How to Cite a Book Chapter in Chicago 17 Format

Book chapters in edited volumes and anthologies are among the most commonly cited sources in humanities research. Whether you're referencing an essay in a literary anthology, a chapter in an edited collection of scholarly essays, or a contribution to a handbook, Chicago 17th Edition has specific rules for distinguishing the chapter author from the book editor, formatting page ranges, and handling the nested title structure. Getting these details right signals scholarly rigor and helps your readers locate the exact source.

This guide covers every variation you'll encounter—from single-author chapters to multi-editor anthologies—with real-world examples in both notes-bibliography and author-date systems. For the complete style overview, see our Chicago 17th Edition guide.

Understanding the Structure

A book chapter citation in Chicago has more moving parts than a standard book citation. You must account for two layers of authorship—the person who wrote the chapter and the person(s) who edited the larger volume—and two titles: the chapter title (in quotation marks) and the book title (in italics). The page range in the bibliography tells readers where the chapter begins and ends within the larger work.

Here's how the key elements map out:

Real-World Examples

1. Single Chapter Author, Single Editor

Scenario: Citing Judith Butler's chapter in a collection edited by Linda Nicholson.

First Footnote:

1. Judith Butler, "Gender Trouble, Feminist Theory, and Psychoanalytic Discourse," in Feminism/Postmodernism, ed. Linda J. Nicholson (New York: Routledge, 1990), 327.

Shortened Footnote:

2. Butler, "Gender Trouble," 330.

Bibliography:

Butler, Judith. "Gender Trouble, Feminist Theory, and Psychoanalytic Discourse." In Feminism/Postmodernism, edited by Linda J. Nicholson, 324–40. New York: Routledge, 1990.

2. Single Chapter Author, Two Editors

Scenario: Citing a chapter from a volume with two editors.

First Footnote:

1. Clifford Geertz, "Thick Description: Toward an Interpretive Theory of Culture," in The Interpretation of Cultures: Selected Essays, ed. Robert Borofsky and Alan Rumsey (New York: Basic Books, 1973), 5.

Shortened Footnote:

2. Geertz, "Thick Description," 10.

Bibliography:

Geertz, Clifford. "Thick Description: Toward an Interpretive Theory of Culture." In The Interpretation of Cultures: Selected Essays, edited by Robert Borofsky and Alan Rumsey, 3–30. New York: Basic Books, 1973.

3. Two Chapter Authors, Single Editor

Scenario: A chapter written by two authors in an edited volume.

First Footnote:

1. John R. Searle and Daniel Vanderveken, "Foundations of Illocutionary Logic," in Speech Act Theory and Pragmatics, ed. John R. Searle (Dordrecht: D. Reidel, 1980), 200.

Shortened Footnote:

2. Searle and Vanderveken, "Foundations of Illocutionary Logic," 205.

Bibliography:

Searle, John R., and Daniel Vanderveken. "Foundations of Illocutionary Logic." In Speech Act Theory and Pragmatics, edited by John R. Searle, 199–245. Dordrecht: D. Reidel, 1980.

4. Chapter in a Multi-Volume Edited Work

Scenario: A chapter from a specific volume in a multi-volume series.

First Footnote:

1. E. H. Gombrich, "The Renaissance Conception of Artistic Progress and Its Consequences," in Norm and Form: Studies in the Art of the Renaissance, vol. 1 of Studies in the Art of the Renaissance, ed. E. H. Gombrich (London: Phaidon, 1966), 2.

Shortened Footnote:

2. Gombrich, "Renaissance Conception," 5.

Bibliography:

Gombrich, E. H. "The Renaissance Conception of Artistic Progress and Its Consequences." In Norm and Form: Studies in the Art of the Renaissance. Vol. 1 of Studies in the Art of the Renaissance, edited by E. H. Gombrich, 1–10. London: Phaidon, 1966.

5. Translated Chapter in an Anthology

Scenario: A translated essay collected in an anthology.

