Ultimate Guide to Chicago Style Format and Citation

Improper formatting techniques affect the overall grade of your research paper or essay.

Professors sometimes instruct students to follow a specific format. It can be either an MLA or Chicago style. There are other citation styles also that assist the students in citing and referencing their work correctly and properly.

However, students find it challenging to meet these formatting techniques thoroughly. This blog is a guide to the updated edition of the Chicago Manual of Style, the 17th edition, and it will help you format your papers of literature history, general history, and arts properly.Read this blog to get a detailed overview of the Chicago-style format paper.

The Chicago Manual of Style (CMS) is a widely used formatting and citation guide for academic and professional writing. This comprehensive guide will cover the essential aspects of the Chicago Style format, including general formatting guidelines, citation rules, and examples for various types of sources.

General Formatting Guidelines

Page Layout

1. Margins: Set one-inch margins on all sides of the page.
2. Font: Use a readable font like Times New Roman, 12-point size.
3. Line Spacing: Double-space the entire document, including block quotations and the bibliography.
4. Indentation: Indent the first line of each paragraph by 0.5 inches.
5. Page Numbers: Place page numbers in the top right corner of the header, starting from the first page of the text.

Title Page

The title page includes:

• Title of the paper, centered a third of the way down the page.
• Your name, course name, instructor’s name, and date, each on a new line, centered and positioned near the bottom of the page.

Headings and Subheadings

Chicago Style uses a hierarchy of headings to organize the content:

• Level 1 Heading: Centered, Bold or Italic, Headline-Style Capitalization.
• Level 2 Heading: Centered, Regular Text, Headline-Style Capitalization.
• Level 3 Heading: Left-aligned, Bold or Italic, Sentence-style capitalization.
• Level 4 Heading: Left-aligned, Regular Text, Sentence-style capitalization.

In-Text Citations

Chicago Style offers two citation formats: the Author-Date system and the Notes and Bibliography system. This guide will focus on the Notes and Bibliography system, which is commonly used in the humanities.

Footnotes and Endnotes

• Footnotes: Place footnotes at the bottom of the page where the reference occurs.
• Endnotes: Place endnotes at the end of the document before the bibliography.

To insert a footnote or endnote in Microsoft Word:

1. Place the cursor where you want the note number to appear.
2. Go to the “References” tab.
3. Select “Insert Footnote” or “Insert Endnote.”

Each footnote or endnote should correspond to a full bibliographic entry in the bibliography.

Footnote/Endnote Example

Book:

1. Wendy Doniger, The Implied Spider: Politics and Theology in Myth (New York: Columbia University Press, 1998), 23.

Article: 2. John Doe, “The Study of Historical Myths,” Journal of History 58, no. 2 (2002): 112.

Bibliography

The bibliography appears at the end of your paper, listing all sources referenced in your footnotes or endnotes.

• Formatting: Use a hanging indent of 0.5 inches for each entry.
• Order: Alphabetize entries by the last name of the first author.

Bibliography Example

Book: Doniger, Wendy. The Implied Spider: Politics and Theology in Myth. New York: Columbia University Press, 1998.

Article: Doe, John. “The Study of Historical Myths.” Journal of History 58, no. 2 (2002): 105-125.

Citation Examples

Books

Single Author:

• Footnote: 1. Wendy Doniger, The Implied Spider: Politics and Theology in Myth (New York: Columbia University Press, 1998), 23.
• Bibliography: Doniger, Wendy. The Implied Spider: Politics and Theology in Myth. New York: Columbia University Press, 1998.

Multiple Authors:

• Footnote: 2. Peter Brown and Thomas Smith, Understanding Ancient Civilizations (Boston: Academic Press, 2001), 45.
• Bibliography: Brown, Peter, and Thomas Smith. Understanding Ancient Civilizations. Boston: Academic Press, 2001.

Edited Book:

• Footnote: 3. Carol Green, ed., Medieval Literature and Culture (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2003), 78.
• Bibliography: Green, Carol, ed. Medieval Literature and Culture. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2003.

Journal Articles

Print Journal:

• Footnote: 4. John Doe, “The Study of Historical Myths,” Journal of History 58, no. 2 (2002): 112.
• Bibliography: Doe, John. “The Study of Historical Myths.” Journal of History 58, no. 2 (2002): 105-125.

Online Journal:

• Footnote: 5. Jane Smith, “Digital Humanities in the Modern Age,” Digital Studies 12, no. 1 (2020): 14, accessed March 3, 2024, https://www.digitalstudiesjournal.org/article/view/2345.
• Bibliography: Smith, Jane. “Digital Humanities in the Modern Age.” Digital Studies 12, no. 1 (2020): 1-20. Accessed March 3, 2024. https://www.digitalstudiesjournal.org/article/view/2345.

Websites

• Footnote: 6. Robert Brown, “The Impact of Social Media on Communication,” last modified July 20, 2023, https://www.socialmediaimpact.com/communication.
• Bibliography: Brown, Robert. “The Impact of Social Media on Communication.” Last modified July 20, 2023. https://www.socialmediaimpact.com/communication.

Newspapers

Print Newspaper:

• Footnote: 7. Michael Johnson, “Economic Trends in 2024,” New York Times, January 10, 2024, B4.
• Bibliography: Johnson, Michael. “Economic Trends in 2024.” New York Times, January 10, 2024.

Online Newspaper:

• Footnote: 8. Emily White, “Tech Innovations in the 21st Century,” The Guardian, February 2, 2024, https://www.theguardian.com/tech/2024/feb/02/innovations.
• Bibliography: White, Emily. “Tech Innovations in the 21st Century.” The Guardian, February 2, 2024. https://www.theguardian.com/tech/2024/feb/02/innovations.

Chapters in Edited Books

• Footnote: 9. John Green, “Mythology and Modern Culture,” in Ancient Myths in Modern Culture, ed. David King (Boston: Academic Press, 2005), 56.
• Bibliography: Green, John. “Mythology and Modern Culture.” In Ancient Myths in Modern Culture, edited by David King, 50-70. Boston: Academic Press, 2005.

Government Documents

• Footnote: 10. U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Population and Housing, 2020: Summary File 1, issued June 2021, 12.
• Bibliography: U.S. Census Bureau. Census of Population and Housing, 2020: Summary File 1. Issued June 2021.

Conclusion

Mastering the Chicago Style format and citation is essential for producing professional and academically credible work. This guide provides the foundational rules and examples to help you navigate and apply the Chicago Manual of Style effectively. Whether you’re writing a research paper, dissertation, or any scholarly document, adhering to these guidelines will ensure your work is well-organized and properly cited.