How to Cite a Journal Article in Chicago 17 Format

Journal articles are the backbone of scholarly communication, and citing them correctly in Chicago 17th Edition style is essential for graduate students and researchers across the humanities, social sciences, and beyond. Chicago style uses a notes-bibliography system (sometimes called "Turabian style" in academic settings), where citations appear as footnotes or endnotes alongside a final bibliography. Getting journal citations right means handling author names, article titles, journal titles, volume and issue numbers, page ranges, and increasingly, DOIs. This guide walks you through every variation you'll encounter.

For a broader overview of Chicago 17th Edition rules, see our complete Chicago 17th Edition citation guide.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Follow these steps to build a correct Chicago 17 journal article citation from scratch.

Step 1: Identify the Author(s)

Record the full name of every author as listed on the article. In footnotes, names appear in natural order (First Last). In the bibliography, invert only the first author's name (Last, First). For two or three authors, list all names. For four or more authors, list all in the bibliography but use only the first author followed by "et al." in footnotes.

Step 2: Record the Article Title

Place the article title in quotation marks. Use headline-style capitalization (capitalize major words). End the title with a comma inside the closing quotation mark when it precedes the journal title in a footnote, or a period inside the closing quotation mark in the bibliography.

Step 3: Record the Journal Title

Italicize the full journal title. Use headline-style capitalization. Do not abbreviate the journal title unless the journal itself uses an abbreviation as its official name.

Step 4: Add Volume, Issue, and Date

After the journal title, provide the volume number (not italicized), followed by a comma, then "no." and the issue number. Place the year in parentheses after the issue number. In many cases, a season or month may precede the year: for example, Journal of Philosophy 115, no. 3 (March 2018).

Step 5: Add Page Numbers

In a footnote, cite only the specific page(s) you are referencing. In the bibliography, give the complete page range of the article. Use an en dash (–) between page numbers, not a hyphen.

Step 6: Add the DOI or URL

If a DOI (Digital Object Identifier) is available, always include it. Format it as a full URL: https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx. If no DOI exists but the article was accessed online, include the URL. Chicago 17 generally does not require access dates for journal articles with stable URLs or DOIs, but include one if the content may change or if your instructor requires it.

Real-World Examples

Example 1: Single Author

A standard journal article by one author is the most common case.

First Footnote:

1. Matthew Desmond, "Eviction and the Reproduction of Urban Poverty," American Journal of Sociology 118, no. 1 (July 2012): 88, https://doi.org/10.1086/666082.

Shortened Footnote:

2. Desmond, "Eviction and the Reproduction," 95.

Bibliography:

Desmond, Matthew. "Eviction and the Reproduction of Urban Poverty." American Journal of Sociology 118, no. 1 (July 2012): 88–118. https://doi.org/10.1086/666082.

Example 2: Two Authors

When two authors collaborate, both names appear in the footnote and bibliography. In the bibliography, only the first author's name is inverted.

First Footnote:

3. Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson, "Why Did the West Extend the Franchise? Democracy, Inequality, and Growth in Historical Perspective," Quarterly Journal of Economics 115, no. 4 (November 2000): 1169, https://doi.org/10.1162/003355300555042.

Shortened Footnote:

4. Acemoglu and Robinson, "Why Did the West Extend the Franchise?," 1175.

Bibliography:

Acemoglu, Daron, and James A. Robinson. "Why Did the West Extend the Franchise? Democracy, Inequality, and Growth in Historical Perspective." Quarterly Journal of Economics 115, no. 4 (November 2000): 1167–99. https://doi.org/10.1162/003355300555042.

Example 3: Three Authors

List all three authors in both the footnote and bibliography.

First Footnote:

5. Joshua D. Angrist, Guido W. Imbens, and Donald B. Rubin, "Identification of Causal Effects Using Instrumental Variables," Journal of the American Statistical Association 91, no. 434 (June 1996): 445, https://doi.org/10.1080/01621459.1996.10476902.

Shortened Footnote:

6. Angrist, Imbens, and Rubin, "Identification of Causal Effects," 450.

Bibliography:

Angrist, Joshua D., Guido W. Imbens, and Donald B. Rubin. "Identification of Causal Effects Using Instrumental Variables." Journal of the American Statistical Association 91, no. 434 (June 1996): 444–55. https://doi.org/10.1080/01621459.1996.10476902.

Example 4: Four or More Authors

In footnotes, cite the first author followed by "et al." In the bibliography, list all authors (up to ten). If there are more than ten, list the first seven followed by "et al."

First Footnote:

7. Rachel E. Baker et al., "Infectious Disease in an Era of Global Change," Nature Reviews Microbiology 20, no. 4 (April 2022): 196, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41579-021-00639-z.