First Footnote:

1. Walter Benjamin, "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction," trans. Harry Zohn, in Illuminations, ed. Hannah Arendt (New York: Schocken Books, 1969), 220.

Shortened Footnote:

2. Benjamin, "Work of Art," 225.

Bibliography:

Benjamin, Walter. "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction." Translated by Harry Zohn. In Illuminations, edited by Hannah Arendt, 217–51. New York: Schocken Books, 1969.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Creating a Footnote/Endnote Entry

1. Start with the chapter author's name in first-last order (e.g., Judith Butler). Follow with a comma.
2. Add the chapter title in quotation marks. Use headline-style capitalization (capitalize major words). Place a comma inside the closing quotation mark.
3. Write "in" (lowercase) to connect the chapter title to the book title.
4. Italicize the book title. Use headline-style capitalization. Follow with a comma.
5. Add the editor(s). Write "ed." (abbreviated) followed by the editor's name in first-last order. For two editors, use "and" between names. For three or more editors, list all names separated by commas with "and" before the last. Follow with the publication information in parentheses.
6. Include publication details in parentheses: (Place of Publication: Publisher, Year). Follow the closing parenthesis with a comma.
7. End with the specific page number(s) you are citing, followed by a period.

Creating a Bibliography Entry

1. Invert the chapter author's name to last-first order (e.g., Butler, Judith). Follow with a period.
2. Add the chapter title in quotation marks. Place a period inside the closing quotation mark.
3. Write "In" (capitalized) followed by the italicized book title. Follow with a comma.
4. Write "edited by" (lowercase, spelled out) followed by the editor's name in first-last order. Follow with a comma.
5. Include the full page range of the chapter (e.g., 324–40). Use an en dash (–), not a hyphen (-). Follow with a period.
6. Add publication details without parentheses: Place of Publication: Publisher, Year. End with a period.

Creating a Shortened Footnote

1. Use only the chapter author's last name followed by a comma.
2. Shorten the chapter title to its first distinctive words (usually four or fewer), still in quotation marks. Follow with a comma.
3. Add the specific page number(s) followed by a period.

Page Number Formatting

Chicago 17 has specific rules for condensing page ranges in bibliography entries. Understanding these prevents common errors:

Important: Always use an en dash (–) between page numbers, not a hyphen (-) or em dash (—).

Common Errors

1. Using "edited by" in Footnotes Instead of "ed."

Wrong:

1. Judith Butler, "Gender Trouble," in Feminism/Postmodernism, edited by Linda J. Nicholson (New York: Routledge, 1990), 327.

Correct:

1. Judith Butler, "Gender Trouble," in Feminism/Postmodernism, ed. Linda J. Nicholson (New York: Routledge, 1990), 327.

Footnotes abbreviate to "ed." while bibliography entries spell out "edited by."

2. Using "ed." in Bibliography Instead of "edited by"

Wrong:

Butler, Judith. "Gender Trouble." In Feminism/Postmodernism, ed. Linda J. Nicholson, 324–40. New York: Routledge, 1990.

Correct:

Butler, Judith. "Gender Trouble." In Feminism/Postmodernism, edited by Linda J. Nicholson, 324–40. New York: Routledge, 1990.

3. Omitting the Page Range in the Bibliography

Wrong:

Butler, Judith. "Gender Trouble." In Feminism/Postmodernism, edited by Linda J. Nicholson. New York: Routledge, 1990.

Correct:

Butler, Judith. "Gender Trouble." In Feminism/Postmodernism, edited by Linda J. Nicholson, 324–40. New York: Routledge, 1990.

Bibliography entries must include the full page range of the chapter. Footnotes cite only the specific page(s) referenced.

