University of New England - Innovation for a Healthier Planet
UNE Library Services > Research Skills > Citations > Chicago Style Guides > Notes-Bibliography System

Research Skills

Notes-Bibliography System

The Chicago Style Notes-Bibliography (NB) system uses footnotes or endnotes to cite sources in a text. Notes are shortened references at the end of the page or chapter that refer to a full citation in a bibliography at the end of your paper.

General Rules

Authors

  • Alphabetize entries in the bibliography by author last name or first word of the citation.
  • List the first author as last name, first name. All subsequent names should be listed as first name, last name.
  • For sources with two authors, list both in the bibliography and notes.
  • For three or more authors, list up to six in the bibliography list. For more than six, list the first three followed by “et al.” In a note, list only the first author followed by “et al.”

Titles

  • Italicize the titles of books and journals. Place the titles of articles, chapters, poems, etc. in quotation marks.
  • Capitalize words in article, chapter and book titles and subtitles using title case. Capitalize journal titles in the same way as the journal does.
  • If no page numbers are available, you can cite a section title, chapter, or omit.
  • If there is no publication date listed, use n.d. (no date) and include an access date.

Online Sources

  • A Digital Object Identifier (DOI) is a unique number that can act as a persistent URL. Use a DOI in place of the URL whenever one is provided.
  • If no DOI is available, include a URL or the name of the database.
  • If no page numbers are available, use a subheading, section title, or omit.

Formatting

Footnotes & Endotes

  • Include a superscript number (1) at the end of the sentence or clause whenever you quote, paraphrase, or summarize the ideas of another author.
  • The superscript numbers will correspond to a footnote or endnote. Footnotes are added at the end of the page on which the source is referenced; endnotes are compiled at the end of each chapter or at the end of the document.
  • Notes should be numbered consecutively, beginning with one.

Full Notes and Shortened Notes

  • In papers without a full bibliography section, use a full note the first time you refer to a source. Subsequent citations for that same work can be shortened.
  • A shortened note includes the author last name, title, and page number, if applicable. Titles of over four words can be shortened. If there are multiple authors, list the first and use “et al.”
  • In papers with a full bibliography, use shortened notes in all cases.

Examples

Articles

Journal Article
Full note:
1. Mary A. Sobhani, “Religion, Fanaticism, and Magic: A Postsecular Analysis of Luis Alberto Urrea’s Queen of America,” Chasqui 50, no. 1 (2021): 95-112, https://une.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/religion-fanaticism-magic-postsecular-analysis/docview/2555181632/se-2?accountid=12756.
Shortened note:
1. Sobhani, “Religion, Fanaticism, and Magic,” 101.
Bibliography:
Sobhani, Mary A. “Religion, Fanaticism, and Magic: A Postsecular Analysis of Luis Alberto Urrea’s Queen of America.”Chasqui 50, no. 1 (2021): 95-112. https://une.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/religion-fanaticism-magic-postsecular-analysis/docview/2555181632/se-2?accountid=12756.
Newspaper or Magazine Article
Full note:
1. Richelieu, Sydney, “Local Author Brings Maine Woman’s Story to Life,” Portland Press Herald, May 27 2025, https://www.pressherald.com/2025/05/27/local-author-brings-maine-womans-story-to-life/.
Shortened note:
1. Richelieu, “Local Author.”
Bibliography:
Richelieu, Sydney. “Local Author Brings Maine Woman’s Story to Life.” Portland Press Herald, May 27, 2025. https://www.pressherald.com/2025/05/27/local-author-brings-maine-womans-story-to-life/.
Thesis or Dissertation
Full Note:
1. Shannon M. Cardinal, “’The Devil That Lives in Human Frames:’ Gender, Prostitution, Drink, and Reform in the Progressive Era.” (B.A. thesis, University of New England, 2016), https://dune.une.edu/theses/63/.
Shortened note:
Cardinal, “The Devil That Lives”.
Bibliography:
Cardinal, Shannon M. “The Devil That Lives in Human Frames:’ Gender, Prostitution, Drink, and Reform in the Progressive Era.” B.A. theses, University of New England, 2016. https://dune.une.edu/theses/63/.

