Chicago Footnote Generator
Generate correctly formatted Chicago style footnotes (Notes-Bibliography, 18th edition) for books, book chapters, journal articles, websites, newspapers, and magazines. Produces both the full first-citation footnote and the shortened subsequent-citation note.
Source type
Will be italicised in the output. Include subtitle after a colon.
Only enter if not the first edition.
The specific page(s) you are referencing in this footnote.
Enter the editors of the book (not your chapter).
The specific page(s) you are referencing in this footnote.
Will be italicised in the output.
The specific page(s) you are referencing, not the full article range.
Access date
Chicago style requires an access date for websites whenever there is no publication date.
Enter the channel name or uploader's name as it appears on YouTube.
Specific moment you are referencing, like a page number.
Will be italicised in the output.
Will be italicised in the output.
Full Footnote (first citation)
Shortened Note (subsequent citations)
Italics are preserved when pasting into Word or Google Docs. Use Ibid. (with the page number if different) when citing the same source in back-to-back footnotes. Always verify against your institution's style guide.
Two footnotes from one source. Here is how it works.
Chicago generates two notes per source: a full note for the first citation and a shortened note for every reference after that.
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1
Select your source type. The form fields update automatically to match the information Chicago requires for that source: books need publisher and place, journals need volume and issue, websites need an access date.
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2
Enter author names first name first. Chicago notes use First Last order (not inverted like a bibliography), so enter them exactly as you want them to appear.
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3
Click Generate. You get both outputs at once: the full first-citation note and the shortened note (Last Name, Short Title, page) ready for every subsequent reference.
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4
Click Copy next to either output. Italics on book titles and journal names are preserved when you paste directly into Word or Google Docs.
Full note vs shortened note: what is the difference?
This tool generates both. Here is what each one looks like for the same book.
Full note (first citation)
John Smith, History of Ideas (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2021), 45.
Used once, the very first time you cite this source.
Shortened note (all later citations)
Smith, History of Ideas, 52.
Last name, shortened title (4 words or fewer), new page number.
If you are citing the same source as the immediately preceding footnote, use Ibid. instead of the shortened note.
How Chicago footnotes differ from APA and MLA
If you have used APA or MLA before, Chicago will feel noticeably different in three key ways.
Notes in the text, not parentheses. Citations appear as superscript numbers that link to numbered footnotes at the bottom of the page, not inline (Author, Year) markers.
Author names are not inverted. In notes, authors appear as First Last (John Smith), not Smith, John. Inversion only applies in the bibliography.
Publisher goes in parentheses. For books: (City: Publisher, Year), not just Publisher. This is unique to Chicago and easy to forget.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between a full footnote and a shortened note?
The full footnote is used the first time you cite a source. It includes all bibliographic details: author's full name, complete title, publisher information, year, and page number. Shortened notes are used every time you cite the same source after the first citation. They include only the author's last name, a shortened title (four words or fewer), and the page number. For example, the full note "John Smith, History of Ideas (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2021), 45" becomes "Smith, History of Ideas, 45" in all later footnotes.
When should I use "Ibid." instead of the shortened note?
Use Ibid. (Latin for "in the same place") when you are citing the exact same source as the immediately preceding footnote. If the page number is also the same, write only "Ibid." If the page differs, write "Ibid., 52." Do not use Ibid. if any other footnote appears between the current citation and the previous one for that source. In that case, use the shortened note form generated by this tool.
Does Chicago style require a bibliography as well as footnotes?
In the Notes-Bibliography system, a bibliography at the end of the document is standard practice and usually required. The bibliography entry for a source differs from the footnote in several ways: the author's name is inverted (Last, First), the entry is formatted as a hanging indent, and no specific page number is included for books. This generator produces the footnote forms only. Consult your institution's guide for the corresponding bibliography format.
How do I handle a source with no author in Chicago style?
For websites with no named author, leave the author field blank. The generator will begin the citation with the page title instead. For other source types without a named individual author, you may enter an organisation name in the first name field to use it as the author. Always verify the output against The Chicago Manual of Style for edge cases, as this generator applies the most common rules for each source type.
Should I verify generated footnotes before submitting?
Always verify any generated citation against your institution's style guide or The Chicago Manual of Style, 18th edition. The generator applies standard Chicago 18th edition rules, but some universities have additional formatting requirements, and the accuracy of the output depends entirely on the details you enter. Check capitalisation, spelling of names, and page numbers carefully before submitting.