Chicago 17th Edition
Author-Date

Chicago style recommends 1-inch margins on all sides and a readable font such as 12-pt Times New Roman or 11-pt Arial. While Chicago does not mandate specific fonts, these are the most widely accepted for academic work. SimpleFormat Pro applies these settings automatically.

Source: CMOS 17th ed., §2.8; Purdue OWL General Format; Applied by: SimpleFormat Pro

Body text should be double-spaced. However, reference list entries are typically single-spaced with a blank line between entries. Block quotations may also be single-spaced. Tables, figures, and captions have their own spacing conventions.

Source: CMOS 17th ed., §2.8; Purdue OWL General Format; Applied by: SimpleFormat Pro

The first line of each paragraph should be indented 0.5 inches (1.27 cm). This applies to body text paragraphs. Block quotations use a different pattern—they are indented entirely from the left margin without first-line indent.

Source: CMOS 17th ed., §2.12; Purdue OWL General Format; Applied by: SimpleFormat Pro

Author-Date uses parenthetical citations in the text (Smith 2020) with a References list. It's preferred in sciences and social sciences. Notes-Bibliography uses superscript footnotes/endnotes with a Bibliography and is common in humanities. A document must use only one system—never mix them.

Source: CMOS 17th ed., Chapter 14-15; CMOS Online Citation Guide; Applied by: SimpleFormat Pro

Page numbers appear in the header, typically in the top right corner, on every page except the title page (which is counted but not numbered). Arabic numerals begin with page 1 on the first page of text.

Source: CMOS 17th ed., §1.4-1.7; Purdue OWL General Format; Applied by: SimpleFormat Pro

For most academic papers, a title page is recommended. The title should be centered about one-third down the page, followed by your name, course information, and date. SimpleFormat Pro generates properly formatted title pages.

Source: CMOS 17th ed., §1.43-1.45; Purdue OWL General Format; Applied by: SimpleFormat Pro

Chicago is flexible with heading formats. Use headline-style capitalization (Title Case) for all headings. Common approaches include centered bold for Level 1, flush left bold for Level 2, and flush left bold italic for Level 3. Maintain consistency throughout.

Source: CMOS 17th ed., §2.18-2.22; Applied by: SimpleFormat Pro

Headline style (Title Case) capitalizes the first and last words of a title, plus all nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs, and subordinating conjunctions. Lowercase articles (a, an, the), coordinating conjunctions (and, but, or, for, nor), prepositions, and 'to' in infinitives.

Source: CMOS 17th ed., §8.157-8.159; Capitalize My Title; Applied by: SimpleFormat Pro

Yes. In the 17th edition, all prepositions are lowercased regardless of length (e.g., 'between,' 'through,' 'without'). Note: The 18th edition changed this rule to capitalize prepositions of five or more letters. SimpleFormat Pro follows the edition you select.

Source: CMOS 17th ed., §8.157; Applied by: SimpleFormat Pro

The standard order is: Title Page → Abstract (if required) → Body Text → Appendices (if any) → References. For longer works, add Table of Contents and List of Tables/Figures after title page. The References section always comes at the end.

Source: CMOS 17th ed., §15.10; Purdue OWL General Format; Applied by: SimpleFormat Pro

The basic format is (Author Year) with NO comma between author and year: (Smith 2020). This is a crucial distinction from APA style. For page numbers, add a comma: (Smith 2020, 45). For page ranges, use an en-dash: (Smith 2020, 45–67).

Source: CMOS 17th ed., §15.20; CMOS Online Author-Date Guide; Applied by: SimpleFormat Pro

This is a defining characteristic of Chicago Author-Date style that distinguishes it from APA. Write (Smith 2020), NOT (Smith, 2020). The comma appears only before page numbers: (Smith 2020, 45). SimpleFormat Pro enforces this pattern automatically.

Source: CMOS 17th ed., §15.20; Massey University Guide; Nova Southeastern LibGuide; Applied by: SimpleFormat Pro

Use 'and' (NOT ampersand &) between authors: (Smith and Jones 2020). In running text: Smith and Jones (2020) argue... Chicago never uses '&' in citations or references—this distinguishes it from APA and Harvard styles.

