Best examples of 3 practical examples of Chicago style footnote for students

3 practical examples of Chicago style footnote in action

Let’s start exactly where your professor starts grading: the bottom of the page. Here are three core patterns that cover most classroom situations. These are the examples of 3 practical examples of Chicago style footnote you’ll use over and over.

I’ll show each one in this order:

• How the sentence might look in your paper
• The corresponding footnote
• A short note about why it’s formatted that way

Example 1: Single‑author book (most common classroom source)

Imagine you’re writing a history paper and you use a classic book.

In your text:

The New Deal fundamentally reshaped the relationship between citizens and the federal government.

Footnote (first time you cite this book):

1. Eric Foner, The Story of American Freedom (New York: W. W. Norton, 1998), 210.

What’s happening here:

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

Later in the same paper, you cite the same book again:

5. Foner, The Story of American Freedom, 245.

This second note is shorter because Chicago lets you use a shortened form after the first full citation. When people talk about examples of 3 practical examples of Chicago style footnote, this “first full note, then short note” pattern is one of the best examples to memorize.

Example 2: Journal article from a database (typical research assignment)

Now imagine you’re writing a psychology or sociology paper using a peer‑reviewed article you found in a database like JSTOR or PsycINFO.

In your text:

Recent research shows that social support can significantly buffer stress in college students.

Footnote (first citation):

2. Emily A. Smith and Jordan L. Perez, “Social Support and Stress Among First‑Year College Students,” Journal of College Student Development 64, no. 2 (2023): 145–47, https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2023.0012.

Key moves here:

• Article title in quotation marks
• Journal title italicized
• Volume number, issue number (no. 2), year in parentheses
• Page range used (145–47)
• DOI at the end when available (Chicago strongly prefers the DOI if you have it)

Shortened later note:

7. Smith and Perez, “Social Support and Stress,” 150.

Again, you see the same pattern: full detail the first time, then a shorter version. When instructors ask for real examples of 3 practical examples of Chicago style footnote, this book‑plus‑article combo usually makes the list.

Example 3: Webpage with institutional author (modern research reality)

You will almost definitely need to cite a reputable website. Let’s use an example from a government health source.

In your text:

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, regular physical activity can reduce the risk of chronic disease.

Footnote (first citation):

3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Physical Activity Basics,” CDC, last reviewed June 16, 2022, https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/index.htm.

Notice the pattern:

• Institutional author (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Page or article title in quotation marks
• Website name (CDC)
• Last reviewed or last modified date
• URL

Shortened note later:

10. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Physical Activity Basics.”

These three are the best examples of 3 practical examples of Chicago style footnote because together they cover books, articles, and reputable websites—the core of most college research.

More examples of 3 practical examples of Chicago style footnote you’ll actually use

Once you’ve seen those three, the rest are variations on the same theme. Let’s expand your toolkit with more real examples your professor will recognize immediately as correct Chicago.

Example 4: Chapter in an edited book (common in humanities classes)

In many literature, history, or education courses, you’ll cite a chapter written by one person inside a book edited by someone else.

In your text:

Scholars have debated the role of women in early American print culture.

Footnote (first citation):

4. Trish Loughran, “Books in the Nation,” in A History of the Book in America, Volume 2: An Extensive Republic: Print, Culture, and Society in the New Nation, 1790–1840, ed. Robert A. Gross and Mary Kelley (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2010), 275.

Here you see:

• Chapter author and title first
• Word in before the book title
• Editors listed with ed. (or eds. for more than one)
• Page number for the specific chapter citation

Shortened note:

11. Loughran, “Books in the Nation,” 280.

If you’re collecting examples of 3 practical examples of Chicago style footnote for a cheat sheet, this edited‑book pattern definitely deserves a spot.

Example 5: Online news article (timely topics, current events)

Maybe you’re writing about media, politics, or public health and you need a reputable news source.

In your text:

Recent reporting has highlighted growing concern about youth mental health in the United States.

Footnote (first citation):

5. Ellen Barry, “Teen Mental Health Is in Crisis. What Can Parents Do?” The New York Times, April 23, 2023, https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/23/health/teen-mental-health-parents.html.

Pattern here:

• Journalist’s name
• Article title in quotation marks
• Newspaper title italicized
• Date of publication
• URL

Shortened note:

13. Barry, “Teen Mental Health Is in Crisis.”

This is one of the best examples of how Chicago adapts to online journalism while still keeping a clear, readable footnote.

Example 6: Government report as a PDF (policy, public health, education)

Government reports are common in public policy, nursing, education, and criminal justice papers.

In your text:

Federal guidelines emphasize the importance of evidence‑based mental health services in schools.

Footnote (first citation):

6. U.S. Department of Education, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, Supporting Child and Student Social, Emotional, Behavioral, and Mental Health (Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, 2021), 5, https://www2.ed.gov/documents/students/supporting-child-student-social-emotional-behavioral-mental-health.pdf.

