Chicago Manual of Style Sample Paper
(Title one-quarter page down from top)
Your Name Here
(At the half-page mark)
Course Name Here
Instructor’s Name Here
April 11, XXXX
(All double-spaced)
(Insert a page break here to maintain a separation between your title page and page one.)
Last Name 1
Although various styles exist for formatting papers and documenting research, you may
be expected to use The Chicago Manual of Style (Chicago, or CMS) if you are writing a paper
for a history class or certain humanities classes. Chicago itself has more than one form and is in
its sixteenth edition, but the following guidelines are for the form commonly required in student
papers.
Chicago papers usually have a title page, as shown in this guide. Notice that the title
page has no page number, but the following pages do. Use this sample title page as a guide
when constructing your own.
Numbering Pages and Formatting Body of Paper
Other basic Chicago formatting features to observe include page numbering, proper font
size and style, and proper margins. Inserting page numbers in your paper is easy using
Microsoft Word 2007 or a later version. The numbering begins with the first page of the body,
as shown in this guide, and continues throughout the rest of the paper. Simply select “Insert”
and “Page number.” Choose “Top of Page” and “Plain number 3.” Type your last name,
leaving a space between it and the page number. Unless your instructor specifies differently,
use twelve-point font and a standard, easy-to-read font style, such as Times New Roman. Then
use the same size and font style throughout the rest of the paper. Also throughout the paper
provide one-inch margins at the top, bottom, and sides of the pages, and double-space the body
of the paper. You should also check your formatting to remove extra space between paragraphs.
Click on the corner arrow in the “Paragraph” box in your ruler. Go to “Spacing.” Set “Before”
and “After” each to 0 pt. Unless otherwise specified by your instructor, do not use headings for
sections (despite this template example), and instead, use topic sentences and transitional
sentences to indicate different topics in your paper.
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Identifying and Documenting Borrowed Material
Identifying borrowed material and documenting it correctly are crucial. Failure to do so
is plagiarism. Place short quotations in quotations marks, and be sure to anchor your quotation
with a signal phrase. In other words, tell the reader where/who is the source of the quotation. If
the quotation is over four lines, set it apart as a block quotation unless your professor specifies
otherwise. Introduce the block quotation in your own words, followed by a colon. Then indent
the entire quoted passage one-half inch from the left margin. Do not put it in quotation marks;
the block format itself identifies the passage as a word-for-word quotation. Double-space the
quoted lines.
Chicago normally uses either footnotes or endnotes to document borrowed material,
whether it is quoted or paraphrased. Endnotes go at the end of your document, footnotes go at
the foot of the page that contains the text for the information that you are referencing. Ask your
professor which he/she prefers. If you have a minimum number of pages your paper needs to
reach, you may want to consider footnotes. Those will take up space at the bottom of your page.
But, you may need to double check with your instructor regarding his/her policy. Some who
specify a minimum number of pages for your paper, may require you to lengthen the paper to
account for the lines lost to footnotes. Endnotes are added on a separate page at the end of your
document, but that page does not count as one of your pages of text. Your endnotes page will be
before the bibliography. Footnotes and endnotes have the opposite formatting of Bibliographic
entries. The first line of each is indented, but subsequent lines are not. The author’s first name is
listed before last name, and parts of the entry are separated by commas, not periods. You may
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also use footnotes or endnotes for other purposes, such as defining a term, explaining a statement
in the paper, or telling where to find additional information.1
Footnotes and endnotes, no matter which you use, are introduced into the paper in the
same way. At the end of the sentence or clause containing the borrowed material, place a
superscripted number to guide the reader to the note. To insert the note using Microsoft 2007 or
a later version, follow these instructions. First, click the “References” tab and select “Insert
Footnote” or “Insert Endnote.” The superscripted number will automatically appear where you
placed it in the body and also at the bottom of the page or end of the paper, where the note itself
will begin. (You may need to change the Roman numeral to an Arabic numeral.) Indent this
number five spaces at the bottom of page and then begin the footnote. Also, you may need to
reset the font and size for all of your footnotes or endnote to Times New Roman 12 point. For
example, the quotation, “proslavery argument was not merely a defense or rationalization of
slavery,” from Eric Foner is cited below.2 Indent only the first line of the note. Single-space
each note that runs over one line, but double-space between notes if you have additional ones on
the same page. Repeat this process for each citation—each time you insert a new footnote, it
will increase in number, even if you are referencing the same source. Proper formatting is
illustrated in the footnotes below.3
1
These are called explanatory footnotes (or endnotes). You may use these to add in any
information that you feel is crucial to your paper but not necessary to include in your main text.
It is possible that you may have both an explanatory footnote (or endnote) and a citation
reference in the same footnote (or endnote).
2
Eric Foner, Free Soil, Free Labor, Free Men: The Ideology of the Republican Party
Before the Civil War (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1995), 66.
