Chicago Style Footnotes: Practical Examples

Explore practical examples of Chicago Style footnotes for your research papers.
By Jamie

Understanding Chicago Style Footnotes

Footnotes in Chicago Style are used to provide additional information or citations without interrupting the flow of the main text. They are placed at the bottom of the page and are marked with a superscript number in the text. Below are three diverse examples that illustrate how to format footnotes correctly in Chicago Style.

Example 1: Citing a Book

Context

When writing a research paper, you may want to reference a book that provides vital information on your topic. This example demonstrates how to cite a book in a footnote.

The Chicago Manual of Style recommends that footnotes include the author, title, publication information, and page number. This format ensures that readers can easily locate the source material.

  1. John Smith, The History of Science (New York: Academic Press, 2020), 45.

Note: If you reference the same source again, you can use a shortened form in subsequent footnotes, such as:

  1. Smith, The History of Science, 78.

Example 2: Citing a Journal Article

Context

In academic writing, journal articles are a crucial source of information. This example illustrates how to footnote an article from an academic journal.

Footnotes for journal articles include the author’s name, the article title in quotation marks, the journal title in italics, volume and issue numbers, publication year, and page numbers.

  1. Jane Doe, “Innovations in Renewable Energy,” Journal of Environmental Studies 15, no. 2 (2021): 134-150.

Note: If you need to cite multiple articles from the same journal, ensure to provide full citations for the first reference and use shortened forms for subsequent references:

  1. Doe, “Innovations in Renewable Energy,” 145.

Example 3: Citing a Website

Context

With the rise of online research, citing web sources has become increasingly important. This example shows how to properly cite a website using Chicago Style footnotes.

When footnoting a website, you should include the author (if available), the title of the webpage in quotation marks, the website name in italics, the publication date (if available), and the URL.

  1. Mark Johnson, “The Future of Education Technology,” EdTech World, last modified March 5, 2023, http://www.edtechworld.com/future-education-technology.

Note: If access dates are required by your instructor or institution, you can add them after the URL:

  1. Johnson, “The Future of Education Technology,” accessed October 10, 2023.