How to Cite a Journal Article in Chicago Manual of Style

How to cite a journal article in Chicago step by step

1. Pick your system. Decide whether your paper uses Chicago notes-bibliography or author-date, since the article reference is ordered differently in each.
2. Author and title. List the author last name first in the bibliography, with the article title in quotation marks and the journal name in italics.
3. Volume, issue, year. Add the volume number, the issue number, and the year, which Chicago places in parentheses after the issue.
4. Page range. Give the full page range of the article in the bibliography, and the specific page you cite in the note.
5. Add the DOI. Close with the DOI as a full https doi.org link, which Chicago prefers over a database URL.

Common journal article citation variations

How do I cite a journal article with a DOI in Chicago?

Place the DOI at the end as a full https doi.org URL. Chicago treats the DOI as the stable locator and you do not need to add an access date when a DOI is present.

How do I write the footnote versus the bibliography entry for an article in Chicago?

The footnote lists the author first name first, separates elements with commas, and ends with the specific page. The bibliography entry inverts the first author name, uses periods, and gives the full page range.

How do I cite a journal article with no DOI in Chicago?

If there is no DOI, give the database name or a stable URL instead. For a print article with neither, end the reference at the page range.

How do I shorten repeat citations of an article in Chicago notes?

After the first full footnote, use a shortened note of author last name, a short title, and the page. Chicago no longer recommends ibid for most papers.