Mastering Chicago 17th B Author-Date Referencing

Chicago 17th B is an author-date referencing style based on the 17th edition of the Chicago Manual of Style. It is a standardized method to acknowledge the sources of information and ideas used in assignments or research. This style uniquely identifies the source and is crucial for avoiding plagiarism and supporting arguments.

In-text Citations Explained

In-text citations in the author-date style include the author's last name and the year of publication in parentheses. Here’s how you can format them:

Basic Format: (Author's Last Name Year)

Example: (Smith 2021)

Page Numbers: (Author's Last Name Year, Page Number)

Example: (Smith 2021, 123)

Author Variations

Different author variations require different citation formats:

Single Author: (Last Name Year)

Example: (Johnson 2019)

Multiple Authors: (Last Name and Last Name Year)

Example: (Johnson and Smith 2020)

No Author: (Title of Book Year)

Example: (Guide to Chicago Style 2018)

Reference Components

A typical reference in the author-date style includes the following components:

Author(s)

Year of publication

Title of the work

Place of publication

Publisher

Page numbers (for specific citations)

Writing the Reference List / Bibliography.

Book:

Format:

Author Surname, First Name(s). Year. Book Title. # ed. Place of Publication: Publisher. https://doi.org... or URL.

Example:

Doyle, Timothy, Doug McEachern, and Sherilyn MacGregor. 2015. Environment and Politics. 4th ed. Milton Park, NSW: Routledge. http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/curtin/detail.action?docID=2194948.

Journal Article:

Format:

Author Surname, First Name(s). Year. "Article Title." Journal Title Volume Number (Issue Number): Page Range. https://doi.org... or URL.

Example:

Burns, Timothy. 2015. "Philosophy and Poetry: A New Look at an Old Quarrel." The American Political Science Review 109 (2): 326-338. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0003055415000076.

Journal Article - Advanced Online Publication:

Format:

Author Surname, First Name(s). Year. "Article Title." Journal Title (forthcoming). https://doi.org... or URL.

Example:

Napoli, Julie, Sonia Dickinson-Delaporte, and Michael B. Beverland. 2016. "The Brand Authenticity Continuum: Strategic Approaches for Building Value." Journal of Marketing Management (forthcoming). https://doi.org/10.1080/0267257X.2016.1145722.

Journal Article - Supplement:

Format:

Author Surname, First Name(s). Year. "Article Title." Journal Title Volume Number (Suppl. #): Spage range. https://doi.org... or URL.

Example:

Lock, Margaret. 2005. "Eclipse of the Gene and the Return of Divination." Current Anthropology 46 (Suppl. 5): S47-S70. https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1086/432452.

Newspaper or Magazine Article:

Format:

Author Surname, First Name(s). Year. "Title of Article." Newspaper/Magazine Title, Month Day, Year. URL.

Example:

Haberman, Maggie, and Peter Baker. 2017. "In Call with Times Reporter, Trump Projects Air of Calm Over Charges." New York Times, November 1, 2017. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/01/us/politics/trump-russia-charges.html.

Chapter in an Edited Book:

Format:

Chapter Author Surname, First Name(s). Year. "Title of Chapter." In Title of Book, # ed., edited by Editor(s) First Name(s) Last Name, Chapter Page Range. Place of Publication: Publisher. https://doi.org... or URL.

Example:

Kickett-Tucker, Cheryl, and Josey Hansen. 2017. "Ngalang Moort: Family as the Building Block of Community Development." In Mia Mia Aboriginal Community Development: Fostering Cultural Security, edited by Cheryl Kickett-Tucker, Dawn Bessarab, Juli Coffin, and Michael Wright, 199-216. Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781107741768.

Conference Paper or Poster:

Format:

Author Surname, First Name(s). Year. "Title of Paper." Paper presented at the Name of Conference, City, State/Country, Month Day(s), Year. https://doi.org... or URL.

Example:

Loughnane, Lawrence. 2014. "Innovation and Strategy: Linking Management Practices to Achieve Superior Performance." Paper presented at the European Conference on Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Belfast, Ireland, September 18-19, 2014. https://www.proquest.com/conference-papers-proceedings/innovation-strategy-linking-managementpractices/docview/1674838588/se-2?accountid=10382.

Thesis:

Format:

Author Surname, First Name(s). Year. "Title of Thesis." PhD diss., or Master's thesis, University Name. https://doi.org... or URL.

