Chicago Citation Generator

Create accurate Chicago (author-date, 17th edition) references for websites, books and journal articles — free, instant, and no sign-up.

100% free · No sign-up · Every citation with source provenance, from Answerr

Live preview (Chicago (author-date))

Fill in the fields above to see your Chicago (author-date) citation.

How to cite in Chicago (author-date)

In the Chicago author-date system, the reference-list entry begins with the author, then the year, then the title and source details. This pairs with in-text citations that show the author and year, e.g. (Smith 2026).

What you need

Author(s), year, and title, plus the source specifics: site name and URL for websites; place of publication and publisher for books; journal name, volume, issue and pages for articles.

Author-date vs. notes-bibliography

Chicago has two systems. This generator uses author-date (common in the sciences and social sciences). If your course requires notes-bibliography footnotes, use this entry as your bibliography reference.

Frequently asked questions

Is this Chicago citation generator free?

Yes — completely free, no account, no ads, and it runs entirely in your browser.

Which Chicago system does it use?

It uses the Chicago author-date system (17th edition) for reference-list entries.

Can it cite websites, books and journal articles?

Yes. Pick the source type and the required fields and formatting update automatically.

Do I need to review the output?

Always give it a final check against your assignment guidelines. The tool produces an accurate Chicago draft from your details.

Cite responsibly — and prove you can work with AI

Answerr is an education-first AI platform. Every AI answer comes with citations and provenance, and students can earn a verifiable AI capability credential (AIQ™) — free to start.

Earn your AIQ™ →