Shortened Footnote:

8. Baker et al., "Infectious Disease," 200.

Bibliography:

Baker, Rachel E., Ayesha S. Mahmud, Ian F. Miller, Malavika Rajeev, Fidisoa Rasambainarivo, Benjamin L. Rice, Saki Takahashi, et al. "Infectious Disease in an Era of Global Change." Nature Reviews Microbiology 20, no. 4 (April 2022): 193–205. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41579-021-00639-z.

Example 5: Article Accessed Online Without DOI

When no DOI is available, include the URL. Add an access date if the content is not stable or your institution requires one.

First Footnote:

9. Susan Sontag, "Notes on 'Camp,'" Partisan Review 31, no. 4 (Fall 1964): 516.

Shortened Footnote:

10. Sontag, "Notes on 'Camp,'" 519.

Bibliography:

Sontag, Susan. "Notes on 'Camp.'" Partisan Review 31, no. 4 (Fall 1964): 515–30.

Common Errors

These mistakes appear frequently in student papers and manuscript submissions. Study the wrong and correct versions carefully.

Error 1: Inverting Author Names in Footnotes

Wrong:

1. Desmond, Matthew, "Eviction and the Reproduction of Urban Poverty," American Journal of Sociology 118, no. 1 (2012): 88.

Correct:

1. Matthew Desmond, "Eviction and the Reproduction of Urban Poverty," American Journal of Sociology 118, no. 1 (2012): 88.

Why: Name inversion (Last, First) is only for bibliography entries. Footnotes always use natural order (First Last).

Error 2: Missing "no." Before Issue Number

Wrong:

Desmond, Matthew. "Eviction and the Reproduction of Urban Poverty." American Journal of Sociology 118 (1) (2012): 88–118.

Correct:

Desmond, Matthew. "Eviction and the Reproduction of Urban Poverty." American Journal of Sociology 118, no. 1 (2012): 88–118.

Why: Chicago style requires "no." before the issue number, preceded by a comma after the volume number. Parentheses around the issue number alone are incorrect.

Error 3: Using a Hyphen Instead of an En Dash in Page Ranges

Wrong:

American Journal of Sociology 118, no. 1 (2012): 88-118.

Correct:

American Journal of Sociology 118, no. 1 (2012): 88–118.

Why: Chicago style requires an en dash (–), not a hyphen (-), between page numbers in a range.

Error 4: Incorrect DOI Format

Wrong:

doi:10.1086/666082

Correct:

https://doi.org/10.1086/666082

Why: Chicago 17 requires DOIs formatted as full URLs beginning with "https://doi.org/" rather than the older "doi:" prefix.

Error 5: Using "et al." in the Bibliography for Fewer Than Four Authors

Wrong:

Acemoglu, Daron, et al. "Why Did the West Extend the Franchise?"

Correct:

Acemoglu, Daron, and James A. Robinson. "Why Did the West Extend the Franchise?"

Why: "Et al." in the bibliography is reserved for works with more than ten authors (listing the first seven). For two or three authors, always list all names. In footnotes, "et al." may be used for four or more authors.

Error 6: Placing Period Outside Quotation Marks for Article Titles in Bibliography

Wrong:

Desmond, Matthew. "Eviction and the Reproduction of Urban Poverty". American Journal of Sociology

Correct:

Desmond, Matthew. "Eviction and the Reproduction of Urban Poverty." American Journal of Sociology

Why: In American English (which Chicago follows), periods and commas go inside closing quotation marks.

Special Cases

Article with No Author

Begin the footnote and bibliography entry with the article title. In the bibliography, alphabetize by the first significant word of the title (ignore "A," "An," "The").

First Footnote:

11. "The Future of Scholarly Publishing," Nature 495, no. 7442 (March 2013): 409, https://doi.org/10.1038/495409a.

Bibliography:

"The Future of Scholarly Publishing." Nature 495, no. 7442 (March 2013): 409–10. https://doi.org/10.1038/495409a.

Article with a Translator

Include the translator's name after the article title, preceded by "trans."

First Footnote:

12. Pierre Bourdieu, "The Forms of Capital," trans. Richard Nice, in Handbook of Theory and Research for the Sociology of Education, ed. John G. Richardson (New York: Greenwood, 1986), 241.

Note: This example is a chapter in an edited volume rather than a standalone journal article. For translated journal articles specifically, place "trans. [Translator Name]" after the article title and before the journal title.

Forthcoming Article

Replace the year with "forthcoming" and omit page numbers and DOIs that are not yet assigned.

First Footnote:

13. Jane Smith, "Advances in Climate Modeling," Journal of Climate Science (forthcoming).

Bibliography:

Smith, Jane. "Advances in Climate Modeling." Journal of Climate Science (forthcoming).