Books

Note: If citing a print book, omit the DOI, URL or Database Name.

Book by One Author
Full note:
1. Walter Isaacson, The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race (Simon & Schuster, 2021), https://ebook.yourcloudlibrary.com/library/unelibrary/detail/3ho2pz9.
Shortened note:
1. Isaacson, The Code Breaker, 128.
Bibliography:
Isaacson, Walter. The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race. Simon & Schuster, 2021. https://ebook.yourcloudlibrary.com/library/unelibrary/detail/3ho2pz9
Book by Two or More Authors
Full note:
1. Lisa Kröger and Melanie Anderson, Monster, She Wrote: The Women Who Pioneered Horror & Speculative Fiction (Quirk Books, 2019), 99.
Shortened note:
1. Kröger and Anderson, Monster, She Wrote, 99.
Bibliography:
Kröger, Lisa and Melanie Anderson. Monster, She Wrote: The Women Who Pioneered Horror & Speculative Fiction. Quirk Book, 2019. 
Chapter in an Edited Book
Full Note:
1. John Smith, “The Impact of Climate Change on Biodiversity,” In Environmental Challenges in the 21st Century, ed. Laura Johnson and Michael Brown (University of Chicago Press, 2022), 62-74.
Shortened Note:
1. Smith, “Impact of Climate Change,” 65.
Bibliography:
Smith, John. “The Impact of Climate Change on Biodiversity.” In Environmental Challenges in the 21st Century, edited by Laura Johnson and Michael Brown. University of Chicago Press, 2022.

Web Sources

Notes:

  • If the year of publication or revision is not available use n.d., and include an accessed date.
  • If there is no author credited, use the organization or corporation responsible for the website.
Webpages
Full note:
1. “Copyright & Fair Use,” University of New England Library Services, accessed May 1, 2019, https://library.une.edu/research-help/research-publishing-support/understanding-copyright/.
Shortened note:
1. “Copyright & Fair Use.”
Bibliography:
University of New England Library Services. “Copyright & Fair Use.” Accessed May 1, 2025. https://library.une.edu/research-help/research-publishing-support/understanding-copyright/.
Blog Post
Full Note:
1. Gayle F. Wald, “Ella Jenkins and Sonic Civil Rights Pedagogy,” Black Perspectives, April 25, 2025, https://www.aaihs.org/ella-jenkins-and-sonic-civil-rights-pedagogy/.
Shortened note:
1. Wald, “Elle Jenkins.”
Bibliography:
Wald, Gayle F. “Ella Jenkins and Sonic Civil Rights Pedagogy.” Black Perspectives, April 25, 2025. https://www.aaihs.org/ella-jenkins-and-sonic-civil-rights-pedagogy/.
Social Media

References to social media posts can usually be limited to the text. If a more formal citation is needed, use up to the first 280 characters of the post in place of the title.

Full Note:
1. Merriam-Webster (@MerriamWebster), “We don’t know if you are ready to see our definition of ‘gatekeeping.’” Instagram, June 26, 2025. https://www.instagram.com/merriamwebster/p/DLXXxDXN2b3/?hl=en.
Shortened Note:
1. Merriam-Webster, “definition of ‘gatekeeping.’”
Bibliography:
Merriam-Webster. “We don’t know if you are ready to see our definition of ‘gatekeeping.’” Instagram, June 26. 2025. https://www.instagram.com/merriamwebster/p/DLXXxDXN2b3/?hl=en.