Example:

Dowling, Carol Susan. 2017. "'Find One of Your Own Kind': Auto-ethnography and My Aboriginal Women Ancestors." PhD thesis, Curtin University. https://espace.curtin.edu.au/handle/20.500.11937/73585.

Book Review:

Format:

Reviewer Surname, First Name(s). Year. Review of Book Title, by Author's First Name(s) Surname (of the book). Journal Title Volume Number (Issue Number): Page Range. https://doi.org... or URL.

Example:

Gerry, Michelle. 2015. Review of More Library Mashups: Exploring New Ways to Deliver Library Data, edited by Nicole C. Engard. Technical Services Quarterly 32 (3): 364-366. https://doi.org/10.1080/07317131.2015.1032111.

Entire Website:

Format:

Owning Organisation. Year. Title of Website. URL.

Example:

Government of Western Australia. n.d. Perth Zoo. Accessed March 20, 2017. http://perthzoo.wa.gov.au.

Webpage on a Website:

Format:

Author Surname, First Name(s) or Organisation Name. Year. "Title of Webpage." Owning Organisation. URL.

Example:

Department of Education. 2019. "Higher Education Statistics." Australian Government. https://www.education.gov.au/higher-education-statistics.

Webpage - No Date:

Format:

Author Surname, First Name(s) or Organisation Name. n.d. "Title of Webpage." Owning Organisation. Accessed Month Day, Year. URL.

Example:

Development WA. n.d. "Elizabeth Quay." Government of Western Australia. Accessed March 8, 2016. http://www.mra.wa.gov.au/projects-and-places/elizabeth-quay.

Blog Post:

Format:

Author Surname, First Name(s). "Title of Blog Post." Title of Blog, Month Day, Year. URL.

Example:

Sentance, Nathan M. 2019. "Anniversaries Need to be Uncomfortable." Archival Decolonist (blog), November 6, 2019. https://archivaldecolonist.com/2019/11/06/anniversaries-need-to-be-uncomfortable/.

Lecture:

Format:

Author Surname, First Name(s). Year. "Title of Lecture." Format. URL.

Example:

Leaver, Tama. 2012. "Social Media Rivers." iLecture. http://echo.ilecture.curtin.edu.au:8080/ess/echo/presentation/893b5284-ecad-4ad4-8af7-0ad2a1e19e24.

Facebook:

Format:

Author Surname, First Name(s) (Screen Name). Year. "First sentence of the post." Facebook, Month Day, Year. URL.

Example:

Obama, Barack (@barackobama). 2018. "During my presidency, I started a tradition of sharing my reading lists and play lists." Facebook, January 1, 2018. https://www.facebook.com/barackobama/posts/10155532677446749.

Instagram:

Format:

Author Surname, First Name(s) (Screen Name). Year. "First sentence of the post." Instagram photo, Month Day, Year. URL.

Example:

Curtin University Library. 2019. "Happy Halloween." Instagram photo, October 31, 2019. https://www.instagram.com/p/B4RCOF-D2TD/2019.

Twitter:

Format:

Author Surname, First Name(s) (Screen Name). Year. "Text of the Tweet." Twitter, Month Day, Year, Time, URL.

Example:

Jackman, Hugh (@RealHughJackman). 2015. "At the dentist...This is BEFORE I found out I was having a tooth pulled photo." Twitter, November 12, 2015, 5:42 a.m. https://twitter.com/RealHughJackman/status/664800426961870849.

Government or Organisation Report:

Format:

Author Surname, First Name(s) or Government Department Name or Organisation Name. Year. Title of Report. Report Number. Place of Publication: Publisher. URL.

Example:

Aboriginal Child, Family and Community Care State Secretariat. 2017. Our Families, Our Way: Strengthening Aboriginal Families So Their Children Can Thrive. MarrickVille, N.S.W.: AbSec. https://www.absec.org.au/images/downloads/AbSec-Feb2017-Our-families-our-way-program-framework-final.pdf.

Australian Bureau of Statistics:

Format:

Australian Bureau of Statistics. Year. Title of Report. Report Number. Place of Publication: Publisher. URL.

Example:

ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics). 2014. Australian Labour Market Statistics, July 2014. Cat. No. 6105.0. Canberra, ACT: ABS. https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/6105.0.

