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Writing Tools Chicago Reference Generator

Free Chicago Generator for References

Are you tired of writing all these massive reference lists in your academic work? Want to speed up the process while maintaining quality? Here's a great solution—our free Chicago style reference generator!

References
Table of Contents
  1. 🔥 Benefits of Our Generator
  2. ✅ User Guide
  3. 🏫 What Is Chicago Style?
  4. 💡 In-Text Citation & References
  5. 🚀 Citing Different Sources
  6. 👍 Chicago Style Reference Examples
  7. ❓ FAQs
  8. 🔗 References

🔥 Benefits of Our Reference Generator

  • It is entirely free. There are no hidden fees or limitations—you're welcome to use it as often as you need.
  • Our tool is easy to use. It's intuitive and straightforward—all you need to do is complete 5 simple steps.
  • It saves you time and energy. Using our generator is much quicker than generating references manually.

✅ Chicago Generator: User Guide

Here’s a step-by-step instruction on how to use our reference generator:

  1. Select your source type from the list. You can choose a website, book, journal article, magazine or newspaper article, etc.
  2. Type in the information about the source. Provide the author's name, DOI number, and other relevant data.
  3. Type in other details if necessary. You can mention additional contributors, website title, date, etc.
  4. Click the Add button. You can generate several references this way.
  5. Get the results. Now, you can download an in-text citation or a reference.

Chicago style reference generator provides two formats: full reference links with in-text citations (for Author-Date style) and notes and bibliography (for Notes and Bibliography style.)

You can also paste the link to your source, and our tool will reference it automatically. Just check the preview and edit it if needed.

🏫 What Is Chicago Style?

The University of Chicago first published The Chicago Manual of Style in 1906. The university was the first to establish its referencing style.

The picture states when Chicago style was introduced and where it is used.

The University of Chicago Publisher quickly established itself as a top American university press. Chicago Manual of Style.

💡 Chicago Style: In-Text Citation & References

In Chicago style, there are two ways of citation—the Author-Date Style (AD) and Chicago Notes and Bibliography Style (NB). Let's see what they are and how they differ.

The picture compares the Chicago NB and Chicago AD style citations.

Chicago Author-Date Style

An in-text citation in Chicago AD format consists of the author's surname and the year of publication. Sometimes, a page number is also added to make the citation more specific. Each citation must correlate to its source in a reference list located at the end of the work. The reference list includes more detailed information about the source.

The Author-Date style is mainly used in natural and social sciences.

Chicago Notes and Bibliography Style

When using this format, you add a reference number to the text whenever a source is quoted or paraphrased. This number corresponds to a note containing all the necessary information about the source.

There are two types of notes: endnotes and footnotes.

  • Endnotes are placed at the end of the text.
  • Footnotes are located at the bottom of the page.

Footnotes and endnotes can be either short or full, depending on how detailed you want your quote to be.

  • Short notes include only the author's name, the source of the quotation, and the page number.
  • Full notes include everything from the short note with an addition of a publication date, issue number, publisher information, and a URL (if provided.)

The Notes and Bibliography style is usually used in history, arts, and humanities.

🚀 Citing Different Sources in Chicago Style

Ways of citing in Chicago style can differ, depending on which type of source you want to quote from. Have a look at the information below to find out how to format your references with each source type properly.

📚 Template for Referencing a Book

AD format Author's last name, first name. Year. Book Title: Subtitle. Place of publication: Publisher. URL (if it’s an e-book)
NB format
  • For notes: Author's first name, last name, Book Title: Subtitle. (place of publication: Publisher, year), Page number. URL (if it’s an e-book)
  • For bibliographies: Author's last name, first name. Book Title: Subtitle. Place of publication: Publisher, year. URL (if it’s an e-book)

📑 Template for Referencing a Journal (Online and Printed)

AD format Author's last name, first name. Year. “Article Title.” Journal Name, № of volume and issue (month or season): Page range. DOI or URL.
NB format
  • For notes: Author's first name, last name, “Article Title,” Journal Name, № of volume and issue (month or season, year): page number. DOI or URL.
  • For bibliographies: Author's last name first name. “Article Title.” Journal Name, № of volume and issue (month or season, year): Page range. DOI or URL.

