Generate Chicago Author-Date citations and learn the rules.
Chicago Author-Date citation style is a system for documenting sources in academic writing developed by the Chicago Manual of Style. It is commonly used in disciplines that emphasize the author and the year of publication, including the natural sciences and social sciences.
In the Author-Date system, sources are identified in the text by the author’s last name and year of publication, with full publication details provided in a reference list at the end of the document.
The reference list appears at the end of the document and provides complete publication information for every source cited in the text.
Entries are arranged alphabetically by author and include key details such as author name, year of publication, title, and source information.
Explore Chicago Author-Date reference list entries →In-text citations appear within the body of the text and consist of the author’s last name and the year of publication.
These citations guide readers to the corresponding entries in the reference list and are used when summarizing, paraphrasing, or quoting sources.
Explore Chicago Author-Date in-text citations →Chicago Author-Date reference list entries provide full publication details for every source cited in the text. The reference list appears at the end of a paper and allows readers to identify and locate the sources behind the ideas, data, and quotations in the writing.
In the Chicago Author-Date system, a reference list entry typically includes the author, year of publication, title, and publication or access details. The required elements and their order vary by source type, such as books, journal articles, and online sources.
Reference list formats differ depending on the kind of source you are citing. Each format uses a defined set of elements and a consistent order so readers can quickly scan and compare sources.
Used for authored books, edited volumes, and chapters in edited collections, including both print and electronic editions.
Book entries commonly include the author, year of publication, title, and publication details such as place and publisher. For online books, access information may also be included when relevant.
View an example of this format in use:
Used for webpages and online articles, including pages published by organizations, news sites, and blogs.
Website entries generally include an author or organization (when available), publication date or last update (when provided), the page title, and a URL or other access information. When a date is not available, Chicago Author-Date may rely on access information for online sources.
View an example of this format in use:
Used for scholarly articles published in academic journals and other periodicals.
Journal entries typically include the author, year of publication, article title, journal title, volume and issue information, and page range. If a DOI is available, it is commonly included as a stable way to identify the article.
View an example of this format in use:
Chicago Author-Date in-text citations appear in the body of the text to show where an idea, statement, or quotation comes from.
In the Author-Date system, an in-text citation normally includes the author’s last name and the year of publication. When you quote directly or cite a specific passage, a page number or other locator is added.
Parenthetical citation places the citation in parentheses, usually at the end of the sentence. It typically includes the author, year, and a page number when needed.
(Taylor 2020, 45)
Narrative citation includes the author’s name as part of the sentence. The year appears in parentheses, and a page number may be included in the citation when needed.
Taylor (2020, 45)
For a source with one author, use the author’s last name and the year of publication. Add a page number or other locator when you need to point readers to a specific part of the source.
(Taylor 2020)
For a work with two authors, include both last names in the citation. Use “and” in narrative form, and list both names in the parenthetical form.
(Taylor and Nguyen 2020)
For works with three or more authors, Chicago Author-Date typically uses the first author’s last name followed by “et al.” in the in-text citation. The year follows the author element.
(Taylor et al. 2020)
For detailed rules and examples, see Chicago Author-Date in-text citations with multiple authors .
If a source has no named author, Chicago Author-Date uses the title in place of the author in the in-text citation. Use a shortened form of the title that matches the beginning of the corresponding reference list entry.
("Climate Trends" 2020)
Tip: Every Chicago Author-Date in-text citation should point to a matching entry in the reference list.
Chicago Author-Date errors often come from small formatting habits carried over from other styles. Use the checks below to review both your in-text citations and your reference list before you submit.
In Chicago Author-Date, every in-text citation should point to a matching reference list entry, and every entry in the reference list should be cited in the text.
How to check: Read your reference list from top to bottom and confirm each entry is cited at least once in the text. Then scan your text for parenthetical citations and confirm each one has a matching entry in the reference list.
Chicago Author-Date does not use a comma between the author name and the year in a parenthetical citation. This is one of the most common habits people bring from other author-date styles.
How to check: Search your draft for citations that look like (Taylor, 2020). Remove the comma so the citation reads (Taylor 2020).
The year is part of the Chicago Author-Date system. If a citation includes an author name but no year, a reader cannot reliably match it to the correct entry in the reference list.
How to check: Scan every in-text citation and confirm it includes a year. For narrative citations, confirm the year appears in parentheses immediately after the author name.