Press Release:

Format:

Author Surname, First Name(s). Year. "Title of Release." Release type, Month Day, Year of release. URL.

Example:

Birmingham, Simon. 2017. "Tens of Thousands of Preschoolers to Learn a Language in 2017." Media release, January 9, 2017. https://ministers.education.gov.au/birmingham/tens-thousands-preschoolers-learn-language-2017.

Brochure, Fact Sheet or Pamphlet:

Format:

Author Surname, First Name(s) or Organisation Name. Year. Title. Place of Publication: Publisher. URL.

Example:

Department of Health. 2015. The Flu and You. Australian Government. https://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/1C33C010A07D32D8CA257E35007F692B/\$File/flubrochure.pdf.

Act of Parliament:

Format:

Short Title of Act Year (Jurisdiction) Section # and subdivision (if relevant). URL.

Example:

Copyright Act 1968 (Cth) S. 40. https://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/cth/consol_act/ca1968133/.

Case:

Format:

Case Name (Year). Volume Number Law Report Series Starting Page or Pinpoint. URL.

Example:

Shea v News Ltd. (2015). WASC 1. http://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/sign.cgi/au/cases/wa/WASC/2015/1.

Standard:

Format:

Standard Issuer Name. Year. Title of Standard. Standard Number. Publisher. URL.

Example:

Standards Australia. 2009. Wire-Rope Slings: Product Specification. AS 1666.1-2009. Techstreet Enterprise. https://subscriptions-techstreet-com.eu1.proxy.openathens.net/products/808308.

Film or Video:

Format:

Creator's Surname, First Name(s). Year. Title of Work. Format. Contribution by First Name(s) Surname of Contributor. Place of Publication: Publisher.

Example:

Gameau, Damon, and Nick Batzias. 2014. That Sugar Film. DVD. Directed by Damon Gameau. Australia: Madmen Entertainment.

TV Series Episode:

Format:

Creator's Surname, First Name(s). Year. "Title of Episode." Season #, episode #. Title of Series. Format. Place of Publication: Publisher.

Example:

Bender, Jack. 2016. "The Door." Season 6, episode 5. Game of Thrones. Television program. New York: HBO.

TV Series:

Format:

Creator's Surname, First Name(s). Year. Title of Series. Format. Main Contributor's First Name(s) Surname. Place of Publication: Publisher.

Example:

da Mosto, Francesco. 2008. Francesco's Mediterranean Voyage. Television series. Directed by Andrea Carnevali and Nicola Searle. London: BBC.

YouTube or Streaming Video:

Format:

Author Surname, First Name(s). Year. Title of Video. Format, Running length time. URL.

Example:

OfficialPsy. 2012. Gangnam Style. YouTube video, 04:12. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bZkp7q19f0.

Podcast Episode:

Format:

Author Surname, First Name(s). Year. "Title of Podcast Episode." Episode #. Title of Podcast Series. Format. Name of Website. Place of Publication: Publisher. URL.

Example:

Malcolm, Lynne. 2018. "Tripping for Depression." All in the Mind. Audio podcast. ABC Radio National. Sydney: ABC. https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/allinthemind/tripping-for-depression/10223006.

Music:

Format:

Creator Surname, First Name(s), Role. Year. "Title of Track." Track # on Title of Record. Format. Publisher.

Example:

Rihanna, vocalist. 2007. "Umbrella." Track 1 on Good Girl Gone Bad. MP3 audio. Island Def Jam.

Personal Communication:

Format:

There was no basis for the copyright claim (J. Smith, personal communication, February 9, 2016)

Unpublished Interview:

Format:

(Mary Jones, unpublished interview, May 7, 2017)

Dataset:

Format:

Investigator's Surname, First Name(s). Year. Title of Dataset. Dataset. Publisher. https://doi.org... or URL.

Example:

Irino, Tomohisa, and Ryuji Tada. 2009. Chemical and Mineral Compositions of Sediments from ODP Site 127-797. Dataset. Geological Institute, University of Tokyo. https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA. 726855.

Indigenous Knowledges:

Format:

Elder’s Name (Nation/Community). Year. Personal communication, Date.

Example:

Elder Smith (Anishinaabe Community). 2022. Personal communication, March 15.

Annual Report:

Format:

Organisation Name. Year. Title of Report. Place of Publication: Publisher. URL.