This example shows:

• Government agency as author
• Full report title italicized
• Government office as publisher
• Year and city
• Page number and URL

Shortened note:

15. U.S. Department of Education, Supporting Child and Student Social, Emotional, Behavioral, and Mental Health, 12.

If you’re trying to gather real examples of 3 practical examples of Chicago style footnote for public policy or education research, this one earns a place.

Example 7: Webpage from a university or medical site

For health, psychology, or nursing assignments, professors often prefer sources like NIH or Mayo Clinic.

In your text:

The National Institute of Mental Health notes that anxiety disorders are among the most common mental health conditions in the United States.

Footnote (first citation):

7. National Institute of Mental Health, “Any Anxiety Disorder,” NIMH, accessed November 15, 2024, https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/any-anxiety-disorder.

Shortened note:

18. National Institute of Mental Health, “Any Anxiety Disorder.”

This is another of the best examples of Chicago style footnote formatting for high‑quality online sources.

How to recognize patterns in examples of 3 practical examples of Chicago style footnote

Once you’ve seen several real examples, you can stop memorizing every tiny rule and start noticing patterns. Let’s use the examples of 3 practical examples of Chicago style footnote from earlier to pull out the core moves.

Pattern 1: First note vs. later notes

Using our book, article, and website examples:

• First note: long, detailed, everything spelled out
• Later notes: short, efficient, only what you need to recognize the source

If your first book note looks like this:

Eric Foner, The Story of American Freedom (New York: W. W. Norton, 1998), 210.

Then your later note should look like this:

Foner, The Story of American Freedom, 245.

Same logic for the journal article and the CDC webpage. This “long first note, short later note” rhythm is one of the best examples of how Chicago keeps your paper readable.

Pattern 2: Punctuation and order stay consistent

Look back at the examples of 3 practical examples of Chicago style footnote above and you’ll see a steady order:

• Author (or organization)
• Title (in quotes or italics, depending on type)
• Publication info (city, publisher, year; or journal details; or site name and date)
• Page number (if there is one)
• URL or DOI (for online sources)

If you’re ever unsure, compare your draft note to a real example from the Chicago Manual of Style or a university writing center. The University of Chicago Press has an overview here: https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide/citation-guide-1.html

Pattern 3: Matching footnotes to bibliography entries

Chicago’s notes‑bibliography system expects two things:

• A footnote (or endnote) for each time you cite
• A bibliography entry at the end of the paper

Take the Foner book example again.

Footnote (first use):

Eric Foner, The Story of American Freedom (New York: W. W. Norton, 1998), 210.

Bibliography entry:

Foner, Eric. The Story of American Freedom. New York: W. W. Norton, 1998.

Same information, different order and formatting. If you understand one, the other becomes much easier.

Quick checklist when using these examples in your own paper

When you borrow these real examples of 3 practical examples of Chicago style footnote and adapt them, run through this short mental checklist:

• Does the footnote start with the correct number, followed by a period and a space?
• Did you flip the author’s name to “First Last” (footnote) instead of “Last, First” (bibliography)?
• Is the title in the right format: italics for books and journals, quotation marks for chapters and articles?
• Did you include a page number for any source that has pages?
• For online sources, did you add a date (published, last updated, or accessed) and a stable URL or DOI?

If the answer is “yes” to those, you’re probably in good shape.

For more detailed guidance, many writing centers post updated Chicago examples. A few reliable places to double‑check your work:

• Purdue OWL’s Chicago guide: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/chicago_manual_17th_edition/chicago_style_introduction.html
• University of Chicago citation guide: https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide/citation-guide-1.html
• Harvard Library citation resources: https://guides.library.harvard.edu/scholar

FAQ: Common questions about Chicago footnotes with examples

How many examples of Chicago style footnote do I need to see before I “get it”?
Honestly, if you study the examples of 3 practical examples of Chicago style footnote in this guide—book, article, and website—and then add a few more like edited chapters and news articles, you’ll have enough patterns to handle 90% of classroom sources.

Can you give an example of a Chicago style footnote for a source without an author?
Yes. Start with the title instead of the author, like this:

“Climate Change Indicators in the United States,” U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, last modified April 2023, https://www.epa.gov/climate-indicators.

In your bibliography, you’d alphabetize by Climate, not by U.S.

Do I need a footnote for every sentence that uses the same source?
Not if it’s clear you’re still talking about the same source. You can place one footnote at the end of a paragraph that clearly relies on a single source. But if you mix sources, give each one its own note.

Is it okay to use citation generators instead of real examples?
You can, but treat them like calculators: useful, but not always correct. It’s smart to compare what a generator gives you with real examples of 3 practical examples of Chicago style footnote from a trusted guide and fix anything that looks off.

What’s the difference between a Chicago footnote and an in‑text citation like APA?
APA and MLA use short in‑text citations (Author, Year or Author Page). Chicago’s notes‑bibliography style moves those details into footnotes or endnotes so your main text reads more smoothly. The trade‑off is that the bottom of the page does more work—but with the right examples, it’s very manageable.

If you keep this page open while you write and model your own notes on these examples of 3 practical examples of Chicago style footnote, you’ll find that Chicago style is less about memorizing rules and more about copying the right patterns with your own source details filled in.