How to Cite a Book in Chicago 17th Edition (Author-Date)

Format Template

The general pattern for citing a book in Chicago 17th Edition (Author-Date):

In-Text Citation Example

How the citation appears within the body of your paper:

Reference List Entry Example

The full citation as it appears in your reference list:

Step-by-Step Guide

1. 1

   Format the author name(s)

   List the first author as Last Name, First Name. Subsequent authors use First Name Last Name. Separate with "and." For edited books, add "ed." or "eds." after the name(s).

2. 2

   Add the year of publication

   Place the year immediately after the author name(s), followed by a period.

3. 3

   Write the book title

   Italicize the title and subtitle. Use headline-style capitalization. Include the edition in parentheses if not the first edition, e.g., 3rd ed.

4. 4

   Add publication information

   Include the place of publication, a colon, and the publisher name. End with a period.

5. 5

   Include DOI or URL if applicable

   If the book has a DOI, include it as the final element. For e-books without a DOI, include the URL or platform information.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Placing the year at the end of the entry instead of immediately after the author.
• Forgetting to italicize the book title.
• Omitting the place of publication (Chicago Author-Date still requires it for books).
• Using sentence case instead of headline-style capitalization for the title.
• Including a comma between author and year in the in-text citation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Information You Will Need

Before creating your citation, gather the following information from your book:

• Author(s) or Editor(s)
• Year of publication
• Title
• Edition (if not the first)
• Publisher
• DOI or URL (if electronic)