Source: CMOS 17th ed., §15.29; Purdue OWL General Format; Applied by: SimpleFormat Pro

Use the first author's surname followed by 'et al.' for ALL citations: (Smith et al. 2020). Note: 'et al.' is not italicized in Chicago style. This applies from the first citation—unlike APA 6, there's no full listing requirement.

Source: CMOS 17th ed., §15.29; Applied by: SimpleFormat Pro

Add a comma after the year, then the page number(s): (Smith 2020, 45) or (Smith 2020, 45–67). Use an en-dash (–) not a hyphen (-) for page ranges. Page numbers are required for direct quotations.

Source: CMOS 17th ed., §15.23; Applied by: SimpleFormat Pro

Separate sources with semicolons and list in chronological order: (Smith 2019; Jones 2020; Brown 2021). Within the same author's works, list chronologically: (Smith 2018, 2020, 2022). Page numbers follow each citation if needed.

Source: CMOS 17th ed., §15.30; Applied by: SimpleFormat Pro

Add lowercase letters (a, b, c) after the year: (Smith 2020a), (Smith 2020b). Assign letters alphabetically by title. The same letters must appear in both in-text citations and the reference list entries.

Source: CMOS 17th ed., §15.20; La Trobe LibGuide; Applied by: SimpleFormat Pro

Name the author in your sentence and put the year in parentheses: Smith (2020) argues that... For direct quotes, add page number: Smith (2020, 45) states that '...' The author's name is not repeated in the parentheses.

Source: CMOS 17th ed., §15.25; Applied by: SimpleFormat Pro

Use the title (shortened if long) in place of the author, in italics for standalone works or quotes for shorter works: ("Article Title" 2020) or (Book Title 2020). In the reference list, the entry also begins with the title.

Source: CMOS 17th ed., §15.32-15.34; Applied by: SimpleFormat Pro

Use 'n.d.' (no date) in place of the year: (Smith n.d.). Avoid undated sources when possible, as they may be less reliable. If a date can be reasonably estimated, use 'ca.' (circa): (Smith ca. 2018).

Source: CMOS 17th ed., §15.44; Applied by: SimpleFormat Pro

Use the organization name: (World Health Organization 2020) or World Health Organization (2020) in narrative form. For well-known acronyms, you may use the abbreviation after first mention: (WHO 2020), but spell out in the reference list.

Source: CMOS 17th ed., §15.37; Applied by: SimpleFormat Pro

Cite the secondary source you actually read: (Smith 2018, quoted in Jones 2020, 45). Only Jones appears in your reference list. Use secondary citations sparingly—find primary sources when possible.

Source: CMOS 17th ed., §15.56; Applied by: SimpleFormat Pro

Cite in text only—personal communications don't appear in the reference list because readers can't access them. Format: (John Smith, email message to author, January 15, 2026) or mention in running text.

Source: CMOS 17th ed., §15.53; Applied by: SimpleFormat Pro

Include page number(s) after a comma: (Smith 2020, 45). For quotes of 40+ words, use a block quote format. Always enclose the quoted text in quotation marks (unless block quoted). Never alter quotations without indicating changes.

Source: CMOS 17th ed., §15.23; §13.10; Applied by: SimpleFormat Pro

Legal citations typically follow Bluebook format rather than Chicago style. In text: (Brown v. Board of Education 1954). Check with your discipline for specific requirements. Legal materials often require specialized citation formats.

Source: CMOS 17th ed., Chapter 14 (legal citations); Applied by: SimpleFormat Pro

Keep citations simple. For explanatory content, use the text itself or footnotes (yes, Chicago Author-Date can include occasional footnotes for supplementary information). The citation itself should just be author-year-page.

Source: CMOS 17th ed., §14.39-14.44; Applied by: SimpleFormat Pro

Place the citation before the period for in-text quotes: 'quoted text' (Smith 2020, 45). For block quotes, the citation follows the final punctuation. The period comes after the closing parenthesis in most cases.

Source: CMOS 17th ed., §15.25; Applied by: SimpleFormat Pro

Classical works may use traditional reference systems (book, chapter, verse) rather than page numbers: (Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, 1094a). The reference list entry provides the edition consulted.