When you quote directly or point to a specific passage, Chicago Author-Date adds a page number or other locator to the citation so readers can find the exact place you used.
How to check: Review every quotation in your draft. If you see quotation marks but the nearby citation contains only an author and year, add a page number or locator where the source provides one.
Chicago Author-Date shortens in-text citations for sources with three or more authors by using the first author’s last name followed by “et al.”.
In the reference list, the author list is handled differently. Sources with up to six authors list all authors. Sources with more than six authors list the first three followed by “et al.”.
How to check: For each multi-author source, confirm your in-text citations consistently use the same author form. Then confirm your reference list uses the appropriate author list length for that same source.
Chicago style uses the word “and” between author names. Using an ampersand is a common carryover from other formats.
How to check: Search your document for “&”. If it appears between author names in citations or in the reference list, replace it with “and”.
Chicago Author-Date in-text citations are meant to be brief. They normally use an author name and year, not a URL or a full webpage title.
How to check: Search your draft for “http”, “https”, and “www”. If any appear inside parentheses as part of an in-text citation, remove them and use the author and year instead. If your source has no named author, use a shortened title that matches the beginning of the corresponding reference list entry, followed by the year.
Chicago Author-Date reference lists are arranged alphabetically so readers can locate entries quickly. A list that is out of order is harder to scan and easier to misread.
How to check: Confirm your reference list is sorted by author last name. For works with no named author, confirm you are sorting by the title used at the start of the entry.
Chicago Author-Date relies on a consistent order of elements. When similar sources are formatted in noticeably different ways, readers may struggle to compare them or identify what is missing.
How to check: Group your entries by source type, such as books, journal articles, and websites. Compare two or three entries in the same group and confirm they follow the same element order and include the same kinds of publication details.
Tip: If a citation looks unusual, verify the source details first. Most Chicago Author-Date problems come from missing metadata rather than the punctuation.
A concise overview of essential Chicago Author-Date rules for in-text citations and reference lists.
Use this section as a quick check. If you are unsure whether a rule applies to in-text citations or the reference list, review the matching sections above and keep both parts consistent for the same source.
Common Chicago Author-Date in-text and reference list examples you can use for quick comparison and verification.
(Taylor 2020)
Taylor (2020)
(Taylor 2020, 45)
Taylor (2020, 45)
(Taylor and Nguyen 2020)
Taylor and Nguyen (2020)
(Taylor et al. 2020)
Taylor et al. (2020)
("Climate Trends" 2020)
Taylor, John A. 2020. Understanding Climate Change. Chicago: Greenfield Press.
Ryczkowski, J. 1993. “Polish Journal of Environmental Studies.” Applied Catalysis A: General 106 (1): N3–N4. https://doi.org/10.1016/0926-860X(93)80167-O
World Health Organization. 2023. “Climate Change.” World Health Organization. October 12, 2023. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/climate-change-and-health
Chicago Author-Date citations are straightforward when source details are complete. When key elements are missing, when you are citing a mix of source types, or when you need precise locators, a citation generator can reduce avoidable errors.
Chicago Author-Date is built around one promise: the in-text citation and the reference list entry must identify the same source. In practice, the difficulty is rarely the concept. It is the source data.
Real sources often arrive with incomplete or inconsistent metadata. Small gaps can force judgment calls that lead to citations that look plausible but do not reliably match the original source.
These situations are common:
When key elements are missing, manual citation often turns into guessing which date to use, which author name is authoritative, and which link is the stable version. Those guesses reduce traceability.
Chicago Author-Date citation errors frequently occur in these scenarios:
In these cases, the issue is not knowing Chicago Author-Date exists. The issue is keeping the in-text citation and the reference list synchronized when the source data is messy.
Using a Chicago Author-Date citation generator is recommended when:
A generator helps apply Chicago Author-Date rules consistently while keeping the citations aligned with the source data you actually have.
YesCite follows a strict data integrity principle:
Missing source elements are explicitly marked, not inferred or fabricated.
When a source lacks key details such as a publication date or a named author, YesCite will:
This approach reduces the risk of inserting unverifiable details into academic citations and makes it easier to audit your sources later.
Manual Chicago Author-Date citation can be reasonable when source information is complete, you are citing familiar source types, and the reference list is small.
A citation generator does not replace understanding the Chicago Author-Date system. Its primary value is reducing judgment errors when sources are incomplete, inconsistent, or difficult to document consistently across a full reference list.
YesCite
