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Chicago Style Format for Papers | Requirements & Examples

Published on September 25, 2019 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on December 5, 2022.

The information in this article is largely drawn from Turabian style —a version of Chicago style aimed at students and researchers. When writing a paper in Chicago style, these are the guidelines to follow; for the sake of simplicity, the term “Chicago” is used here.

Chicago Reference Generator

To apply Chicago format:

• Use a standard font like 12 pt. Times New Roman.
• Double-space the text.
• Use 1 inch margins or larger.
• Indent new paragraphs by ½ inch.
• Place page numbers in the top right or bottom center.

Note that any specific formatting advice from your instructor or faculty overrules these guidelines. Template documents set up in Chicago style are available to download below. Just select the one with the citation style you’re following.

Author-date Notes and bibliography

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Table of contents

General formatting, block quotes, numbers and acronyms, in-text citations and notes, bibliography or reference list, frequently asked questions about chicago format.

Chicago doesn’t require a specific font or font size, but recommends using something simple and readable (e.g., 12 pt. Times New Roman). Use margins of at least 1 inch on all sides of the page.

The main text should be double-spaced, and each new paragraph should begin with a ½ inch indent. Text should be left-aligned and not “justified” (meaning that the right margin should look ragged).

Page numbers can be placed either in the top right or the bottom center of the page—one or the other, not both.

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A Chicago title page isn’t required—often it’s sufficient to just include your title at the top of the first page—but if you’re asked to include one, Turabian provides guidelines for how to present it.

All text on the title page should be center-aligned and double-spaced, and written in the same font as the rest of your text. The title should appear about ⅓ of the way down the page, in headline capitalization and in bold.

If you have a subtitle, the main title ends with a colon and the subtitle appears on the following line, also in bold and the same size as the main title.

About ⅔ of the way down the page, add any information your instructor requests you to include—your name, student code, the course name and code, the date, etc. Each new piece of information appears on a new line.

The title page should not have a page number, but should be included in the page count—in other words, the page numbering starts on page 2.

Headings should use headline capitalization:

• Summary of results
• Summary of Results

If you use different levels of heading (e.g., chapters, sections, subheadings), make sure your presentation makes clear which type of heading each one is.

All headings of one level should be presented the same way, and higher-level headings should stand out more from the text. For example, you might use a larger font for chapter headings, bold for section headings, and italics for subheadings:

Prose quotations of five or more lines (or more than 100 words), as well as poetry quotations of two or more lines, are presented as block quotes .

Block quotes do not use quotation marks . Instead, a blank line separates them from the surrounding text on both sides and they are indented by an additional ½ inch. Unlike the rest of the text, they are not double-spaced.

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Chicago recommends using words, not numerals, for numbers lower than 100. For example, you would write “ninety-five,” not “95.” But numerals should still be used when you’re referring to a specific measurement (e.g., “15 cm”) and when using decimals (e.g., “1.5”).

Acronyms should be introduced the first time you refer to the thing they stand for:

After this point, you can use the acronym alone.

Neither numerals nor acronyms should be used at the beginning of a sentence. Either rewrite the sentence so that the numeral or acronym appears elsewhere, or write out the full phrase or number:

• 100 people responded to the survey.
• One hundred people responded to the survey.
• The survey received 100 responses.

Chicago provides guidelines for not one but two citation styles : author-date and notes and bibliography.

In author-date style , citations are placed directly in the text in parentheses . In this style, you have some flexibility about how exactly to integrate the citation:

In notes and bibliography style, citations appear in Chicago footnotes or endnotes (the format is identical either way), and the reader is referred to them by superscript numbers in the text.

Footnote and endnote numbers appear at the end of the relevant clause or sentence, after any punctuation except a dash .

Endnotes appear on their own page just before the bibliography ; footnotes appear at the bottom of each page. Footnotes should be separated from the text by a short rule and be presented in the same font size as the main text, or smaller. Word’s footnote function automatically creates footnotes like this:

At the end of your paper, you’ll likely include a bibliography (for notes and bibliography style) or a reference list (for author-date).

Bibliographies and reference lists are not double-spaced, but leave a blank line between entries.

If an entry extends onto a second line, a ½ inch indent should be applied to all but the first line of the entry.

If you have to create a Chicago style annotated bibliography , follow the same format as a normal bibliography, but indent and double-space the annotations under each source reference.

