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How to Cite an Email in Chicago (17th edition)

Learn how to cite emails, letters, and personal communications 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 an email in your bibliography:

Cite in a note, not the bibliography: 1. Sender First Name Last Name, email message to author, Month Day, Year.

Chicago In-Text Citation

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

Parenthetical

(Sender, email message to author, April 20, 2024)

Narrative

Sender, in an email to the author, noted...

Key Chicago Formatting Rules

  • In Notes-Bibliography style, cite a personal email in a footnote or endnote only.
  • Personal communications are normally omitted from the bibliography.
  • Give the sender, the phrase “email message to author” (or to the named recipient), and the date.
  • Do not capitalize or hyphenate inconsistently — Chicago 17 uses “email message.”

Step-by-Step Guide

  1. Gather source information: Collect the author name, title, publication date, and URL or DOI for your email.
  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 an Email in Other Styles

Email in APAEmail in MLAEmail in HarvardEmail in VancouverEmail in IEEEEmail in AMAEmail in TurabianEmail in CSEEmail in BibTeXEmail in NatureEmail in ACSEmail in OSCOLAEmail in BluebookEmail in AGLCEmail in ASAEmail in APSAEmail in AAAEmail in NLMEmail in ACMEmail in APSEmail in AIPEmail in CellEmail in ScienceEmail in PLOSEmail in BMJEmail in LancetEmail in JAMAEmail in Elsevier HarvardEmail 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 ChicagoGovernment Document in ChicagoDissertation or Thesis in ChicagoConference Paper in ChicagoLecture or PowerPoint in ChicagoWebinar 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 ChicagoReddit or Forum Post in ChicagoMap in Chicago

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