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Turabian Style Guide: Sample Papers in Turabian

created for Social Studies courses, Spring 2015 updated for Spring 2017

Sample Turabian Papers

Turabian formatting in Word

Turabian title page in Word

Simple Formatting Guidelines

  • Margins
    • Paper size - 8.5 inch x 11 inch
    • 1 inch on all four edges of the page
  • Typeface/Font size
    • Easily read; preferably serifed, ex. Times New Roman
    • 12-point is accepted size
  • Spacing/Indentation  
    • Double-space text with exceptions that are single-spaced:
      • Block quotations
      • Table elements, ex. titles and figure captions
      • Appendices' lists
    • Footnotes/endnotes are single-spaced but separated by a space between each item.
    • Items in a bibliography/reference list are single-spaced but each item is separated by a space.
  • Pagination
    • Do not number the title page.
    • Start arabic numbers (at 1) on first page of paper that is not considered front matter (front matter = title page).
    • Place page numbers consistently in same location throughout paper: 
      • Options for page numbers include: centered in footer OR right-hand of footer OR centered in header OR right-hand of header
  •    Title Page elements
    • Center all elements
    • Use consistent typeface and font size
      • font size can increase slightly for title elements
      • preferred format is boldface for title
    • Employ Headline Capitalization with All Elements (first letter of each noun/pronoun is capitalized) (definition of Headline Style Capitalization)
    • Title is placed approx. 1/3 down the page. A subtitle follow the main title with a colon and starts on a new line.
    • Two-thirds down the page, your name, any title page information provided by your professor, and the date should be included.
  • Body of Paper (Text)
    • Includes 
      • Introduction
      • Body
      • Conclusion
      • Quotations, including block quotations, should follow Turabian's standard formatting rules.
  • Text Formatting
    • Be consistent throughout body of paper with typeface, font size, and other formatting elements.
    • Make sure text is aligned left.
    • Do not add color in the text (hyperlinked text will automatically become blue; this is unavoidable).
    • Block quotations should be set apart by blank space above and below and, internally, should be single-spaced. 
  • Back Matter elements
    • Includes
    • Center page titles
      • Use consistent typeface and font size
        • Font size can increase slightly for title elements.
        • Preferred format is boldface for title
        • Leave two blank spaces between heading and first endnote/work referenced.
      • Notes section
        • Use standard paragraph indentations for each endnote.
        • Single-space each endnote and separate each by a blank space.
        • Use standard-size numbers with periods to enumerate your endnote list.
      • Bibliography/References/Works Cited section
        • Use hanging indentations for works referenced (first line is not indented; second and remaining lines are indented standard tab of five spaces)
        • This section is typically arranged alphabetically by author, then alphabetically by title if you list multiple works by one author. 

    All information comes from 

    Turabian, Kate L. A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations: Chicago Style for Students & Researchers. 8th ed. Chicago:    University of Chicago Press, 2013.