📰 Template for Referencing a Magazine or Newspaper

AD format Author's last name, first name. Year. “Article Title.” Newspaper or Magazine Name, month and day of publication, year. URL.
NB format
  • For notes: Author's first name, last name, “Article Title,” Newspaper or Magazine Name, month and day of publication, year, URL.
  • For bibliographies: Author's last name, first name. “Article Title.” Newspaper Name, month, day, year. URL.

🌐 Template for Referencing a Website

AD format Author's last name, first name. Year. “Web Page Title.” Website Name. Month, day, year. URL.
NB format
  • For notes: Author's first name, last name, “Web Page Title,” Website Name, month day, year, URL.
  • For bibliographies: Author's last name, first name. “Web Page Title.” Website name. Month, day, year. URL.

📲 Template for Referencing a Blog

AD format Author last name, first name. Year. “Post Title.” Blog Name (blog), Larger Publication, month day, year. URL.
NB format
  • For notes: Author's first name, last name, “Post Title,” Blog Name (blog), Larger Publication, month, day, year, URL.
  • For bibliographies: Author's last name, first name. “Post Title.” Blog Name (blog), Larger Publication, month, day, year. URL.

✍️ Template for Referencing a Social Media Quote

AD format Author's last name, first name (Username). Year. “First words of the post.” Website name, month, day, year. URL.
NB format
  • For notes: Author's first name, last name (Username), “First words of the post,” website name, month, day, year, URL.
  • For bibliographies: Author last name, first name (Username). “First words of the post.” Website name, month, day, year. URL.

👍 Chicago Style Reference Examples

Check out the examples below to see what different sources look like when referenced in Chicago AD and NB styles.

Books

Printed

In text (Marx and Engels 1996)
Reference list (AD) Marx, Karl and Engels, Friedrich. 1996. Das Kapital: A Critique of Political Economy. Washington DC: Eagle.
Short note (NB) Marx and Engels, Das Kapital.
Full note (NB) Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, Das Kapital: A Critique of Political Economy. (Washington DC: Eagle, 1996.)
Bibliography (NB) Marx, Karl and Engels, Friedrich. Das Kapital: A Critique of Political Economy. 1996. Washington DC: Eagle.

E-books (you can also use DOI instead of URL)

In text (Mitchell 2021)
Reference list (AD) Mitchell, Margaret. 2021. Gone with the Wind. New York: Global Grey. https://www.globalgreyebooks.com/gone-with-the-wind-ebook.html.
Short note (NB) Mitchell, Gone with the Wind.
Full note (NB) Margaret Mitchell, Gone with the Wind, (New York: Global Grey, 2021), https://www.globalgreyebooks.com/gone-with-the-wind-ebook.html.
Bibliography (NB) Mitchell, Margaret. Gone with the Wind. New York: Global Grey, 2021. https://www.globalgreyebooks.com/gone-with-the-wind-ebook.html.

Journal Article

In text (Wickham 2014)
Reference list (AD) Wickham, Hadley. 2014. “Tidy Data.” Journal of Statistical Software, no. 59 (October): 13-21. http://bebi103.caltech.edu.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/2017/papers/wickham_2014.pdf.
Short note (NB) Hadley, “Tidy Data,” 13-21.
Full note (NB) Hadley Wickham, “Tidy Data,” Journal of Statistical Software, no. 59 (October 2014): 13-21. http://bebi103.caltech.edu.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/2017/papers/wickham_2014.pdf.
Bibliography (NB) Wickham, Hadley. “Tidy Data,” Journal of Statistical Software, no. 59 (October 2014): 13-21. http://bebi103.caltech.edu.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com/2017/papers/wickham_2014.pdf.

