VCSU Library Citation Guide

Chicago Style, What and Why

Chicago style is the set of formatting and citation guidelines created by the University of Chicago Press. These guidelines are most commonly used in history, the humanities, social sciences, and the arts. The Chicago Manual of Style is currently in its 18th edition. 

Your Professor isn't asking you to use Chicago Style just to make your life harder. Following a citation style is important because it gives you a way to show which work is yours, what information you found from other sources, and makes it easy for the person reading your paper to find the sources used. Building your knowledge of formatting and citing in Chicago will also help you in your future, whether you plan on entering the workforce or continuing your education. 

Chicago has two styles, Notes-Bibliography style and Author-Date style. Notes-Bibliography style is the main style used at VCSU, and this Chicago Citation Guide is designed around it. 

Tutorials and Tools

• Chicago Manual of Style Q & A  - This is the official Q & A page for the Chicago Manual of Style. This is a great place to look for help with obscure sources, grammar conventions, and other questions about using Chicago. 
• Chicago Citation Quick Guide - The Chicago Manual of Style website's quick guide for citation information.
• Purdue OWL Chicago Style - The Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) provides formatting and citation help, sample papers, and other helpful information. Please note that the Purdue OWL site is still using the 17th edition of the Chicago Manual of Style, so there may be slight differences in the guidelines on that page vs the CMOS pages.
• Chicago-Turabian Student Tip Sheets - Turabian style is functionally the same as Chicago style, so the Turabian student resources are very useful for understanding Chicago formatting and citations. 
• Chicago Manual of Style 18th Edition Print Copy - Come by the library reference desk to check out the print copy of the complete Chicago Manual of Style.