Example:

Qantas. 2015. A Strong, Sustainable Future: Qantas Annual Report 2015. Sydney: Qantas. https://www.qantas.com.au/infodetail/about/investors/2015AnnualReport.pdf.

Dataset Created Using a Company Database:

Format:

Database Name. Year. Title of Dataset. Dataset. Accessed Month Day, Year. URL of database.

Example:

Morningstar Datanalysis Premium. 2014. GICS Industry Metals \& Mining: Financial Data. Dataset. Accessed October 9, 2014. https://datanalysis.morningstar.com.au.

Company and Industry Reports Sourced from a Company Database:

Format:

Author Surname, First Name(s) or Organisation Name. Year. "Title of Report." Report Series Title. URL.

Example:

Baikie, Victoria. 2021. "Art Galleries and Museums in Australia." IBISWorld Industry Report. https://my.ibisworld.com/au/en/industry/r8910/about.

Company and Industry Profile from a Company Database:

Format:

Author's Surname, First Name(s). Year. "Title of Profile." Profile Series Title. URL.

Example:

Euromonitor International. 2020. "Ferraro \& Related Parties in Packaged Food (World)." Passport. https://www.warc.com/content/article/ferrero-and-related-parties-food/90830.

FAQs

What are the two main parts of Chicago 17th B referencing?

There are two main components to Chicago 17th B referencing: the in-text citation and the reference list entry. In-text citations are included within the body of your writing to indicate where you have used information from a source, typically including the author's last name and the publication year. The reference list is a comprehensive list at the end of your work detailing all sources cited, providing full publication information.

How are in-text citations formatted in Chicago 17th B?

In-text citations in Chicago 17th B author-date style typically include the author's last name and the year of publication. They can be presented with the author's name as part of the sentence, followed by the year in parentheses (e.g., Stark and Lannister (2019)), or with all information contained within parentheses (e.g., (Stark and Lannister 2019)). When quoting directly, a page or paragraph number is also included (e.g., (Palladino and Wade 2010, 147) or (Lee 2015, para. 1)).

How are quotations handled in Chicago 17th B?

Short quotations (40 words or less) are run in within the text, enclosed in quotation marks, and followed by an in-text citation including author, year, and page/paragraph number. Longer quotations (more than 40 words) are presented as a freestanding block of text, indented from the left margin, without quotation marks. The in-text citation for a block quote appears in brackets after the final punctuation and includes author, year, and page/paragraph number, with no punctuation after the citation.

How do you handle multiple sources for the same information in Chicago 17th B?

When using multiple sources for the same information, include all sources within the same set of brackets in the in-text citation. You can order these sources alphabetically by author, chronologically by date, or by importance, separating each citation with a semicolon (e.g., (Hegerl 1996; Levitus et al. 2017; NASA, n.d.; Robinson, Hall, and Mote 2014; Santer et al. 2003)). Each source must also have a corresponding entry in the reference list.

How are tables and figures referenced in Chicago 17th B for assignments?

Referencing tables and figures in Chicago 17th B for assignments involves specific formatting beyond standard in-text citations and reference list entries. When reproducing or adapting a published table or figure, you include a caption below the table or figure with its number, a descriptive title (sentence case capitalization), and source information indicating if it's reproduced or adapted, followed by an in-text citation of the original source including author, year, and page number. A full reference list entry for the source is also required. For photographs and artworks, the caption includes creator, title (italicized), year, format, location, and copyright information.

How do you reference your own tables or figures in Chicago 17th B?

When including your own tables or figures in an assignment, you provide a table or figure number and a descriptive title (sentence case capitalization) above (for tables) or below (for figures) the content. No attribution is strictly required as it is your original work, although you may include "Table by Author" or "Photograph by Author" if helpful. A reference list entry is not needed for your own original tables or figures.

How do you reference a table created using published data in Chicago 17th B?

If you create your own table using data from published sources, list the table number and title above the table. Below the table, provide a caption starting with "Source(s): Data from," followed by the author, year, and page number for each source used. If multiple sources are used, identify them with superscripts within the table and list the sources in the caption separated by semicolons. Each source of the data must also have a complete entry in your reference list.

References

The Chicago Manual of Style. 17th ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2017.

University of Chicago. "Chicago-Style Citation Quick Guide." The Chicago Manual of Style. Accessed May 17, 2025. https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html.