Video & Audio

Streaming Video
Full Note:
1. Megan Ming, “Let’s Get to the Root of Racial Injustice,” TEDxRanier, March 16, 2016, 19 min., 37 sec., https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-aCn72iXO9s.
Shortened Note:
1. Ming “Racial Injustice.”
Bibliography:
Ming, Megan F. 2016. “Let’s Get to the Root of Racial Injustice.” TEDxRainier, March 16. Video, 19 min., 37 sec. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-aCn72iXO9s.
TV Episode
Full Note:
1. Neil Degrasse Tyson, host, Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, Episode 2, Part 2, “Some of the Things That Molecules Do,” written by Ann Druyan and Steven Soter, directed by Bill Pope, aired March 16, 2014, on 21st Century Fox.
Shortened Note:
1. Tyson, “Molecules.” 
Bibliography:
Tyson, Neil deGrasse, host. Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, Episode 2, Part 2, “Some of the Things That Molecules Do.” DVD. Written by Ann Druyan and Steven Soter, directed by Bill Pope. Aired March 16, 2014, on 21st Century Fox.
Podcast
Full Note:
1. Shankar Vedantam, host, Hidden Brain, “The Halo Effect: Why It’s So Difficults To Understand The Past,” National Public Radio, September 21, 2020, 54 min., 54 sec., https://www.npr.org/transcripts/904660038. 
Shortened Note:
1. Vedantam, “The Halo Effect.”
Bibliography:
Vedantam, Shankar, host. Hidden Brain.“The Halo Effect: Why It’s So Difficults To Understand The Past.” National Pubic Radio, September 21, 2020. Podcast. 54 min., 54 sec. https://www.npr.org/transcripts/904660038.

Images

References to images are usually included in the text. If a more formal citation is necessary, use this basic format:

Example:

Full Note

1. Henry R. Robinson, The Political Barbeque, 1834, lithograph on wove paper, 25.5 x 36.6 cm, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs, Washington, D.C., https://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/app/item/2008661772/.

Shortened Note

1. Robinson, The Political Barbeque. 

Bibliography

Robinson, Henry R. The Political Barbeque. 1834. Lithograph on wove paper, 25.5 x 36.6 cm. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs, Washington, D.C. https://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/app/item/2008661772/.

AI

See The Chicago Manual of Style 14.112 for citing AI-Generated content.

AI-generated content should be cited whenever quoted or paraphrased.  If there is a publicly available archive of the conversation, AI references can be included in a reference list. References can also be included in the text or as notes. In either case it is important to include the AI tool used including the version, the prompt given, the date the text was generated, and how the content was incorporated into your work.

Examples:

Notes:

1. Text generated by ChatGPT-4o, OpenAI, July 7, 2025, https://chatgpt.com/s/t_686be95540c081919fd7622f78645f2, edited for length and accuracy.

1. Response to “How can AI help with academic research?,” ChatGPT-4o, Open AI, July 7, 2025, edited for length and style.

Bibliography:

OpenAI. Response to “How can AI help with academic research?” ChatGPT-4o, July 7, 2025. https://chatgpt.com/s/t_686be95540c081919fd7622f78645f29.

Other Source Types

Personal Communications

References to personal communications such as letters, emails or text messages are not typically included a Chicago Style bibliography, but usually appear in the text. Footnotes should appear as:

Example:
1. Steven Miller, email to author, July 19, 2023.

Interviews

Use the name of the interviewee when referencing an interview.

Full Note:

1. Sadjadpour, Karim. 2025,  “How US Air Strikes in Iran Might Affect The Country’s Nuclear Program And Leadership,” Interview by Dave Davies, Fresh Air, NPR, June 24, https://www.npr.org/transcripts/nx-s1-5443566.

Shortened Note:

1. Sadjadpour, “US Air Strikes.”

Bibliography:

Sadjadpour, Karim. 2025.  “How US Air Strikes in Iran Might Affect The Country’s Nuclear Program And Leadership.” Interview by Dave Davies. Fresh Air, NPR, June 24. https://www.npr.org/transcripts/nx-s1-5443566.

Legal Cases

Chicago Notes and Bibliography style recommends following The Bluebook format for citing legal cases. These citations typically only appear in the footnotes, not the bibliography.

Example:
1. Bangor Publishing Company et al. v. State of Maine, PENSC-CIV-2021-00013 (Penobscot Superior Court, 2021)

Questions & Help

If you have questions on this, or another topic, contact a librarian for help!