Free Chicago Citation Checker

Validate your footnotes and bibliography against Chicago Manual of Style 17th Edition rules. Instant feedback on formatting errors.
Citation Format Checker is a free Chicago citation checker that validates existing footnotes and bibliography entries against Chicago Manual of Style 17th Edition rules. It checks notes-bibliography formatting, author names, title capitalization, publication details, and punctuation — no sign-up required.

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Paste a single Chicago 17th Edition bibliography entry or footnote below to check formatting.

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Notes-Bibliography vs. Author-Date

Chicago Manual of Style 17th Edition offers two citation systems. Notes-bibliography uses footnotes with a bibliography and is standard in humanities. Author-date uses parenthetical citations with a reference list and is standard in sciences. This checker supports the notes-bibliography system.

Notes-Bibliography (NB)

Used in: History, literature, arts, philosophy

How it works: Superscript numbers in text link to footnotes or endnotes. A bibliography at the end lists all sources alphabetically.

First note: Full citation details

Subsequent notes: Shortened form (Author, Short Title, page)

Author-Date (AD)

Used in: Sciences, social sciences

How it works: Parenthetical citations in text (Author Year, page). A reference list at the end lists all sources alphabetically.

In-text: (Smith 2023, 45)

Reference list: Similar to bibliography but date follows author

This tool checks citations in the notes-bibliography system, the most common format in humanities courses. If your professor uses "Chicago style" or "Turabian," they almost always mean notes-bibliography.

Footnotes vs. Bibliography Entries

Chicago footnotes and bibliography entries contain the same information but differ in name order, punctuation, and structure. Footnotes use First Last and commas. Bibliography entries use Last, First and periods. The first footnote is complete; subsequent citations use shortened form.

The same source looks different in a footnote vs. a bibliography entry. Here is a book example:

Footnote (first citation):
1. John Smith, Title of the Book (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2023), 45.

Footnote (subsequent):
5. Smith, Title of the Book, 72.

Bibliography entry:
Smith, John. Title of the Book. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2023.

Footnote Format

First Last name order. Elements separated by commas. Publication info in parentheses. Ends with page number.

Bibliography Format

Last, First name order. Elements separated by periods. Publication info not in parentheses. No page numbers.

Shortened Notes

After the first full citation, use: Author Last, Short Title, page. Omit publisher and date. Use for all subsequent references.

Ibid.

Ibid. means "same source as previous note." Use Ibid., 45. for same source, different page. Chicago 17 allows but no longer requires ibid. — shortened notes are preferred.

Common Chicago Citation Errors

The most common Chicago citation errors are confusing footnote and bibliography formatting, incorrect punctuation between elements, wrong name order, and missing publication place. Our checker catches these and more.

1. Using Bibliography Format in Footnotes

✗ 1. Smith, John. Title of Book. Chicago: Publisher, 2023.
✓ 1. John Smith, Title of Book (Chicago: Publisher, 2023), 45.

Footnotes use First Last, commas, and parentheses around publication info.

2. Missing Place of Publication

✗ Smith, John. Title. University of Chicago Press, 2023.
✓ Smith, John. Title. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2023.

3. Incorrect Shortened Note

✗ 5. Smith, 72.
✓ 5. Smith, Title of Book, 72.

Shortened notes must include the short title, not just the author.

4. Comma vs. Period Confusion

✗ Smith. John. "Article Title." Journal Name. 12. no. 3 (2023). 45-67.
✓ Smith, John. "Article Title." Journal Name 12, no. 3 (2023): 45-67.

5. Journal Article: Volume and Issue

✗ Journal Name, vol. 12, no. 3
✓ Journal Name 12, no. 3 (2023): 45-67.

Chicago does not use "vol." — the volume number follows the journal name directly. The year goes in parentheses, followed by a colon before page numbers.

6. Title Capitalization

✗ The effects of climate change on biodiversity
✓ The Effects of Climate Change on Biodiversity

Unlike APA, Chicago uses headline-style (title case) capitalization for all titles.

Chicago Citation Checker vs. Chicago Citation Generator

These are different tools that solve different problems:

A Chicago citation checker (like this tool) takes footnotes and bibliography entries you have already written and validates them against Chicago 17th Edition rules. It finds errors in name order, punctuation, title formatting, and the structural differences between notes and bibliography.

A Chicago citation generator creates new citations from source information. You enter a URL, ISBN, or title and it produces formatted Chicago footnotes and bibliography entries. Tools like MyBib, BibGuru, and Scribbr do this.

A Chicago citation checker validates existing footnotes and bibliography entries for formatting errors. A Chicago citation generator creates new citations from source data. Use both: generate first, then check — 67% of citations contain formatting errors.

Why you need both: Chicago is especially error-prone because the same source needs different formatting in footnotes vs. bibliography. Generators often get the subtle differences wrong. Our citation error analysis confirms this pattern.

See our full comparison of the best citation checkers and generators.

Chicago Citation Formatting Guide

Book — Bibliography

Last, First. Title of Book. Place: Publisher, Year.

Book — Footnote

1. First Last, Title of Book (Place: Publisher, Year), page.

Journal Article — Bibliography

Last, First. "Article Title." Journal Name Volume, no. Issue (Year): Pages. DOI.

Journal Article — Footnote

1. First Last, "Article Title," Journal Name Volume, no. Issue (Year): Pages, DOI.

Website — Bibliography

Last, First. "Title of Page." Website Name. Month Day, Year. URL.

Website — Footnote

1. First Last, "Title of Page," Website Name, Month Day, Year, URL.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does a Chicago citation checker do?

A Chicago citation checker validates existing footnotes and bibliography entries against the Chicago Manual of Style 17th Edition rules. It checks author name formatting, title capitalization and italicization, publication details, punctuation, and the structural differences between footnotes and bibliography entries. Unlike a citation generator, it finds errors in citations you have already written.

Is this Chicago citation checker free?

Yes. Citation Format Checker offers free Chicago 17th Edition citation checking with no sign-up or account required. You get 5 free checks per session. Paste your citations and get instant feedback on formatting errors.

What is the difference between notes-bibliography and author-date in Chicago style?

Chicago Manual of Style offers two citation systems. Notes-bibliography uses footnotes or endnotes with a bibliography and is preferred in humanities (history, literature, arts). Author-date uses parenthetical citations with a reference list and is preferred in sciences. This tool checks notes-bibliography formatting.

How do footnotes differ from bibliography entries in Chicago style?

Footnotes use First Last name order, commas between elements, and parentheses around publication details. Bibliography entries use Last, First name order, periods between major elements, and no parentheses. The first footnote citation is full; subsequent citations use shortened form (Author, Short Title, page).

What is Ibid. in Chicago citation style?

Ibid. (from Latin ibidem, meaning "in the same place") refers to the immediately preceding source in Chicago footnotes. Use "Ibid." for the same source and page. Use "Ibid., 45." for the same source, different page. Chicago 17th Edition allows but no longer requires ibid. — shortened citations are now preferred for clarity.

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