Turabian style is a version of Chicago style designed specifically for students and researchers. It follows most Chicago conventions, but also adds extra guidelines for formatting research papers , theses and dissertations .

More information can be found in A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations by Kate L. Turabian, now in its ninth edition.

• A reference list is used with Chicago author-date citations .
• A bibliography is used with Chicago footnote citations .

Both present the exact same information; the only difference is the placement of the year in source citations:

• In a reference list entry, the publication year appears directly after the author’s name.
• In a bibliography entry, the year appears near the end of the entry (the exact placement depends on the source type).

There are also other types of bibliography that work as stand-alone texts, such as a Chicago annotated bibliography .

In Chicago author-date style , your text must include a reference list . It appears at the end of your paper and gives full details of every source you cited.

In notes and bibliography style, you use Chicago style footnotes to cite sources; a bibliography is optional but recommended. If you don’t include one, be sure to use a full note for the first citation of each source.

Footnotes appear at the bottom of the relevant page.  Endnotes appear in a list at the end of the text, just before the reference list or bibliography. Don’t mix footnotes and endnotes in the same document: choose one or the other and use them consistently.

In Chicago notes and bibliography style , you can use either footnotes or endnotes, and citations follow the same format in either case.

In APA and MLA style , footnotes or endnotes are not used for citations, but they can be used to provide additional information.

Chicago format doesn’t require you to use any specific font, as long as you choose something readable. A good standard choice is 12 pt Times New Roman.

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Chicago Research Paper Formatting

Chicago manual of style (cmos - 17th edition).

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You are going to love this! Save this template somewhere safe or e-mail it to yourself. Then resave it immediately with the name of your new document. This will keep your template safe and ready to reuse again for future assignments.

The templates provided will be sufficient for most student Chicago Style papers. For more information on formatting, please check out The Chicago Manual of Style Online Resources for Students page at  https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/help-tools/Resources-for-Students.html . 

• Purdue Owl Author Date Sample Paper Sample paper is downloadable.
• Purdue Owl Notes Bibliography Sample Paper Sample paper is downloadable.
• Turabian: Student Paper-Writing Tip Sheets Official Chicago style, in easy-to-use, printable PDF paper-writing tip sheets for students, teachers, and librarians. Guidelines are per Kate L. Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations (9th ed.) and are fully compatible with The Chicago Manual of Style (17th ed.).
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Attribution

This guide was adapted from the Chicago Style Guide by Cathy Rettberg at Menlo School Library.

• Chicago Manual of Style This link opens in a new window The time-tested guide to style, usage, and grammar in an accessible online format.

Your professors expect to receive papers that are properly formatted and laid out. Use the following guidelines when setting up your paper. It is easiest if you use the correct settings from the beginning; otherwise you will have to go back and reformat your paper.

Overall page layout

• One inch margins on sides, top and bottom.
• Use Times or Times New Roman 12 pt font.
• Double-space the text of the paper.
• Use left-justified text, which will have a ragged right edge. Do not use fully (newspaper-style) justified text.
• Use a 1/2" indent for paragraph beginnings, block quotes and hanging (bibliography) indents.
• Number the pages in the top right corner of the paper, beginning with the first page of text. It's a good idea to include your last name as well, in case pages become separated. Number straight through from the first text page to the final bibliography page but do not count any pages after the end of the text as part of your page count. (A five-page paper may also have a cover page, two pages of notes and one page of bibliography which is nine pieces of paper.)
• Center the title of your paper in the middle of the page, halfway down.
• Center your name directly under the title.
• Your professor's name, course title, and date should be written in three lines and centered at the bottom of the page.
• Use Times or Times New Roman 12 pt font for the title page. Do not try to make your cover page decorative by using bold , underline , or creative fonts.
• Do not put a page number on the cover page, and do not count it as part of the total page count.

Assemble your paper in the following order

• Cover/title page
• Body of the paper
• Appendix (if needed)

Bibliography

Names and numbers.

• Use full names of people and agencies/legislation the first time you use them. For agencies, include the acronym in parentheses after the full name when first used, e.g. Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA).
• After the first time you can refer to people by their last name or agencies/bills by their acronyms for the rest of the paper.
• Write out numbers lower than 100. (“All nine members of the Supreme Court...”)