Source: CMOS 17th ed., §15.47-15.48; Applied by: SimpleFormat Pro

Omit page numbers when referring to an entire work or general ideas: (Smith 2020). Page numbers are required only for direct quotes or when referring to specific passages. Be specific when precision helps readers.

Source: CMOS 17th ed., §15.23; Applied by: SimpleFormat Pro

No. Unlike some other styles, Chicago does not italicize 'et al.' in citations or references. Write: (Smith et al. 2020), not (Smith *et al.* 2020). It's simply treated as a standard abbreviation.

Source: CMOS 17th ed., §15.29; Common usage; Applied by: SimpleFormat Pro

The heading is 'References' (not 'Bibliography' or 'Works Cited'). It should be centered at the top of a new page with no special formatting—not bold, italic, or underlined. Leave a blank line before the first entry.

Source: CMOS 17th ed., §15.10; Purdue OWL General Format; Applied by: SimpleFormat Pro

Entries are alphabetized letter-by-letter by the author's surname. Multiple works by the same author are ordered chronologically (oldest first). Works from the same author and year use a, b, c suffixes assigned alphabetically by title.

Source: CMOS 17th ed., §15.16-15.18; Applied by: SimpleFormat Pro

Invert the first author's name: 'Lastname, Firstname.' For multiple authors, only the first is inverted: 'Smith, John, and Mary Jones.' Use 'and' (NOT &) between names. Periods separate major elements.

Source: CMOS 17th ed., §15.9; Purdue OWL General Format; Applied by: SimpleFormat Pro

The year comes immediately after the author name(s), followed by a period: 'Smith, John. 2020. Title...' This placement right after the author is key for Author-Date style (unlike NB style where year comes later).

Source: CMOS 17th ed., §15.9; Western Oregon LibGuide; Applied by: SimpleFormat Pro

A hanging indent means the first line is flush left and subsequent lines are indented 0.5 inches. In Word: select entries, go to Paragraph, choose 'Hanging' under Special. SimpleFormat Pro applies hanging indents automatically.

Source: CMOS 17th ed., §15.10; Applied by: SimpleFormat Pro

Within each entry, use single-spacing. Between entries, add a blank line (or use double-spacing between entries). This creates visual separation while keeping individual entries compact.

Source: CMOS 17th ed., §15.10; Purdue OWL General Format; Applied by: SimpleFormat Pro

Lastname, Firstname. Year. Title of Book. Place: Publisher. Example: 'Johnson, Mary. 2020. Modern Architecture. New York: Columbia University Press.' Titles are italicized and use headline-style capitalization.

Source: CMOS 17th ed., §15.40; Purdue OWL Books; Applied by: SimpleFormat Pro

Lastname, Firstname. Year. "Article Title." Journal Title volume, no. issue: pages. DOI/URL. Example: 'Doe, Jane. 2021. "Climate Patterns." Nature Climate 12, no. 3: 234–256. https://doi.org/10.xxxx.'

Source: CMOS 17th ed., §15.46; Purdue OWL Periodicals; Applied by: SimpleFormat Pro

Author. Year. "Chapter Title." In Book Title, edited by Editor Name, pages. Place: Publisher. Example: 'Smith, John. 2019. "Data Analysis." In Research Methods, edited by Jane Doe, 45–78. Chicago: University Press.'

Source: CMOS 17th ed., §15.41; Applied by: SimpleFormat Pro

Author/Organization. Year. "Page Title." Website Name. URL. Example: 'National Institutes of Health. 2024. "Clinical Trial Guidelines." NIH.gov. https://www.nih.gov/guidelines.' Include access date only if no publication date is available.

Source: CMOS 17th ed., §15.51; Purdue OWL Web Sources; Applied by: SimpleFormat Pro

Yes, place of publication is required for books in the 17th edition: 'New York: Publisher.' Note: The 18th edition made place of publication optional. SimpleFormat Pro follows whichever edition you select.

Source: CMOS 17th ed., §14.131; Applied by: SimpleFormat Pro

Begin with the title. For organization-authored works, use the organization name as author. Never use 'Anonymous' unless the work is explicitly attributed that way. Alphabetize by the first significant word of the title.