Magazine & Newspaper Article

In text (Ignatius 2014)
Reference list (AD) Ignatius, Adi. 2014. “The Best-Performing CEOs in the World.” Harvard Business Review, November 14, 2014. https://hbr.org/2014/11/the-best-performing-ceos-in-the-world.
Short note (NB) “The Best-Performing CEOs in the World.”
Full note (NB) “The Best-Performing CEOs in the World.” Harvard Business Review, November 14, 2014. https://hbr.org/2014/11/the-best-performing-ceos-in-the-world.
Bibliography (NB) Ignatius, Adi. “The Best-Performing CEOs in the World.” Harvard Business Review, November 14, 2014. https://hbr.org/2014/11/the-best-performing-ceos-in-the-world.

Website

In text (History Extra 2020)
Reference list (AD) History Extra. 2022. “Your Guide to the History of Democracy.” October 30, 2022. https://www.historyextra.com/period/ancient-greece/what-is-democracy-definition-history-facts-solon-peisistratos-ekklesia/
Short note (NB) History Extra, “Your Guide to the History of Democracy.”
Full note (NB) “Your Guide to the History of Democracy,” History Extra, October 30, 2022, https://www.historyextra.com/period/ancient-greece/what-is-democracy-definition-history-facts-solon-peisistratos-ekklesia/
Bibliography (NB) “Your Guide to the History of Democracy.” History Extra. October 30, 2022. https://www.historyextra.com/period/ancient-greece/what-is-democracy-definition-history-facts-solon-peisistratos-ekklesia/

Blog

In text (Holt 2023)
Reference list (AD) Holt, Sharon. 2023. “Easy Pancakes.” Allrecipes (blog), Breakfast and Brunch, February 10, 2023. https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/45396/easy-pancakes/
Short note (NB) Holt, “Easy Pancakes.”
Full note (NB) Sharon Holt, “Easy Pancakes,” Allrecipes (blog), Breakfast and Brunch, February 10, 2023, https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/45396/easy-pancakes/.
Bibliography (NB) Holt, Sharon. "Easy Pancakes," Allrecipes (blog), Breakfast and Brunch, February 10, 2023. https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/45396/easy-pancakes/.

Social Media

In text (Gates, 2023)
Reference list (AD) Gates, Bill (@BillGates). 2023 “I enjoyed speaking in Oslo about the interlinked challenges of energy, health, and food security…” X, February 16, 2023. https://x.com/BillGates/status/1625919001628135425.
Short note (NB) Gates, “I enjoyed speaking in Oslo about the interlinked challenges of energy, health, and food security and the way forward in this time of crisis.,” February 16, 2023.
Full note (NB) Bill Gates [@BillGates], “I enjoyed speaking in Oslo about the interlinked challenges of energy, health, and food security and the way forward in this time of crisis.,” X, February 16, 2023, https://x.com/BillGates/status/1625919001628135425.
Bibliography (NB) Gates, Bill, [@BillGates]. “I enjoyed speaking in Oslo about the interlinked challenges of energy, health, and food security and the way forward in this time of crisis.” X, February 16, 2023. https://x.com/BillGates/status/1625919001628135425.

Now you know how to cite all the possible sources in Chicago style! Remember all the aspects of correct citing, and feel free to use the Chicago reference generator to do all the routine work for you. We also recommend you try out our title page generator to take your formatting skills to the next level.

❓ Chicago Generator FAQs

Chicago style citation generator is free software that can help you create correct Chicago-styled references and bibliographies for your academic work. Note that using a citation generator is fully legal: it's just a tool for formulating proper references.

To format your references correctly, you must follow the citing template. Each style has its own template, and for Chicago, it generally goes as follows: author's last name, first name, source title, edition, place of publication, publisher, year, and DOI or URL.

You can convert any source to Chicago style by copying the URL of your source and inserting it into a Chicago style generator. If you don’t have any URL, you can convert it manually: just check the Chicago style quotation template and rephrase your APA reference.

Yes, it does. If you follow the Author-Date format, you will have a reference list at the end of your academic work. If you use the Notes-Bibliographies format, then a bibliography will replace the reference list.

🔗 References

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