Footnotes and endnotes

• Footnotes go at the bottom of the page where the reference occurs; endnotes go on a separate page after the body of the paper. Both use the same formatting guidelines.
• Within the essay text: put the note number at the end of the sentence where the reference occurs, even if the cited material is mentioned at the beginning of the sentence.
• The note number goes after all other punctuation.
• Be sure to use Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3) nor Roman (i, ii, iii).
• Put the word Notes (not Endnotes) at the top of the page with your endnotes. Use Times/Times New Roman 10 pt font.
• Single space each entry; double space between entries.
• Indent the first line of each note.
• Never reuse a number - use a new number for each reference, even if you have used that reference previously.
• Be sure to look at shortened form examples for sources you refer to more than once.
• To cite multiple sources in a single note, separate the two citations with a semicolon. Never use two note numbers at the end of a sentence.
• Your bibliography should go on a separate page, with the word Bibliography centered at the top of the page in Times/Times New Roman 12 pt font. Do not use bold or large size font for the heading.
• Be sure to use proper formatting - note and bibliography styles are different.
• Use a "hanging indent" - the first line of the citation begins at the margin, subsequent lines are indented.
• If your source has no author, alphabetize by title within the authors - don't make a separate list.
• Don't separate primary and secondary sources unless your professor requests it.

Watch out for these common errors:

• Note format uses first name last name, bibliography uses last name, first name.
• In your notes, do not reuse numbers! Each citation gets a new number.
• Pay attention to indents. Notes use a first line indent, a bibliography uses a hanging indent.
• A bibliography goes in alphabetical order by author (or title if there is no author). Notes are numbered and are listed in the order the sources are used.
• Don't put Works Cited at the top of your bibliography - that is MLA style.
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• Last Updated: Dec 12, 2023 2:19 PM
• URL: https://guide.unwsp.edu/chicago_style

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• Writing Tips

How to Write and Format a Chicago Style Paper [With Examples]

3-minute read

• 18th August 2023

Are you working on a Chicago style project but struggling with the question, “just what is it?!”

Fear not, this post will walk you through Chicago style basics.

What Is Chicago Style?

The Chicago Manual of Style (CMoS) is a comprehensive style guide primarily used by professional writers, publishers, and researchers. It covers various forms of writing, including books, journals, magazines, and other publications. It’s often the go-to style for publishers and editors. CMoS is also known for its emphasis on scholarly writing and is suitable for a wide range of disciplines, including history, literature, the arts, and social sciences.

However, there’s an important distinction between Chicago style and Turabian style , which is essentially a simplified version of CMoS used in scholarly writing. Turabian omits some of the complexities and focuses on the needs of academic writers, especially those in the humanities and social sciences.

With either style, it’s essential to consult the relevant edition of the style guide specified by your institution or publication: either The Chicago Manual of Style or A Manual for Writers by Kate L. Turabian (currently in its ninth edition).

How Are Chicago Style Citations Formatted?

CMoS emphasizes two primary documentation systems : the notes and bibliography system (often used in the humanities) and the author–date system (preferred in the sciences and social sciences). When formatting a CMoS/Turabian paper, you’ll need to adhere to the guidelines associated with your chosen documentation system.

Notes and Bibliography System:

●  In this system, you’ll use footnotes or endnotes to cite sources within the text.

●  A corresponding bibliography is included at the end of the paper, listing all sources in alphabetical order.

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●  Citations typically include author names, titles, publication details, and page numbers.

Author–Date System:

●  In the author–date system, you’ll incorporate in-text citations within parentheses.

●  A reference list is included at the end of the document, providing full details for each cited source.

●  Citations include author’s last names, publication year, and page numbers (if applicable).

What Does Turabian Style Formatting Look Like?

A well-structured Turabian Style paper should adhere to the following formatting guidelines :

•   Title page : Include the title of your paper, your name, the course name/number, instructor’s name, and the date on a separate page, starting a third of the page down. Alternatively, write the title on the first page.
•   Margins : Apply one-inch margins on all sides.
• Indentation and spacing : Indent paragraphs and double-space the main text.
• Font : Use a legible 12-point font (e.g., Times New Roman).
• Page numbers : Number all pages consecutively in the top right corner, starting with the first page. Alternatively, page numbers may be placed at the bottom center of the page.
• Headings and subheadings : Use headline-style capitalization for headings and subheadings, with different levels distinguished.
• Footnotes or in-text citations: Implement your chosen citation system consistently throughout the paper.
• Bibliography or reference list : Include a comprehensive list of all sources used, following Chicago style citation guidelines for your chosen system.

How Should I Choose Which Chicago Style Documentation to Use?

