Race and Inequality in Postwar Detroit (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2014), 5.

Later footnote (shortened):

12. Sugrue, Origins of the Urban Crisis, 87.

The shortened note usually includes:

• Author’s last name
• A brief version of the title
• Page number

Seeing both versions side by side is one of the best examples for understanding how Chicago style footnotes evolve throughout a paper.

Common patterns you can copy from these examples of Chicago style footnotes

If you read back through these examples of Chicago style footnotes: practical examples, a few patterns jump out:

• Author names: First name then last name in footnotes; last name then first name in the bibliography.
• Titles: Books and journals in italics; articles and web pages in quotation marks.
• Publication details: City, publisher, year for books; volume, issue, year for journals.
• Online sources: URL plus access date (especially for government and health sites like CDC or NIH).
• DOIs: Used whenever possible for scholarly articles, as shown in the Pope and Dockery example.

Once you recognize these patterns, you can adapt them to almost any source you encounter.

For the most up-to-date rules, it’s always smart to cross-check with the Chicago Manual of Style Online (if your library provides access) or with university writing centers like Purdue OWL or Harvard Library. These sites regularly update their examples of Chicago style footnotes to match the latest edition.

FAQ: quick answers with examples

What are some common examples of Chicago style footnotes for students?

Common examples of Chicago style footnotes in student papers include:

• A book with one author (like the Jane Jacobs example above)
• A peer-reviewed journal article with a DOI
• A government website such as a CDC or USDA page
• An online news article from a major outlet like the New York Times
• A YouTube video or recorded lecture used as a source

If your source fits one of those categories, you can usually find a very similar example of Chicago style footnote formatting in this guide.

Can I use “ibid.” in Chicago style footnotes in 2024–2025?

Yes, ibid. is still allowed in the 17th edition of Chicago style, but many instructors prefer the shortened note format instead because it’s clearer. For example, instead of:

13. Ibid., 90.

You might write:

13. Sugrue, Origins of the Urban Crisis, 90.

Both are acceptable, but the second example of a Chicago style footnote is easier to read if someone is skimming your notes.

Do I always need a bibliography if I use footnotes?

In the Notes and Bibliography system, yes, you almost always include a bibliography unless your instructor explicitly tells you not to. The footnotes show exactly where you got each specific idea or quotation, while the bibliography gathers all your sources in one place. The examples of Chicago style footnotes: practical examples in this article are always paired with matching bibliography entries for that reason.

Where can I find more examples of Chicago style footnotes?

You can find more examples of Chicago style footnotes and related formats here:

• The official Chicago Manual of Style (17th ed.) via your library’s subscription
• University writing centers, such as Purdue OWL
• Library guides from major universities, like Harvard Library’s Chicago guide

When in doubt, grab the closest matching example of a Chicago style footnote from a trusted source and adjust the details to fit your own citation.

If you keep this page open while you write and treat it as your personal menu of examples of Chicago style footnotes: practical examples, you’ll spend less time wrestling with punctuation and more time actually developing your argument—which is what your instructors really care about.