VCSU Library Citation Guide

Chicago Citation Basics

• All citations should be single spaced
• Indent after the first line of each entry
• Entries are not numbered
• If an element is not present, omit it
• Alphabetize by the first word of the entry
• Enter author's last name followed by full first name for first author - additional authors will be ordered normally (FirstName LastName). 
• Capitalize all words of the title (aside from transitional words like a, and, or, etc.). 

Elements of a Citation

Author: Who created the work you’re citing? Usually, the author will be a person or multiple people, but some sources may have organizations as authors or even unknown authors.

Date of Publication: When was the work you’re citing published? Chicago Author-Date only requires the year a source was published as part of the citation.

Title: What is the work you’re citing called? The title of a work is usually easy to locate, though web pages may make this more challenging.

Other Facts of Publication: What else do people need to know to find the work? There are several subsections of this element depending on what type of work is being cited, including publisher information, journal information, or page numbers, among others.

Author Names in the Bibliography

When listing author names in your bibliography, the first author's name will be written last name first. Works with multiple authors should only have the first author's name inverted, the rest of the authors should be listed first name, last name.

One Author

Last Name, First Name. 

Two Authors

For sources with two authors, include both authors' names in the bibliography. Use the word "and" between the names, do not use "&" (an ampersand or and sign).

Last Name, First Name and First Name Last Name. 

Three to Six Authors

For sources with three to six authors, you should still list the names of all the source's authors. Put commas between each name, then put the word "and" before the last author's name. 

Last Name, First Name, First Name Last Name, and First Name Last Name.

Seven or More Authors

For sources with more than six authors, list the first three authors' names, then use the abbreviation "et al." to signal that there are more authors of the source. Put commas between the names. 

Last Name, First Name, First Name Last Name, First Name Last Name, et al. 

What are in-text citations?

An in-text citation is used in the body of your paper to let your reader know which parts of your writing are other people's ideas and which are your own. Chicago Notes/Bibliography style uses footnotes for in-text citations. The format of a footnote depends on the type of source cited. For examples of specific in-text citations, find the source type on the Citations by Source Type page of this guide. 

Authors in Footnotes

When putting author names in the footnotes of a paper, they should be written first name first. 

Single Author

Note: First name Last name, 

Shortened Note: Last name, 

Two Authors

For sources with two authors, you should use the first and last names of both authors. Write "and" between the authors' names, do not use "&" (an ampersand or and sign).

Note: First name Last name and First name Last name,

Shortened Note: Last name and Last name, 

Three or More Authors

For sources with three or more authors, only put the first author's name in the note, followed by et al. 

Note: First name Last name et al., 

Shortened Note: Last name et al.,