It’s crucial to find out which specific CMoS system is preferred by your institution, publisher, or field of study. Always consult your assignment guidelines or style manual to determine whether you should use the notes and bibliography system or the author–date system. This choice will significantly impact how you format your citations and references.

Remember that mastering CMoS takes practice. By following these guidelines, you’ll be well on your way to crafting polished, professionally formatted papers that meet the expectations of your academic or professional audience.

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Chicago style guide: Chicago style page formatting

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How to format a Chicago-style paper

Your teachers expect to receive papers that are properly formatted and laid out. Use the following guidelines when setting up your paper. It is easiest if you use the correct settings from the beginning; otherwise you will have to go back and reformat your paper.

Overall page layout

• One inch margins on sides, top and bottom.
• Use Times or Times New Roman 12 pt font.
• Double-space the text of the paper.
• Use left-justified text, which will have a ragged right edge. Do not use fully (newspaper-style) justified text.
• Use a 1/2" indent for paragraph beginnings, block quotes and hanging (bibliography) indents.
• Number the pages in the top right corner of the paper, beginning with the first page of text. It's a good idea to include your last name as well, in case pages become separated. Number straight through from the first text page to the final bibliography page but do not count any pages after the end of the text as part of your page count. (A five-page paper may also have a cover page, two pages of notes and one page of bibliography which is nine pieces of paper.)
• Ask your teacher if it is ok to print two-sided.
• < Center the title of your paper in the middle of the page, halfway down.
• Center your name directly under the title.
• Your teacher's name, course title and block, and date should be written in three lines and centered at the bottom of the page.
• Use Times or Times New Roman 12 pt font for the title page. Do not try to make your cover page decorative by using bold , underline , or creative fonts.
• Do not put a page number on the cover page, and do not count it as part of the total page count.

Assemble your paper in the following order

• Cover/title page
• Body of the paper
• Appendix (if needed)

Bibliography

Names and numbers

• Use full names of people and agencies/legislation the first time you use them. For agencies, include the acronym in parentheses after the full name when first used, e.g. Federal Emergency Relief Administration (FERA).
• After the first time you can refer to people by their last name or agencies/bills by their acronyms for the rest of the paper.
• Write out numbers lower than 100. (“All nine members of the Supreme Court...”)

Footnotes and endnotes

Caution: If you are writing your paper in Google Docs, you MUST use footnotes. Google Docs does not have a way to make Endnotes, and if you use the Endnote Generator add-on it will make a mess of your paper!

• Footnotes go at the bottom of the page where the reference occurs; endnotes go on a separate page after the body of the paper. Both use the same formatting guidelines.
• Within the essay text: put the note number at the end of the sentence where the reference occurs, even if the cited material is mentioned at the beginning of the sentence.
• The note number goes after all other punctuation.
• Be sure to use Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3) nor Roman (i, ii, iii).
• Put the word Notes (not Endnotes) at the top of the page with your endnotes. Use Times/Times New Roman 10 pt font.
• Single space each entry; double space between entries.
• Indent the first line of each note.
• Never reuse a number - use a new number for each reference, even if you have used that reference previously.
• Be sure to look at shortened form examples for sources you refer to more than once.
• To cite multiple sources in a single note, separate the two citations with a semicolon. Never use two note numbers at the end of a sentence.
• Your bibliography should go on a separate page, with the word Bibliography centered at the top of the page in Times/Times New Roman 12 pt font. Do not use bold or large size font for the heading.
• Be sure to use proper formatting - note and bibliography styles are different.
• Use a "hanging indent" - the first line of the citation begins at the margin, subsequent lines are indented.
• If your source has no author, alphabetize by title within the authors - don't make a separate list.
• Don't separate primary and secondary sources unless your teacher requests it.

Watch out for these common errors:

• Note format uses first name last name, bibliography uses last name, first name.
• In your notes, do not reuse numbers! Each citation gets a new number.
• Pay attention to indents. Notes use a first line indent, a bibliography uses a hanging indent.
• A bibliography goes in alphabetical order by author (or title if there is no author). Notes are numbered and are listed in the order the sources are used.
• Don't put Works Cited at the top of your bibliography - that is MLA style.

