Chicago Style Guide: Basic Formatting Requirements
The Chicago Manual of Style suggests the following specifications to be applied to papers in Chicago format:
- Though the major text should be double-spaced, as it has been stated above, this rule does not apply to lock quotes, notes and bibliography, figure captions, and titles of tables.
- Page numbering starts in the header of the first page of the text with Arabic number 1.
- Subheadings are created for lengthy papers. According to the Chicago Manual of Style recommendations, one should establish their own way of making subheadings. The main thing is to be consistent.
This list highlights only some of the basic points of Chicago format for papers. Below, you will find detailed information on arranging different structural components of papers. So, keep reading to broaden your knowledge and avoid problems with formatting your writing projects.
Organizing Core Paper Sections in Chicago Style Format
To make sure Chicago style format for papers is done correctly, it’s necessary to know how each of the structural components has to be arranged. So, draw your attention to our so-called Chicago style guide provided below to learn more about this particular format.
Making a Title Page in Chicago Style
In Chicago style format, academic papers do not necessarily need a cover page. They may either contain a title page or include a title on the first page with a text. In case a cover page is needed, the following instructions are to be followed:
- Center a title 1/3 of the way down the page;
- Creating subtitles, place a colon at the end of the title line and a subtitle below the title;
- A few lines below, about 2/3 of the way down the page, place your name, course information, and date;
- Apply double spacing to all lines of a cover page;
- Avoid adding a page number on a title page, but remember that it is included in a general page count.
Make sure that a cover page is written in the same font as the rest of your academic work. Keep in mind that a title page of a dissertation and thesis is arranged differently.
Organizing the Body Section in Chicago Format
According to the Chicago style guide, the peculiarities of formatting the body section are the following:
- The headline style applies to the titles provided in notes and bibliography, or text. It means that the first words of titles/subtitles as well as any other essential words should be capitalized.
- Based on the type of work, titles provided in the text as well as in notes and bibliography are italicized or placed in quotation marks.
This is the general format applied to some components of the body section. Now, let’s move forward to find out how to make an accurate Chicago references page, format headings, tables and figures, etc.
Tips on Making an Accurate Chicago References Page
Don’t have a clue about how to format a reference list in Chicago style? Feel at a loss when dealing with the sources with several authors? Don’t know what punctuation marks to use when arranging entries on a reference list? Don’t worry since we have prepared detailed instructions for you to consider:
- Name the reference list “Bibliography” (when it goes about the Notes and Bibliography style) or “References” (when it goes about the Author-Date mode).
- Make two blank spaces between the titles “References” or “Bibliography” and the first entry on the page.
- Set one blank space between the rest of the entries on a reference list.
- List entries in alphabetical order in accordance with the first word in each item whether it is the author’s name or the title of a work.
- Use “and” instead of “&,” for the entries with multiple authors.
This is how to set up entries on a reference list. Of course, these is only some basic points related to a general format. Below, we’re going to discuss how to arrange different types of sources in greater detail. So, keep following the article!
Formatting Headings
Though there are no strict rules for arranging headings and subheadings in Chicago style, there are still some recommendations to take into account:
- Be consistent and establish a parallel structure when creating headings and subheadings.
- For the purpose of capitalization, use the headline style.
- Provide subheadings on a new line. A different font size can be used.
- Maintain a clear hierarchy.
- To distinguish between the levels of subheadings, use italics, boldface, and another type style. Position can be also used for this purpose, i.e. either centered or left-aligned.
- No more than three levels of hierarchy are to be used.
- Put a period after subheadings.
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Formatting Tables and Figures
Your paper contains figures and tables and you don’t know how to format them in Chicago? Below, there is a list of useful tips and instructions to follow to embed the mentioned items in your academic work:
- Provide tables once they are referenced. If required, put them after the paragraph, which mentions them.
- Concerning figures, add a brief explanation or a caption directly after the number of a figure.
- Cite the source the table and figure were taken from with a “credit line” at the bottom of the figure or table and after the caption if applicable. As to the credit line, it should be either enclosed in parenthesis or created in a different font to be distinguished from the caption.
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Now, let’s see how to properly format in-text citations, footnotes, etc.
Organizing In-text Citations and Notes
In case the Author-Date mode is used, in-text citations are provided in parenthesis (as it has already been mentioned at the beginning of the article). In this case, some sort of flexibility of embedding citations in the text is allowed. E.g.:
Smith (2015) states that the concept is solid. Nevertheless, other scholars do not share that viewpoint (Brown et al. 2018; Burns 2019).
In notes and bibliography style, in-text citations are provided in footnotes and endnotes. Readers are directed to them with the help of superscript numbers provided in the text.
Footnote and endnote numbers are to be placed at the end of a particular sentence of clause after any punctuation mark except for a dash.
Endnotes are provided on a separate page that precedes bibliography. Footnotes are presented at the bottom of each page and its font size should be the same as that of the text or smaller.
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Making Shortened Citations in Chicago
When the source is mentioned for the first time, it’s necessary to provide complete information related to it., i.e. full authors’ names, title, publisher, etc. The following cases of mentioning a source should be presented in a shortened form:
Last Name, Work Title, page number(s).
The source mentions following the shortened version can be provided in a condensed manner:
Last name, page number(s).
In case of two or three authors, the order of their full names should be the same at that in the source.
Lengthy titles, those consisting of more than 4 words are typically shortened. Make sure to use the keywords from the title and omit those starting with “a” or “the.”
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Citing Printed Books in Chicago
In the footnotes and endnotes, the following instructions are to be followed when citing a printed book:
First name Last name, Book title (Publication place: Publisher, Year), range of pages.
In the bibliography:
Last name, First name. Book title. Publication Place: Publisher, Year.
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Citing Articles or Chapters from Books
In the footnotes and endnotes:
First name, Chapter Author’s Last name, “Article or Chapter Title,” in Book Title, ed. Editor’s First Name Last Name (Publication Place: Publisher, Year), rage of pages.
In the bibliography:
Last name, First name. "Chapter Title." In Book Title, edited by First Name Last Name, range of pages. Publication Place: Publisher, Year.
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Citing Online E-books
Citing e-books, add either URL or the database name. The mentioned items should be the last element in the citation.
In the footnotes and endnotes:
First name Last name, E-book title (Publication Place: Publisher, Year), range of pages, URL, Name of Database.
In the bibliography:
Last name, First name. E-book Title. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year. URL, Database name.
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Citing Print Journals
In the footnotes a+-nd endnotes:
First name Last name, “Article Title,” Journal Title Volume Number, No. of issue (Year): Range of pages.
In the bibliography:
Last name, First Name. “Article Title,” Journal Title Volume Number, No. of issue (Year): Range of pages.
Making accurate Chicago references, arranging in-text citations, mining the place of each page number, organizing a cover page as well as the rest of structural components in Chicago style may be challenging. If formatting academic papers in this citation style is not your cup of tea, delegate the task to our proficient and experienced specialists. Our ace writers understand that accurate Chicago references, a properly arranged cover page, etc. are a must for those who want to get a high grade. They do realize that an incorrectly located page number may impact the grade. With our experts at your disposal, formatting won’t be a problem for you anymore.