4. Inverting the Editor's Name in Footnotes

Wrong:

1. Judith Butler, "Gender Trouble," in Feminism/Postmodernism, ed. Nicholson, Linda J. (New York: Routledge, 1990), 327.

Correct:

1. Judith Butler, "Gender Trouble," in Feminism/Postmodernism, ed. Linda J. Nicholson (New York: Routledge, 1990), 327.

Only the chapter author's name is inverted, and only in the bibliography—never in footnotes. The editor's name always appears in first-last order.

5. Using a Hyphen Instead of an En Dash for Page Ranges

Wrong:

Butler, Judith. "Gender Trouble." In Feminism/Postmodernism, edited by Linda J. Nicholson, 324-40. New York: Routledge, 1990.

Correct:

Butler, Judith. "Gender Trouble." In Feminism/Postmodernism, edited by Linda J. Nicholson, 324–40. New York: Routledge, 1990.

Chicago requires an en dash (–) for page ranges. On Mac, type Option + Hyphen. On Windows, type Ctrl + Minus (numeric keypad).

6. Capitalizing "in" Before the Book Title in Footnotes

Wrong:

1. Judith Butler, "Gender Trouble," In Feminism/Postmodernism, ed. Linda J. Nicholson (New York: Routledge, 1990), 327.

Correct:

1. Judith Butler, "Gender Trouble," in Feminism/Postmodernism, ed. Linda J. Nicholson (New York: Routledge, 1990), 327.

"in" is lowercase in footnotes. It is capitalized ("In") only in bibliography entries, where it begins a new sentence element after a period.

Special Cases

Chapter Author Is Also the Book Editor

When the chapter author and editor are the same person, you still list both roles. In footnotes, name the author first, then list them again as editor.

Footnote:

1. Noam Chomsky, "Language and Freedom," in The Chomsky Reader, ed. Noam Chomsky (New York: Pantheon Books, 1987), 140.

Bibliography:

Chomsky, Noam. "Language and Freedom." In The Chomsky Reader, edited by Noam Chomsky, 139–55. New York: Pantheon Books, 1987.

Chapter in a Book with No Editor Listed

If the book has no named editor (common in some anthologies or readers), simply omit the editor element.

Footnote:

1. Michel de Montaigne, "Of Cannibals," in The Complete Essays of Montaigne, trans. Donald M. Frame (Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1958), 150.

Bibliography:

Montaigne, Michel de. "Of Cannibals." In The Complete Essays of Montaigne. Translated by Donald M. Frame, 150–59. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1958.

Chapter Accessed Online (with DOI or URL)

For chapters accessed through a digital platform, add the DOI or URL at the end of the citation.

Bibliography:

Smith, Jonathan Z. "Religion, Religions, Religious." In Critical Terms for Religious Studies, edited by Mark C. Taylor, 269–84. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1998. https://doi.org/10.7208/chicago/9780226099860.003.0018.

If using a URL without a DOI, include an access date only if the content may change or no publication date is available.

Chapter in a Forthcoming Book

Replace the year with "forthcoming" and omit page numbers (not yet finalized).

Footnote:

1. Sarah Ahmed, "Complaint as Diversity Work," in Complaint!, ed. Sarah Ahmed (Durham, NC: Duke University Press, forthcoming).

Bibliography:

Ahmed, Sarah. "Complaint as Diversity Work." In Complaint!, edited by Sarah Ahmed. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, forthcoming.

Chapter Originally Published Elsewhere (Reprinted)

When citing a previously published essay that has been reprinted in an anthology, cite the version you actually consulted. You may optionally note the original publication.

Bibliography:

Woolf, Virginia. "Modern Fiction." In The Common Reader, 146–54. New York: Harcourt, 1925. Originally published in Times Literary Supplement, April 10, 1919.

Three or More Editors

In footnotes, list only the first editor followed by "et al." In bibliography entries, list all editors (up to ten).

Footnote:

1. Martha Nussbaum, "Capabilities and Human Rights," in Global Justice and Transnational Politics, ed. Pablo De Greiff et al. (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2002), 120.