Citing your sources

The library subscribes to NoodleTools, a citation management tool. You can get to it in one of two ways:

1. Go to your Menlo gmail and click on the 9-box "waffle" menu. Scroll down to NoodleTools. 

2. Go to the NoodleTools home page  and log in with Google using your Menlo Gmail username and password.

Can't decide whether your source needs a citation?  Click here to hear Dr. Hanson explain when citations are needed.  Click here to view a flowsheet that will guide your choices.

Google Docs formatting tips

Formatting page breaks and page numbers in Google Docs

Inserting Chicago style footnotes in Google Docs

Citation checklist

Do you want to be sure you've formatted your research paper correctly? Click the link below to download a Chicago style citation and formatting checklist. 

• Citation formatting checklist
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• Last Updated: Dec 14, 2023 12:26 PM
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The Complete Guide to Chicago Style

Allison Bressmer

The Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS) is a widely used style guide that covers topics like preparing manuscripts for publication, grammar rules, and word usage. It also offers two style options for source citation .

While Chicago Style is more often used for published works than high school or undergraduate class papers, Kate Turabian developed a simplified version of the CMOS’s citation styles, with modifications that address the needs of student writers.

What Does the Chicago Manual of Style Do?

Chicago manual of style general formatting guidelines, how to format an in-text chicago-style citation, guidelines for formatting reference and bibliography pages, why are citations and references necessary.

The purpose of CMOS, or any style guide, is to create a system of standardization across a publication, company, publishing house, or project, etc.

Language and conventions of language, grammar, and word usage are fluid and influenced by social location or other factors, so style manuals provide rules or guidelines to establish consistency.

Additionally, style guides provide easy navigation for readers by creating a clear framework for how sources are cited, documented, and located, should the reader want to investigate that source further.

The CMOS offers these general guidelines for formatting papers:

• Margins should be no less than 1 inch and no more than 1.5 inches around the paper; margins should be consistent throughout.
• The body of the main text should be double spaced .
• Block quotations, notes, bibliography entries, table titles, and figure captions are single spaced .
• Text should be left-justified .
• New paragraphs should be indented by one half inch.
• Font size and style should be legible . While CMOS does not offer a specific font preference, the Turabian guide recommends Times New Roman (12 point) or Calibri (11 point) for student papers.
• Each page of the document should have a header in the top-right corner that includes the page number .

What About a Title Page?

CMOS does not require a title page. However, if the publication you’re writing for requires one, you’ll need to follow their format.

The Turabian guide states that class papers may require either a title on the first page of text or a title page. If you need to include a title page, the recommendations are as follows:

• Center the title one-third of the way down the page.
• The subtitle , if you have one, goes under the title . Put a colon after the title if you have a subtitle.
• Your name , class information , and the date should be included a few lines (3-4 return hits) later, each a separate line.
• All information should be double-spaced .

What About Headings?

In CMOS, consistency is key. There is no set rule for headings and subheadings, other than that they should be consistent throughout the work. Think of them as visual cues.

A reader should be able to recognize that “this font at that size” is a chapter beginning. Or “that font in this size” signals a main subsection of a chapter, and so on.

Other CMOS Style Elements to Know

Because there is variety even within the CMOS, it’s important to remember to check with your instructor or publisher about the specific style methods they follow and to ensure you understand any preferences not specifically stated in the CMOS guidelines.

Here are some common sticking points you may have questions about.

Introduce acronyms the first time you refer to the entity or concept, etc., that they stand for. The first line of this article demonstrates that practice.

The Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS) is a widely used style guide . . . .

ProWritingAid's Acronym Report checks this for you, highlighting any un-introduced acronyms in your text, as well as any inconsistent acronyms:

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Use words rather than numerals for numbers under 100. For example, write out twenty-eight instead of 28. There are exceptions to this rule: Use numerals when referring to a specific measurement; for example, 1 inch, and when using decimals. Also, for more technical writing, CMOS advocates spelling out numbers one through nine, but using numerals for any figure with two or more digits.

“Block” a prose quotation of five or more lines. This means the entire quote should be indented, or set off, from the surrounding text. Do not use quotation marks around blocked quotations. Use the same font style and size for the blocked quote as you used for the surrounding text.

Use “headline-style” capitalization for titles mentioned in the text, notes, or bibliography. Headline style means the first words of titles and subtitles, as well as any principal words that follow, are capitalized. Principal words include the first and last words of the title, as well as any words that are not conjunctions, articles, or prepositions. Use italics or quotation marks for titles depending on the works they represent.