Source: CMOS 17th ed., §15.32-15.34; Applied by: SimpleFormat Pro

Author. Year. "Title." PhD diss./MA thesis, University. Database (if applicable). Example: 'Chen, Sarah. 2022. "Neural Network Applications." PhD diss., MIT. ProQuest (12345678).'

Source: CMOS 17th ed., §15.50; Applied by: SimpleFormat Pro

Include DOIs when available (preferred). If no DOI exists, include a stable URL for online sources. For sources that exist in print and were accessed online, URLs may be omitted if the print version is easily findable.

Source: CMOS 17th ed., §15.14; Purdue OWL; Applied by: SimpleFormat Pro

Format as complete URLs: https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx. Don't use 'doi:' prefix. No period follows the DOI at the end of the entry. DOIs are preferred over URLs when available because they're permanent.

Source: CMOS 17th ed., §15.14; Applied by: SimpleFormat Pro

Use a block quotation for prose quotations of 5 or more lines, or more than 100 words. Block quotes are indented 0.5 inches from the left, single-spaced, and do not use quotation marks. Poetry of 2+ lines should also be blocked.

Source: CMOS 17th ed., §13.10; Purdue OWL; Applied by: SimpleFormat Pro

Indent the entire block 0.5 inches from the left margin. Don't use quotation marks. Single-space the block even if body text is double-spaced. The citation follows the final punctuation: ...final sentence. (Smith 2020, 45)

Source: CMOS 17th ed., §13.10; Camosun LibGuide; Applied by: SimpleFormat Pro

Chicago uses three spaced periods ( . . . ) with spaces before, between, and after. If the omission is at the end of a sentence, add a period first (four dots). SimpleFormat Pro formats ellipses correctly.

Source: CMOS 17th ed., §13.48-13.56; Applied by: SimpleFormat Pro

Use square brackets [ ] for any changes, additions, or clarifications within quoted text. For example: 'The study [from 2019] found...' Note added emphasis with (emphasis added) at the end of the citation.

Source: CMOS 17th ed., §13.59-13.62; Applied by: SimpleFormat Pro

Italicize titles of standalone works: books, journals, newspapers, reports, films. Use quotation marks for shorter works within larger ones: articles, chapters, web pages, episodes. This applies in both text and references.

Source: CMOS 17th ed., §8.166-8.175; Applied by: SimpleFormat Pro

Spell out numbers zero through one hundred in prose. Use numerals for 101+, percentages, measurements, statistics, and exact values. Never begin a sentence with a numeral. Chicago also permits spelling only zero–nine.

Source: CMOS 17th ed., §9.2-9.7; Applied by: SimpleFormat Pro

In nontechnical prose: '15 percent' (spelled out). In scientific/statistical contexts, the % symbol is acceptable: '15%'. The number is always a numeral when used with percent or %.

Source: CMOS 17th ed., §9.18; Applied by: SimpleFormat Pro

Include a space between the numeral and unit symbol: '10 mm' not '10mm'. Unit symbols don't have periods and don't change for plurals: '5 kg' not '5 kgs.' SimpleFormat Pro formats SI units automatically.

Source: CMOS 17th ed., §10.52-10.55; ISO 80000-1; Applied by: SimpleFormat Pro

Use an en-dash (–), not a hyphen (-), for number ranges: pages 45–67, years 2020–2024. The en-dash replaces 'to' or 'through.' SimpleFormat Pro converts hyphens to en-dashes automatically.

Source: CMOS 17th ed., §6.78-6.79; Applied by: SimpleFormat Pro

In text: 'Month Day, Year' (January 15, 2026). Don't use ordinal indicators (1st, 2nd)—write 'January 5' not 'January 5th.' In references, various formats are acceptable; be consistent.

Source: CMOS 17th ed., §9.30-9.36; Applied by: SimpleFormat Pro

Table captions appear ABOVE the table. Format: 'Table 1. Title of table.' Captions use sentence case or title case (be consistent). Source notes go below the table, preceded by 'Source:'.

