Chicago 18th Author-Date

The reference list provides the full details of the sources you have cited in your work. Reference list entries usually consist of four elements: author, date, title and source.

Authors

The author variations below apply to all reference types (books, journal articles, websites, etc.).

  • All author names (first, middle and last names) are listed in full except when only the author initials are provided.
  • When there are two or more authors, the first author’s name is inverted with the Surname appearing first, followed by the first and middle names, if given. All subsequent author names are listed in the format of First Name Surname. For example: Smith, Benjamin, Brooke J. Burke, and Shae Anne Barnes.
  • If only initials are given, put a full stop after each initial and a space between the initials, e.g. Lee, S. A.
  • Include a comma to separate each author’s name and use ‘and’ before the last author’s name (e.g. Smith, Benjamin A., and Brooke J. Burke).
  • List authors in the order they appear on the source you are referencing.
  • Names that follow Eastern order (Surname first) rather than Western order (Surname last) should not be inverted in a reference list even if they are listed as a second or subsequent author, e.g. Beller, Ben, Lee Kim Hock, and Wang Gui. 2010.

If no personal author is given, check to see if an organisation has acted as the author. Where there are no authors and you are sure that your source is credible, follow the guidelines below:

  • Use the title of the work in place of the author in the in-text citation and in the reference list
  • If the title is too long, shorten it in the in-text citation but always include the first word of the title
  • If the item is a smaller part of a publication (e.g. journal article, book chapter), enclose the title in quotation marks in both the in-text and reference list
  • If the item is a book, brochure, website or report, italicise the title both in the in-text and reference list.

Note: Newspaper or magazine articles are exceptions to the above guidelines. Refer to the Newspaper and magazine article example in this guide.

In-text citation

(“A Profession in Charge” 2015).

OR

In the article “A Profession in Charge” (2015) …

Reference list

“A Profession in Charge of its Future - A Vision for 2030.” 2015. Veterinary Record 177 (20): 503-504. https://doi.org/10.1136/vr.h6215.

  • Include all authors in the reference list entry.

Reference list examples:

Burns, Timothy. 2015. “Philosophy and Poetry: A New Look at an Old Quarrel.” The American Political Science Review 109 (2): 326-338. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0003055415000076.

Lane, Rod, and Simon Catling. 2016. “Preservice Primary Teachers’ Depth and Accuracy of Knowledge of Tropical Cyclones.” Journal of Geography 115 (5): 198-211. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221341.2016.1153133.

  • Include up to six authors in the reference list entry.

Reference list example:

Thomas, M’Balia, Alisa L. Russell, and Hannah V. Warren. 2018. “The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of the Pedagogy in Harry Potter: An Inquiry into the Personal Practical Knowledge of Remus Lupin, Rubeus Hagrid, and Serverus Snape.” The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas 91 (4-5): 186-192. https://doi.org/10.1080/00098655.2018.1433152.

  • List only the first three authors followed by et al. (meaning and others) in the reference list.

Reference list example:

Yonkers, Kimberly, A., Susan M. Ramin, A. John Rush, et al. 2001. “Onset and Persistence of Postpartum Depression in an Inner-City Maternal Health Clinic System.” The American Journal of Psychiatry 158 (11): 1856-1863. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.158.11.185.

  • Include the organisation name in full in the reference list.
  • If you have used the abbreviated name in the in-text citation, display the abbreviation first followed by the organisation’s full name in brackets. Where an organisation is commonly known by its acronym (e.g. CSIRO, Qantas, NASA), list the acronym in the reference list without the full name in brackets
  • Where multiple departments are listed, use the organisation most responsible for the information as the author. In government documents particularly, the hierarchy is often displayed, for example: Royal Perth Hospital, Department of Health, Government of Western Australia. The smallest department is usually primarily responsible for the content (in this case, Royal Perth Hospital)

Reference list example:

Department of Education and Training. 2024. “During your studies in Australia.” Australian Government. https://www.education.gov.au/international-education/during-your-studies-australia-0.

Reference list example: organisation name abbreviated in-text

WHO (World Health Organization). 2018. Global Status Report on Road Safety 2018. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/road_safety_status/2018/en/.

Title capitalisation

  • All titles should appear in title case (where each significant word is capitalised). Example: Youth Subcultures: Theory, History and the Australian Experience.

DOIs and URLs

  • A DOI (Digital Object Identifier) is a string of numbers, letters and symbols which uniquely identifies, and creates a permanent link to a journal article, book or other online document, e.g. 10.1108/HER-10-2015-0023
  • In the Chicago style, DOIs are preceded by https://doi.org/. For example: https://doi.org/10.1108/HER-10-2015-0023.
  • The DOI is given preference over a URL due to its stable nature. If one has been assigned, include it in your reference list entry
  • If you cannot locate a DOI, include the online article, book or document’s URL. If the URL is very long or unsuitable, list the name of the library database in place of the URL
  • DOIs and URLs are presented as plain text links, preceded by https://… and followed by a full stop. For example: https://doi.org/10.1108/HER-10-2015-0023.