Figures and Tables

If you include a figure or table in your work, follow these elements of CMOS:

• Position the figure under the information that discusses that figure.
• Put the caption directly under the image or figure and flush with the left edge of the figure. Use single spacing for the caption.
• Leave at least one blank line between the caption and the continuing text in your document.
• Label the image and ensure that labels are consecutive. For example, Figure 1; Figure 2; Figure 2.1.

CMOS offers two options for in-text citations and their respective reference or bibliography pages: author-date and notes and bibliography .

The Author-Date System

The author-date style is used more commonly in physical and social sciences. With this method, sources are cited in the text, usually with a parenthetical citation that includes the author’s last name and the year the cited work was published.

To find full bibliographic information on the source, the reader can consult the reference list and find the corresponding entry.

This method offers the writer some flexibility in how to integrate citations into their texts.

Examples of Author-Date Style

Let's pretend I ran an experiment on the most popular color of M&Ms among five-year-olds. I conducted the study in 2020 (because what else was there to do during a pandemic?), and you want to include my findings in your paper.

With the author-date format, you could use either of these possibilities:

The study revealed that five-year-olds prefer blue and green M&Ms to brown and yellow ones (Bressmer 2020).

Bressmer (2020) determined that five-year-olds prefer blue and green M&Ms to brown and yellow ones.

If I had worked with one or two others—say, Johnson and Smith—on my study, you would simply add their names to the citation, like this:

• The study revealed that five-year-olds prefer blue and green M&Ms to brown and yellow ones (Bressmer, Johnson, and Smith 2020).

If any additional researchers were involved in the study (making the total four or more names), you would use (Bressmer et al. 2020).

If you need to cite more than one reference in a single in-text citation, use semicolons to separate those references.

• One study revealed that five-year-olds prefer blue and green M&Ms to brown and yellow ones, but a subsequent study indicates that blue is preferred even over green (Bressmer 2020; Phillips 2021).

If I had conducted both of those studies (not Phillips), only a comma would be required between the dates: (Bressmer 2020, 2021).

Author-Date Reference List

If you use the author-date style, you must include a list of references as the last page of your work. Each of your in-text citations must have a corresponding entry on the reference list that includes the full bibliographic information for the source.

The reference list should only include sources you’ve cited in the document.

The Notes and Bibliography System

This system is often preferred by those working in the humanities. It has flexibility and provides an opportunity for commenting on sources, if the writer feels a comment is necessary.

In the notes and bibliography style, writers acknowledge they have used a source by putting a superscript number at the end of the sentence in which that source is referenced. If the reference is a direct quote, then the superscript should immediately follow the quotation. The note number should also follow punctuation, rather than precede it.

Footnotes and Endnotes

Using either footnotes or endnotes , the writer includes a numbered note that corresponds to the in-text superscript number either at the bottom of the page on which the reference is used, in which case the note is called a footnote , or in a compiled list of notes at the end of a chapter, or the entire document, called endnotes .

Footnotes and endnotes include bibliographic information for the cited source. These notes then correspond to entries on the last page of the paper, the bibliography.

Usually, the first time a source is listed as a footnote or endnote , it is appropriate to use a full note, which includes full publication details of the source.

If a source is included in subsequent footnotes or endnotes , it’s common practice to use short notes , which include the author’s last name, title of the work, and page number, if relevant. However, always check with your instructor or publisher and follow their recommendations.

Example of Notes and Bibliography Style

Imagine the sentence below appears in the text of a document in which the writer referenced my M&M study. Note the superscript after the referenced material and the corresponding footnote (full-note form) at the “bottom” of my page. A thin line separates footnotes from the main text, and the footnotes appear in a font of the same or smaller size than the main text.

The study revealed that five-year-olds prefer blue and green M&Ms to brown and yellow ones.1

• Allison Bressmer, “The M&M Attraction Study,” The Journal of Imagined Studies 100, no. 1, (August 2020): 5.

A short-note version would simply include

• Bressmer, “The M&M Attraction Study,” 5.

The Notes-Bibliography Style Bibliography Page

While a reference list is required for papers written with the author-date system, a bibliography is not required for works written with the notes-and-bibliography system, though they are generally preferred. Once again, check with your instructor or publisher.

The bibliography includes sources cited in your paper and may list other sources you referenced in preparing the work but did not specifically cite.

For the most part, format the reference and bibliography pages the same way.

Either list starts on a new, blank page that comes at the end of your document.

