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

This guide explains how to format a journal article citation in Chicago 17th Edition (Author-Date). Follow the format template below, refer to the real example, and use the step-by-step instructions to build your citation correctly.

Format Template

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

Template

Author Last, First M., and First M. Last. Year. "Title of Article." Journal Name Volume (Issue): Page range. https://doi.org/xxxxx.

In-Text Citation Example

How the citation appears within the body of your paper:

In-text citation

(Patel and Kim 2023, 120)

Reference List Entry Example

The full citation as it appears in your reference list:

Reference list entry

Patel, Riya, and Samuel Kim. 2023. "The Role of Metacognition in Self-Regulated Learning: A Meta-Analysis." Educational Psychology Review 35 (2): 112--138. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-023-09812-5.

Step-by-Step Guide

1
Format the author name(s)
List the first author as Last Name, First Name. For subsequent authors, use First Name Last Name. Separate two authors with "and." For four or more authors, list all in the reference list but use "et al." in the in-text citation after the first author.
2
Add the year of publication
Place the year immediately after the author name(s), followed by a period. This is the key structural difference from Notes-Bibliography style.
3
Write the article title
Place the article title in quotation marks. Use headline-style capitalization (capitalize major words). End with a period inside the closing quotation mark.
4
Add the journal name, volume, and issue
Italicize the journal name. Follow with the volume number, then the issue number in parentheses, then a colon and the page range.
5
Include the DOI or URL
Provide the DOI as a full URL (https://doi.org/xxxxx). If no DOI is available, include the URL where the article can be accessed.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Placing the year at the end of the entry instead of immediately after the author name.
Using a comma between the author and year in the in-text citation (Chicago Author-Date omits the comma: (Smith 2023), not (Smith, 2023)).
Forgetting to place the article title in quotation marks.
Not italicizing the journal name.
Confusing Chicago Author-Date with Notes-Bibliography format (Author-Date uses a reference list, not a bibliography, and in-text parenthetical citations, not footnotes).

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between Chicago Author-Date and Chicago Notes-Bibliography?

Chicago Author-Date uses parenthetical in-text citations (Author Year) and a reference list. Notes-Bibliography uses footnotes/endnotes with superscript numbers and a bibliography. Author-Date is common in the sciences and social sciences; Notes-Bibliography is preferred in the humanities.

Is there a comma between the author and year in Chicago Author-Date in-text citations?

No. Chicago Author-Date omits the comma between author and year: (Smith 2023), not (Smith, 2023). This differs from APA style, which uses a comma.

How do I handle three or more authors in Chicago Author-Date?

In the in-text citation, use the first author followed by "et al." for works with four or more authors: (Smith et al. 2023). For two or three authors, list all names in every citation. In the reference list, always list all authors.

Information You Will Need

Before creating your citation, gather the following information from your journal article:

Author(s)
Year of publication
Article title
Journal name
Volume number
Issue number
Page range
DOI or URL

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Step-by-Step Guide

Format the author name(s)

List the first author as Last Name, First Name. For subsequent authors, use First Name Last Name. Separate two authors with "and." For four or more authors, list all in the reference list but use "et al." in the in-text citation after the first author.

Add the year of publication

Place the year immediately after the author name(s), followed by a period. This is the key structural difference from Notes-Bibliography style.

Write the article title

Place the article title in quotation marks. Use headline-style capitalization (capitalize major words). End with a period inside the closing quotation mark.

Add the journal name, volume, and issue

Italicize the journal name. Follow with the volume number, then the issue number in parentheses, then a colon and the page range.

Include the DOI or URL

Provide the DOI as a full URL (https://doi.org/xxxxx). If no DOI is available, include the URL where the article can be accessed.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Placing the year at the end of the entry instead of immediately after the author name.

Using a comma between the author and year in the in-text citation (Chicago Author-Date omits the comma: (Smith 2023), not (Smith, 2023)).

Forgetting to place the article title in quotation marks.

Not italicizing the journal name.

Confusing Chicago Author-Date with Notes-Bibliography format (Author-Date uses a reference list, not a bibliography, and in-text parenthetical citations, not footnotes).

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between Chicago Author-Date and Chicago Notes-Bibliography?

Is there a comma between the author and year in Chicago Author-Date in-text citations?

No. Chicago Author-Date omits the comma between author and year: (Smith 2023), not (Smith, 2023). This differs from APA style, which uses a comma.

How do I handle three or more authors in Chicago Author-Date?