Bibliography:

Nussbaum, Martha. "Capabilities and Human Rights." In Global Justice and Transnational Politics, edited by Pablo De Greiff, Ciaran Cronin, and Maria Cahill, 117–49. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2002.

Introduction, Foreword, or Afterword

When citing a named section like an introduction or foreword written by someone other than the book author, use a similar format but replace the chapter title with the section label.

Footnote:

1. Toni Morrison, foreword to A Mercy, by Toni Morrison (New York: Vintage, 2009), xi.

Bibliography:

Morrison, Toni. Foreword to A Mercy, by Toni Morrison, ix–xiv. New York: Vintage, 2009.

Note that "foreword," "introduction," and "afterword" are not placed in quotation marks and are not capitalized (except at the start of a bibliography entry).

Notes-Bibliography vs. Author-Date System

The examples above use the notes-bibliography system, which is standard in the humanities. If your discipline uses the author-date system (common in the sciences and social sciences), the format differs:

Author-Date: In-Text Citation

(Butler 1990, 327)

Author-Date: Reference List Entry

Butler, Judith. 1990. "Gender Trouble, Feminist Theory, and Psychoanalytic Discourse." In Feminism/Postmodernism, edited by Linda J. Nicholson, 324–40. New York: Routledge.

Key differences in author-date format:

• The year moves to directly after the author's name
• The year is removed from the end of the entry
• No footnotes are needed for citations—use parenthetical in-text references
• All other elements (chapter title in quotes, "edited by," page ranges) remain the same

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I cite the chapter author or the book editor?

Always lead with the chapter author—the person who wrote the specific text you're referencing. The editor appears later in the citation after "ed." (footnotes) or "edited by" (bibliography). If you're citing the book as a whole rather than a specific chapter, cite the editor as the primary creator with "ed." or "eds." after their name.

What if the chapter doesn't have a title?

If a chapter is numbered but untitled (e.g., "Chapter 3"), use a descriptive label like "chap. 3" in place of the title. Do not use quotation marks around it.

1. John Smith, chap. 3 in Book Title, ed. Jane Doe (New York: Publisher, 2020), 45.

How do I handle edition numbers for edited volumes?

Include the edition number after the book title if the volume has been published in multiple editions.

Butler, Judith. "Gender Trouble." In Feminism/Postmodernism, 2nd ed., edited by Linda J. Nicholson, 324–40. New York: Routledge, 1995.

Should I include the total page count of the book?

No. Include only the page range of the specific chapter in the bibliography entry (e.g., 324–40). In footnotes, cite only the specific page or pages you are referencing.

Can I use "Ibid." for repeated chapter citations?

Chicago 17 discourages the use of "Ibid." and recommends shortened footnotes instead. If your instructor or publisher permits it, "Ibid." may be used when citing the same source as the immediately preceding note. However, the shortened footnote form (Author Last, "Short Title," page) is always acceptable and avoids ambiguity.

Validation Checklist

Before submitting your paper, verify each book chapter citation against this checklist:

• Chapter author name: First-last order in footnotes, last-first order in bibliography
• Chapter title: In quotation marks, headline-style capitalization, period (bibliography) or comma (footnotes) inside closing quote
• Connecting word: Lowercase "in" (footnotes) or capitalized "In" (bibliography)
• Book title: Italicized with headline-style capitalization
• Editor notation: "ed." in footnotes, "edited by" in bibliography
• Editor name: Always in first-last order (never inverted)
• Page range: Included in bibliography with en dash; specific pages in footnotes
• Publication details: In parentheses for footnotes, no parentheses for bibliography
• Punctuation: Footnotes end with a period; bibliography entries end with a period
• En dashes: Used for page ranges (–), not hyphens (-)
• Shortened footnotes: Used for subsequent references to the same source
• Consistency: All chapter citations follow the same system (notes-bibliography or author-date) throughout your paper

Need to check your full reference list? Try our citation format checker for instant feedback on your Chicago 17 citations, or review the complete Chicago 17th Edition formatting guide.