• Title the document as References or Bibliography , depending on the CMOS citation system used in the document. Center that title word, but do not underline or put it in quotation marks.
• Leave two blank lines between the title and your first entry.
• Single space the lines of each entry; if the entry has more than one line, use a hanging indent for all subsequent lines (this just means the lines are indented, or “tabbed”).
• Leave one blank line between entries.
• Alphabetize entries by author’s name; if no author, then by the first word of the entry (probably the title of the article/work).

What to Include in Chicago-Style Reference and Bibliography Entries

Other than their titles, the only other difference between the reference and bibliography pages is regarding the placement of the publication date. On a reference list, place the year of publication immediately after the author’s name.

Major Elements

Include the following major elements in reference and bibliography entries and separate the elements with periods:

• Author’s name: last name first, with a comma separating the names. For example, Johnson, Joan.

Reminder: on a reference list , the publication date appears directly after the author’s name.

Title: Italicize titles of books and journals. Use quotation marks for titles of articles, chapters, short stories, or poems.

Publication information: Name of journal (or larger work in which the cited article, chapter, etc., appears), publisher, year of publication.

If additional information about the source is available:

• After the title, include others involved in producing the work (editors, translators, compilers); edition number if the work is not the first edition; volume or series numbers.
• After publication information, include page numbers; URLs, or DOIs (digital object identifiers) of sources accessed through electronic databases.

By acknowledging the author of a source cited in your paper, you do the following:

• Uphold standards of intellectual and academic honesty by acknowledging the authors of the information you’ve borrowed for your paper. It’s never okay to try to pass off someone else’s work or ideas as your own—that is called plagiarism.

For more help ensuring your work is presented honestly, sign up for ProWritingAid’s Plagiarism Checks —and rest assured your work will not be stored or sold.

Establish credibility by including the voices and works of others as support for your ideas, arguments, or proposals. When you do this, you validate the credibility of your ideas.

Help your readers by leading them to the source of each of your citations. Should they want to investigate further, your citations will lead to your reference page, which provides the location of your source.

The Chicago Manual of Style offers versatility for writers, allowing them to adapt their citations to the style that suits their work (or their instructor’s or publisher’s request), while ensuring readers can easily identify and locate those cited sources for further investigation.

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Allison Bressmer is a professor of freshman composition and critical reading at a community college and a freelance writer. If she isn’t writing or teaching, you’ll likely find her reading a book or listening to a podcast while happily sipping a semi-sweet iced tea or happy-houring with friends. She lives in New York with her family. Connect at linkedin.com/in/allisonbressmer.

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Chicago Style Guide - 17th Edition

• Chicago Style
• Title Page and Pagination
• Quotations and Signal Phrases
• Bibliography
• Chicago's Citation Parts
• Articles - Online
• Articles - Print
• Blogs and Social Media
• Government Publications
• Elders & Knowledge Keepers
• Other Sources
• Secondary Sources
• Generative AI Tools (e.g., ChatGPT, DALL·E 2)
• Author/Date (Scientific) System
• Need More Help?

Useful Links

• Chicago Manual of Style Online - Quick Guide
• Douglas College Library - Chicago Style Guide (PDF)
• Purdue OWL - Chicago Manual of Style (17th ed.)
• SFU Library - Chicago/Turabian (17th ed.) Citation Guide

Avoid Plagiarism

• Camosun Academic Integrity Guide
• Camosun Plagiarism Guide
• Douglas College Learning Centre - Paraphrasing Without Plagiarizing
• Purdue OWL - Avoiding Plagiarism
• SFU Library - Plagiarism Tutorial

Chicago Style Sample Research Paper

Formatting and Sample Paper

The formatting guidelines listed on this page, provide general best practices for formatting your work using the Chicago style. Detailed information about formatting your title page , using quotes and signal phrases , and creating a bibliography , can be found by navigating to various sub-pages of this "Formatting Your Paper" page.

Learning how to correctly format your research paper into Chicago style can seem overwhelming, especially if the style is new to you. One of the best ways to help visualize what your paper needs to look like is by checking out an example of a paper that has already been formatted correctly.

View this  sample Chicago style research paper   ( notes and bibliography/humanities system ) from Purdue OWL for examples on how to format:

• A title page
• Headers and page numbers
• A bibliography

For a sample paper in the Chicago author/date style , visit the "Author/Date (Scientific) System" page in this guide.

