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Research Guides
Western Carolina University

Write and Manage Citations

Get help with citation styles, documenting your sources and keeping track of your research.

Online Resources for Chicago

What is Chicago Style?

Chicago is a documentation syle that has been published by the Chicago University Press since 1906. Chicago style supports two different documentation systems:

  • The Notes and Bibliography style is preferred by many in humanities disciplines, including history, literature, and the arts. Citations are provided in footnotes or endnotes and are usually accompanied by a bibliography.
  • The Author-Date style (sometimes called "Reference List" style) is recommended for the physical, natural, and social sciences.Sources are cited using parenthetical in-text citation and full details are provided in a reference or works cited list.

"Turabian" style, widely used for decades by students, is essentially a simplified version of the Chicago Manual, which, at over 600 pages, is overly complex for the common needs of student researchers.