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How to Cite a Government Document in Chicago (17th edition)

Learn how to cite government reports, legislation, and official documents in Chicago format (17th edition). This guide includes the reference list format, in-text citation examples, and key formatting rules.

Chicago Bibliography Format

Here is the standard Chicago format for citing a government document in your bibliography:

Country, Agency Name. Title of Document. Place: Publisher, Year.

Chicago Example for a Government Document

A complete Chicago reference for a government document, formatted by the official Chicago CSL style definition — the same engine that powers the generator on this site:

Department of Education. 2023. National Literacy Strategy. ED-2023-114. Government Publishing Office. https://www.example.gov/literacy-strategy.

Matching in-text citation: (Department of Education 2023)

Chicago In-Text Citation

Use one of these formats when referencing this source within your paper:

Parenthetical

(Agency Name 2024, 12)

Narrative

Agency Name (2024) states...

Step-by-Step Guide

  1. Gather source information: Collect the author name, title, publication date, and URL or DOI for your government document.
  2. Format the reference: Arrange the elements following the Chicago (17th edition) template shown above.
  3. Create the in-text citation: Add a parenthetical or narrative citation in your paper where you reference this source.
  4. Add to your bibliography: Include the full formatted citation at the end of your paper.
  5. Double-check formatting: Verify italics, punctuation, capitalization, and hanging indents match Chicago requirements.

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Cite a Government Document in Other Styles

Government Document in APAGovernment Document in MLAGovernment Document in HarvardGovernment Document in VancouverGovernment Document in IEEEGovernment Document in AMAGovernment Document in TurabianGovernment Document in CSEGovernment Document in BibTeXGovernment Document in NatureGovernment Document in ACSGovernment Document in OSCOLAGovernment Document in BluebookGovernment Document in AGLCGovernment Document in ASAGovernment Document in APSAGovernment Document in AAAGovernment Document in NLMGovernment Document in ACMGovernment Document in APSGovernment Document in AIPGovernment Document in CellGovernment Document in ScienceGovernment Document in PLOSGovernment Document in BMJGovernment Document in LancetGovernment Document in JAMAGovernment Document in Elsevier HarvardGovernment Document in Springer

Cite Other Sources in Chicago

Website in ChicagoBook in ChicagoJournal Article in ChicagoYouTube Video in ChicagoPodcast in ChicagoNewspaper Article in ChicagoMagazine Article in ChicagoBlog Post in ChicagoWikipedia in ChicagoPDF in ChicagoInterview in ChicagoSocial Media Post in ChicagoDissertation or Thesis in ChicagoConference Paper in ChicagoLecture or PowerPoint in ChicagoWebinar in ChicagoOnline Course in ChicagoPowerPoint Presentation in ChicagoImage or Photograph in ChicagoMovie or Film in ChicagoDocumentary in ChicagoTV Show in ChicagoSong or Music in ChicagoPoem in ChicagoCourt Case in ChicagoPatent in ChicagoEncyclopedia Entry in ChicagoDictionary Entry in ChicagoDataset in ChicagoSoftware or App in ChicagoVideo Game in ChicagoPress Release in ChicagoReport in ChicagoPreprint in ChicagoBook Chapter in ChicagoChatGPT in ChicagoBible in ChicagoTED Talk in ChicagoEmail in ChicagoReddit or Forum Post in ChicagoX (Twitter) Post in ChicagoMap in Chicago

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