Chicago Style

Paper Format

General Format Requirements for Chicago Style Papers

NOTE: The requirements listed below are general and basic requirements of Chicago style. You should follow your instructor's Chicago style requirements if they differ from these. The requirements below are based on A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations: Chicago Style for Students and Researchers, 9th ed., by Kate L. Turabian.

  • 1" margin on all sides
  • Times New Roman, Courier, or Helvetica font
  • Double-space your text (for exceptions, refer to the Chicago Manual or refer to General CMOS Guidelines section at Purdue OWL)
  • Only one space after punctuation; use tabs or indents for paragraph indentation
  • Include a title page -- text on this page is centered and usually each word is capitalized
  • Do not number your title page, but number pages starting with the first page of text (page numbers are usually placed centered or flush right in the footer, or centered or flush right in the header)
  • When using titles in your paper (on the title page as well as subtitles within the body of the paper), make sure you use the same font, font size, and formatting (bold, italics, etc.) for titles of like elements

Parts of a Chicago Style Paper

Papers written in the notes-bibliography style of Chicago style generally consist of several major parts:

  1. Title Page
  2. Main / Body Text
  3. Bibliography
  4. Footnote (or endnote) citations in superscript
  5. Headings (optional)
  6. Tables and Figures (if necessary)

See Major Paper Sections information at the Purdue OWL for further help.

Chicago Style Template - 17th Edition