Source: CMOS 17th ed., §3.52; SFU Library; Applied by: SimpleFormat Pro

Figure captions appear BELOW the figure. Format: 'Figure 1. Description.' or 'Fig. 1.' Use sentence case. Credit lines (sources) appear within or after the caption.

Source: CMOS 17th ed., §3.9; CMOS Shop Talk; Applied by: SimpleFormat Pro

Tables and figures are numbered in separate sequences (Table 1, 2, 3... Figure 1, 2, 3...). Number them consecutively in order of first mention. For chapters, use 'Table 3.1' format.

Source: CMOS 17th ed., §3.4, §3.50; Applied by: SimpleFormat Pro

Add a source note below the table/figure: 'Source: Smith (2020, 45).' or 'Source: Adapted from Jones (2019).' The citation matches your Author-Date format.

Source: CMOS 17th ed., §3.76-3.79; Applied by: SimpleFormat Pro

Reference by number: 'As shown in table 1...' or 'Figure 3 illustrates...' Use lowercase in running text. Never use positional references like 'the table below' or 'the following figure.'

Source: CMOS 17th ed., §3.8, §3.50; Applied by: SimpleFormat Pro

SimpleFormat Pro applies all Chicago 17th Edition Author-Date formatting automatically: correct in-text citation format (no comma between author/year), proper 'and' usage (not &), Reference list with hanging indents, headline-style title capitalization, and correct punctuation patterns.

Source: SimpleFormat Pro; Applied by: SimpleFormat Pro

Yes. SimpleFormat Pro automatically corrects citations from (Smith, 2020) to (Smith 2020)—removing the incorrect comma that's often carried over from APA style. This is one of the most common Chicago formatting errors.

Source: SimpleFormat Pro; Applied by: SimpleFormat Pro

SimpleFormat Pro reformats your document to Chicago Author-Date specifications, including removing commas in citations, changing '&' to 'and,' adjusting capitalization patterns, and restructuring reference entries with year placement after author.

Source: SimpleFormat Pro; Applied by: SimpleFormat Pro

Manually formatting a 25-page research paper with 50+ citations typically takes 3-5 hours: correcting each citation, creating reference entries, applying hanging indents, verifying capitalization. SimpleFormat Pro completes this in 5-15 minutes.

Source: SimpleFormat Pro; Applied by: SimpleFormat Pro

Freelance editors charge $75-$200+ per paper for Chicago formatting. Academic services charge similar rates. SimpleFormat Pro provides instant, accurate formatting free for up to 5 pages, then $9.99 (6-25 pages), $19.99 (26-100 pages), or $29.99 (101-500 pages)—a fraction of traditional costs.

Source: SimpleFormat Pro; Applied by: SimpleFormat Pro

Top errors: comma between author and year (Smith, 2020), using & instead of 'and,' incorrect title capitalization, missing hanging indents, DOIs formatted incorrectly, et al. with too few authors, mixing citation styles. SimpleFormat Pro prevents all of these.

Source: Scribbr; SimpleFormat Pro; Applied by: SimpleFormat Pro

Absolutely. SimpleFormat Pro is optimized for research papers common in sciences and social sciences—often containing 75+ citations. It handles complex citation patterns, multiple authors, and extensive reference lists efficiently.

Source: SimpleFormat Pro; Applied by: SimpleFormat Pro

Yes. Chicago Author-Date is used across natural sciences, social sciences, and business fields. SimpleFormat Pro handles source types common in these disciplines: journal articles, datasets, technical reports, preprints, and conference papers.

Source: SimpleFormat Pro; Applied by: SimpleFormat Pro

Yes. SimpleFormat Pro supports multi-chapter academic documents. It maintains consistent Chicago Author-Date formatting throughout, handles extensive reference lists, and formats front matter (table of contents, lists of tables/figures).

Source: SimpleFormat Pro; Applied by: SimpleFormat Pro

Cite AI tools similar to software: (OpenAI 2024). Reference entry: OpenAI. 2024. ChatGPT. https://chat.openai.com. Describe your prompt in the text. Policies on AI use vary—always verify with your instructor or publisher.

Source: CMOS Online Q&A; SimpleFormat Pro; Applied by: SimpleFormat Pro