Updated
Where to start
Most student Chicago papers use notes and bibliography: a numbered footnote for each citation and a bibliography at the end. Some classes use author-date instead, which looks like (Walker 2017, 112). Start with Chicago style, then use the pages below.
Formatting the paper
- Chicago styleChicago 18 and Turabian: title page, notes and bibliography.
- Hanging indentSet a half-inch hanging indent in Google Docs, Word and Pages.
- Chicago footnotesFull notes, short notes, and notes versus author-date.
- Chicago bibliographyWhat goes in, what stays in the notes, and the layout.
- Block quotesWhen a quote becomes a block, and how to set it, in MLA, APA and Chicago.
- Citing a source in a sourceCite a quote you found in another source: qtd. in, as cited in, quoted in.
- MLA vs APA vs ChicagoThe three styles side by side, and which one your class wants.
How to cite each source
- WebsiteA page or article on a website, with an author.
- YouTube videoA video on YouTube or another site, including TED talks.
- Journal articleA scholarly article, in print or from a database.
- BookA whole book, print or e-book.
- Chapter in an edited bookA chapter, essay or story in a book with editors.
- Newspaper or magazine articleA news or magazine article, print or online.
- FilmA movie, in a theater or on a streaming service.
- TV episodeOne episode of a series, aired or streamed.
- Podcast episodeOne episode of a podcast.
- Government reportA report or publication from an agency or organization.
- Dissertation or thesisA doctoral dissertation or master’s thesis.
- Social media postA post on X (Twitter), Instagram, TikTok or similar.
- ChatGPT or other AIText from ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or another AI tool.
- BibleA Bible edition, with book, chapter and verse.