Where can I find the DOI?
DOIs will usually be presented on the first page of an article or with the publication details. If you cannot locate a DOI, do a quick search in the document by clicking CTRL + F (Windows) or Command + F (Mac) and entering doi in the search box

Reference list page layout

  • Begin the reference list on a new page at the end of your work
  • Place the label References, centred on the top of the page
  • Each entry should be single-line-spaced with a hanging indent and a single, blank line between entries
  • Apply a hanging indent of 1.27cm to each reference list entry

References

Arkoudis, Sophie, Mollie Dollinger, Chi Baik, and Allan Patience. 2019. “International Students’ Experience in Australian Higher Education: Can We Do Better?” Higher Education 77 (5): 799-813. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-018-0302-x.

The Australian. 2016. “A Higher Education Return.” August 18. https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/higher-education-return/docview/1811922139/se-2?accountid=10382.

ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics). 2021. Education and Work, Australia. ABS. https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/education/education-and-work-australia.

Boulton, Chris A., Emily Hughes, Carmel Kent, Joanne R. Smith, and Hywel T. P. Williams. 2019. “Student Engagement and Wellbeing Over Time at a Higher Education Institution.” PLoS ONE 14 (11): e0225770. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0225770.

Forsyth, Hannah. 2014a. “Dreaming of Higher Education.” Southerly 74 (2): 119-142. https://doi.org/10.3316/informit.792227855125093.

Forsyth, Hannah. 2014b. A History of the Modern Australian University. NewSouth Publishing. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/curtin/detail.action?docID=2008112.

Forsyth, Hannah. 2017. “Post-War Political Economics and the Growth of Australian University Research, c.1945-1965.” History of Education Review 46 (1): 15-32. https://doi.org/10.1108/HER-10-2015-0023.

MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). 2019. The Future of Higher Education in the Age of Disruption. YouTube. Video, 47 min., 32 sec. https://youtu.be/NFP2S2f3io4.

Rudick, C. Kyle, and Deanna P. Dannels. 2018. “ ‘Yes, and …’: Continuing the Scholarly Conversation About Immigration and Higher Education.” Communication Education 67 (1): 120-123. https://doi.org/10.1080/03634523.2017.1392584.

Tierney, William G., and Michael Lanford. 2016. “Conceptualizing Innovation in Higher Education.” In Higher Education: Handbook of Theory and Research, edited by Michael B. Paulsen. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-26829-3.

UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization). 2016. Global Education Monitoring Report, 2016: Place: Inclusive and Sustainable Cities. UNESCO. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000247862.

UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization). n.d. “Education Transforms Lives.” UNESCO. Accessed January 31, 2023. https://en.unesco.org/themes/education.

The World Bank. 2025. “Tertiary Education.” The World Bank. https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/tertiaryeducation#1.

Order of references in reference list

Arrange the list alphabetically by the first author’s surname (family name) or the organisation name. Where there is no author, use the first word of the title (other than A, An, or The)

Arkoudis, Sophie, Mollie Dollinger, Chi Baik, and Allan Patience. 2019. “International Students’ Experience in Australian Higher Education: Can We Do Better?” Higher Education 77 (5): 799-813. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-018-0302-x.

The Australian. 2016. “A Higher Education Return.” August 18. https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/higher-education-return/docview/1811922139/se-2?accountid=10382.

ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics). 2021. Education and Work, Australia. ABS. https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/education/education-and-work-australia.

Boulton, Chris A., Emily Hughes, Carmel Kent, Joanne R. Smith, and Hywel T. P. Williams. 2019. “Student Engagement and Wellbeing Over Time at a Higher Education Institution.” PLoS ONE 14 (11): e0225770. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0225770.

If there are multiple works by the same author(s) published in different years, order by publication date from oldest to newest. References with no date (n.d.) appear after references with dates

UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization). 2016. Global Education Monitoring Report, 2016: Place: Inclusive and Sustainable Cities. UNESCO. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000247862.

UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization). n.d. “Education Transforms Lives.” UNESCO. Accessed January 31, 2023. https://en.unesco.org/themes/education.

If there are multiple works by the same author(s) published in the same year, order alphabetically by the title of the work. Add a, b, c after the year to differentiate the works

Forsyth, Hannah. 2014a. “Dreaming of Higher Education.” Southerly 74 (2): 119-142. https://doi.org/10.3316/informit.792227855125093.

Forsyth, Hannah. 2014b. A History of the Modern Australian University. NewSouth Publishing. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/curtin/detail.action?docID=2008112.

A single-author entry in a reference list precedes a multi-author entry beginning with the same name.

Gao, Mobo. 2011. The Battle for China’s Past: Mao and the Cultural Revolution. Pluto Press.

Gao, Mobo, and Greg McCarthy. 2015. “China’s Soft Power and Cultural Diplomacy.” Asian Studies Review 39 (4): 629–645.