Chicago Citation Generator (Notes and Bibliography)

Free Chicago citation generator (18th ed., notes and bibliography): footnotes, short notes and bibliography entries for websites, books and articles.

Free, with no account and no limit. It runs in your browser: nothing you type is sent anywhere, and your bibliography is saved in this browser only. It formats the notes and bibliography system; Chicago author-date is not offered.

How it works

Pick the kind of source: website, book, journal article or YouTube video. Chicago is already selected.
Type the authors, title, date and the other details from the source. The footnote, the short note and the bibliography entry are formatted as you type.
Copy the footnote into your paper, adding the page you cite, and add the source to your bibliography. Copy all pastes the bibliography, sorted A to Z.

Chicago examples: notes and bibliography

Book, one author: Kimmerer, Robin Wall. Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants. Milkweed Editions, 2013. Footnote: 1. Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants (Milkweed Editions, 2013). Short note: 1. Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass.
Book, two authors: Levitt, Steven D., and Stephen J. Dubner. Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything. William Morrow, 2005. Footnote: 1. Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything (William Morrow, 2005). Short note: 1. Levitt and Dubner, Freakonomics.
Journal article with a DOI: Mueller, Pam A., and Daniel M. Oppenheimer. “The Pen Is Mightier than the Keyboard: Advantages of Longhand over Laptop Note Taking.” Psychological Science 25, no. 6 (2014): 1159–1168. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797614524581. Footnote: 1. Pam A. Mueller and Daniel M. Oppenheimer, “The Pen Is Mightier than the Keyboard: Advantages of Longhand over Laptop Note Taking,” Psychological Science 25, no. 6 (2014): 1159–1168, https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797614524581. Short note: 1. Mueller and Oppenheimer, “Pen Is Mightier.”
Page on a website: Hollmichel, Stefanie. “The Reading Brain: Differences between Digital and Print.” So Many Books, So Little Time. April 25, 2013. https://somanybooksblog.com/2013/04/25/the-reading-brain-differences-between-digital-and-print/. Footnote: 1. Stefanie Hollmichel, “The Reading Brain: Differences between Digital and Print,” So Many Books, So Little Time, April 25, 2013, https://somanybooksblog.com/2013/04/25/the-reading-brain-differences-between-digital-and-print/. Short note: 1. Hollmichel, “Reading Brain.”

How Chicago notes and bibliography works

Each time you use a source, put a superscript number in your sentence and a matching numbered footnote (at the foot of the page) or endnote (at the end of the paper).
The first note for a source is the full note: the author’s name in normal order, then the title and publication details, separated by commas. Add the page number you cite at the end.
Later notes for the same source use the short form: the author’s last name and a short title of up to four words, then the page.
The bibliography at the end lists every source alphabetically by the first author’s last name, inverted (Last, First), with the parts separated by periods and a hanging indent.

Notes versus bibliography entries

Names: a note gives the author in normal order (Robin Wall Kimmerer); the bibliography inverts the first author (Kimmerer, Robin Wall).
Punctuation: a note separates the parts with commas and puts book publication details in parentheses; a bibliography entry separates them with periods.
Titles: books and journals are italic; articles, web pages and videos go in quotation marks. Titles are in title case.
Chicago 18 leaves the place of publication out of book entries by default; the generator adds it only if you type a city.

What this generator does not do

Chicago author-date, the version used mostly in the sciences, with in-text citations like (Kimmerer 2013, 45) and a reference list, is not offered. If your assignment asks for author-date, the APA 7 option is the closest format here but it is not the same.
It does not look up sources from a URL or ISBN, and it does not add editors or translators; type those in yourself and check each entry against the source.

Other styles and tools

Other styles: the APA citation generator, the MLA citation generator and the works cited generator. A whole list in any style: the bibliography generator.
Finding sources: the research workbench searches OpenAlex, Crossref and arXiv. Starting the paper: the thesis statement generator.

Frequently asked questions

Which Chicago style does it use?

The Chicago Manual of Style, 18th edition, notes and bibliography system: a full footnote, a short note for later citations, and a bibliography entry. Chicago author-date is not offered.

How do I write a Chicago footnote?

Put a superscript number after the sentence that uses the source, and the matching note at the foot of the page. The first note for a source is the full note; add the page number before the final period. Later notes use the short form: last name, short title, page.

What is the difference between a footnote and a bibliography entry?

A footnote gives the author in normal order and separates the parts with commas. A bibliography entry inverts the first author’s name and separates the parts with periods. The generator gives you both.

Does it support Chicago author-date?

No. Only the notes and bibliography system is offered. Author-date uses in-text citations such as (Kimmerer 2013, 45) and a reference list, which this generator does not produce.

Can it fill in the details from a URL or ISBN?

No. You type the details and it formats them. Nothing is looked up or sent anywhere.

Is it free?

Yes, with no account and no limit. Your bibliography is saved in this browser only.

scholar.0xpi.com/tools/chicago-citation-generator