Article from a Database (No DOI, No Stable URL)

If the article was accessed through a database like JSTOR, ProQuest, or EBSCO, and a DOI is unavailable, include the database name and any stable identifier the database provides.

Bibliography:

Thompson, Emily R. "The Soundscape of Modernity." Technology and Culture 43, no. 2 (April 2002): 361–75. JSTOR.

Note: Chicago 17 states that for well-known databases like JSTOR, just the database name is sufficient. For less well-known databases, include the full URL.

Online-Only Journal Article

Some online journals do not assign traditional page numbers. In this case, omit page numbers or use an article number if the journal assigns one.

First Footnote:

14. John P. A. Ioannidis, "Why Most Published Research Findings Are False," PLOS Medicine 2, no. 8 (August 2005): e124, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.0020124.

Bibliography:

Ioannidis, John P. A. "Why Most Published Research Findings Are False." PLOS Medicine 2, no. 8 (August 2005): e124. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.0020124.

Article Published Online Ahead of Print

Use "Published ahead of print" followed by the date, and include the DOI.

Bibliography:

Williams, Sarah K. "Neural Pathways in Decision Making." Cognitive Neuroscience. Published ahead of print, January 15, 2026. https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxxx.

Footnote vs. Bibliography: Key Differences at a Glance

Validation Checklist

Before submitting your paper, review each journal article citation against this checklist:

• Author names: Footnotes use First Last; bibliography uses Last, First for the first author only
• Article title: In quotation marks with headline-style capitalization
• Journal title: Italicized with headline-style capitalization; not abbreviated
• Volume and issue: Volume number followed by ", no. [issue]" — not in parentheses or brackets
• Year: In parentheses after the issue number, optionally preceded by month or season
• Page numbers: Specific page in footnotes; full range in bibliography; en dash (–) between numbers
• DOI: Formatted as https://doi.org/... (not "doi:" prefix); included whenever available
• Punctuation: Commas separate elements in footnotes; periods separate elements in bibliography
• Shortened footnotes: Used for all subsequent references after the first full footnote; include last name, shortened title, and page number
• Bibliography alphabetization: Entries sorted alphabetically by first author's last name
• Hanging indents: Bibliography uses hanging indent (first line flush left, subsequent lines indented)
• Consistency: Every source cited in a footnote appears in the bibliography, and vice versa

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need both footnotes and a bibliography?

In most cases, yes. The Chicago notes-bibliography system expects both: footnotes (or endnotes) for in-text references and a bibliography at the end of your paper listing all sources. Some instructors or publishers may allow footnotes alone for short papers, but the standard practice in theses, dissertations, and scholarly publications is to include both. Check your department's style guide or ask your advisor.

When should I use a shortened footnote?

Use a shortened footnote for every reference to a source after the first full footnote citation. The shortened form includes the author's last name, a shortened version of the article title (usually the first few distinctive words), and the page number. For example, if your first footnote was the full Desmond citation, every subsequent reference becomes: Desmond, "Eviction and the Reproduction," [page]. Chicago 17 eliminated the use of "Ibid." as a requirement, though it is still acceptable. When in doubt, use the shortened footnote form for clarity.

Should I include the issue number if the journal uses continuous pagination?

Yes. Although Chicago 17 notes that the issue number may be omitted for journals with continuous pagination across a volume, including it is never wrong and helps readers locate the article more easily. Many instructors and editors prefer that you always include the issue number for completeness. When in doubt, include it.

How do I handle a DOI that creates an extremely long line?

Do not insert line breaks or hyphens into a DOI. Let your word processor handle the line wrapping naturally. If you are using a URL that is very long and not a DOI, Chicago 17 allows you to break the URL after a colon or double slash, before a single slash, period, or other punctuation, or before or after an equals sign or ampersand. However, DOIs formatted as https://doi.org/... are generally short enough that this is not an issue.

What if the article has no page numbers?

Some online-only journals do not assign page numbers. In this case, omit page numbers from both the footnote and the bibliography. If the journal assigns article numbers (like e124 in PLOS journals), use the article number in place of page numbers. You may also include a section heading, paragraph number, or other locator if available and useful for directing the reader to a specific passage.

Summary

Citing journal articles in Chicago 17 requires attention to the differences between footnotes and bibliography entries — particularly author name order, punctuation, and page number conventions. Always format DOIs as full URLs, use "no." before issue numbers, and employ en dashes in page ranges. For papers with many sources, the complete Chicago 17th Edition guide covers books, websites, and other source types you may need alongside your journal article citations.

Use the citation checkers above to verify your formatting before submission, and refer back to the validation checklist whenever you are unsure about a specific element.