Paragraphs and Spacing

The first line of all new paragraphs should begin with an indent . You can use either the tab key or your word processor's indentation tool to make your indentations–just be sure to be consistent and use the same process throughout your paper.

Your paper should be double spaced throughout its main body , with the following exceptions: 

• Block quotations , table titles , and figure captions should be single-spaced . 
• ​An extra line of space should be inserted both before and after a block quotation. 

Entries in the bibliography and footnotes/ endnotes are single spaced within entries , but double-spaced between entries (unless your instructor prefers double-spacing throughout).​

Footnotes and Endnotes

• Notes can be either  footnotes   (placed at the  foot   (bottom) of the same page  as the referenced text) or  endnotes   (listed on a  separate sheet at the end  of the essay, before the bibliography).
• Other than placement in your document, footnotes and endnotes are  structured in exactly the same way .
• Notes are  numbered consecutively  throughout the paper. Most word processing programs (such as MS Word) handle footnotes automatically.
• Follow your instructors’ directions when deciding whether to use footnotes or endnotes.

To insert a footnote in a Microsoft Word document:

• Place the cursor after the text you want to cite.
• Click on the " References "   tab.
• In the " Footnotes " section , click on the " In sert Footnote " button.
• A superscript number 1 will appear after the text you want to cite.
• A superscript number 1 will also appear at the bottom of page.
• At the bottom of the page next to the superscript number, enter the citation information for your resource (see the citation examples in this guide for how to create footnotes).
• Repeat these steps to insert and consecutively number your footnotes.

Some instructors may ask you to use endnotes, instead of footnotes. For information on inserting endnotes, see the  Microsoft Office Tutorial .

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Chicago Style (17th ed.): Citation Guide

• Getting Started with Chicago

Formatting a Paper in Chicago Style

Chicago paper visual guide.

• Citing Sources in Chicago Style
• Chicago Style Citation Examples
• Additional Chicago Style Resources
• Citation Guides Homepage

Sample Student Paper

• Sample Chicago Paper

Ask A Librarian

• Paper Formatting
• Bibliography

Chicago Basic Formatting Rules

The following guidelines are the basic formatting rules outlined in the  Chicago Manual of Style  17th edition. If your instructor sets different requirements, always use your instructor's guidelines first.

• readable serif font, regular-sized
• example: 12pt Times New Roman
• double space the body of the paper
• 1-inch margins on all sides
• indent the first line of each paragraph by 1/2-inch (tab)
• left-justified for the body of the paper

Page Numbers:

• count the title page as page one, but don't include a page number
• include the page number in the top right corner of all pages except the title page

Formatting Notes:

• Format note numbers as superscripts in the text of your paper
• single space each note (footnote or endnote) but double space between notes

Chicago Title Page

The following guidelines are the basic formatting rules outlined in the Chicago Manual of Style  17th edition. If your instructor sets different requirements, always use your instructor's guidelines first.

Page Number:

• do not include the page number on the title page (but it counts as page 1)

Title Page Heading:

• Paper Title
• Date (Month Day, Year)

Bibliography Formatting

The following guidelines are the basic formatting rules outlined in the Chicago Manual of Style 17th edition. If your instructor sets different requirements, always use your instructor's guidelines first.

• needs to start on a new page following the end of your paper
• include the title Bibliography  centered on the first line of the page
• everything after the title is left-justified
• listed in alphabetical order by the first part of the citation (usually the author)
• each entry is single spaced with a double space between each entry
• Each entry should have a hanging indent- or it should start at the left margin and then have all lines after it indented by 1/2-inch

Click on the information circles for tips on how to use Microsoft Word to format your paper in Chicago Style.

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• Last Updated: Feb 27, 2024 10:08 AM
• URL: https://lonestar-online.libguides.com/chicago

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CMOS NB Sample Paper

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Chicago 17th Edition Citation Guide

• General Chicago Style Guidelines

Word Template

• Book Examples
• Article Examples
• Multimedia Examples
• Personal Communication, Interview Examples, and Lectures
• Legal, Public and Unpublished Materials
• Bluebook Citation for Legal Materials
• Reference Works, and Ancient, Sacred, Medieval, or Classic Texts
• Chicago Style Word Template This template by Purdue Owl is formatted with proper spacing, indentations, and general information for your Chicago Style papers. Please follow your professor's instructions.
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• Next: Book Examples >>
• Last Updated: Nov 27, 2023 4:02 PM
• URL: https://cccs.libguides.com/c.php?g=1318336