3
This handout has currently been revised. Please contact the Writing Center if you see
mistakes or have questions.
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The content and format of the individual notes themselves depend on the kind of source
used, such as books, websites, newspapers, journals, and the like. However, each usually begins
with the author’s first name then last, then the title of work, publication information, and pages
cited. Remember, history is a social science. Someone should be able to look at your evidence
(the sources you used) and draw the same conclusions, just as if he or she was replicating a
science experiment. For examples of the various kinds of footnotes and endnotes and more
instructions on formatting them, see the website:
http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html.
This paragraph contains quotations or borrowed material and examples of footnotes for
different types of sources. Again, if your paragraph has this many quotations strung together,
you will want to rewrite it. This paragraph simply demonstrates anchored quotations and proper
citations. The South mobilized for war in December of 1860, and the C.S.A. President, Jefferson
Davis, had “an impressive record of public service.”4 Davis was also known to have had a
“contentious personality.”5 Others have referred to him as the “most curious of chieftains.”6
The Constitution of the Confederate States of America set his term limit to six years.7
Seventeen-year old South Carolinian, Emma LeConte, had great admiration for Davis. During
the Civil War, she remarked, “I heard that Jeff Davis said that he would defend Carolina at all
4
Jacqueline Jones, Peter H. Wood, Thomas Borstelmann, Elain Tyler May, and Vicki L.
Ruiz, Created Equal: A History of the United States, vol. 1, Fourth Edition (Boston: Pearson,
2014), 345.
5
A & E Television Netword, LLC., “Jefferson Davis,” History.com, November 15, 2015,
http://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/jefferson-davis.
6
Frank E. Vandiver, “Jefferson Davis--Leader Without Legend,” The Journal of
Southern History 43, no. 1 (February 1977), 6.
7
C.S. Const. art. II, §1, cl. 1.
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hazards. I hope it is true.”8 During his presidency, Davis believed that his cause was just and
right. He stated, “We have committed no crime… [w]e will be free! We will govern
ourselves.”9 His legacy has been immortalized by many, and he has even been the subject of a
documentary that aired in 2008.10
Some words of caution when writing notes: according to the Chicago Manual of Style,
italicize, do not underline, titles of longer works such as titles of books, journals, magazines, and
newspapers; but place titles of shorter works, such as titles of articles, short stories, and songs, in
quotation marks. Always observe proper punctuation within the entries, and end each entry with
a period.
Using Convenient Shortcuts in Writing Footnotes and Endnotes
Chicago includes some shortcuts for recording footnote and endnote content. If the note
cites the same source as the preceding one, then simply use the abbreviated Latin word ibid.
(italicized here because it is a word being used as a word), which means “in the same place,”
instead of repeating the information. Capitalize the word, and always follow it with a period
since it is an abbreviation. However, use this word only if the new citation is identical to the
8
Emma LeConte, “Diary, 1864-1865,” Documenting the American South, accessed July
9, 2015, http://docsouth.unc.edu/fpn/leconteemma/leconte.html, January 2, 1865, pg. 3.
9
Jefferson Davis, interview by Colonel Jaques, Richmond, VA, July 16, 1864. This
interview has also been printed in a newspaper article. It could also be cited as follows. J.R.
Gilmore, “PEACE PROSPECTS SOUTH.; Interesting Narrative of the Mission of Messrs.
Jaques and Gilmore to Richmond. Interview and Conversation With Jefferson Davis. HOW
THEY WENT TO RICHMOND. THE REBEL OFFICERS. IN RICHMOND. THE NEXT
DAY. SECRETARY BENJAMIN. JEFFERSON DAVIS. MR. DAVIS ON THE
CONFEDERATE PROSPECTS. MR. DAVIS REFUSES AN ARMISTICE. CLOSE OF THE
INTERVIEW,” The New York Times, August 18, 1864,
http://www.nytimes.com/1864/08/18/news/peace-prospects-south-interesting-narrative-missionmessrs-jaques-gilmore.html?pagewanted=1.
10
Jefferson Davis: An American President, TV Movie, directed by Brian Gary (2008;
Los Angeles, CA: Flying Chaucer Films, 2008).
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preceding one. For example, in describing the coming Civil War, Foner argued, “in free society
labor and capital were in constant antagonism.”11 If the page number is different, then follow the
word ibid. with the new page number, as in the sample footnote below. Another quotation from
Foner, such as “the ex-Democrats were ‘the soul of the Republicans,’” could be cited like this.12
If the source has been cited previously, but not directly above, then you may provide only the
author’s last name and page number instead of the full citation. Another option is to use a
shortened citation instead of ibid. The short citation includes the author’s last name and page
number if you are using only one source from the author. If you are using more than one source
from an author, the shortened citation should include the author’s last name, a shortened title,
and a page number. The citation would look like this. 13
Another short cut to keep in mind is when you have more than one quotation from the
same source in the same paragraph. If that is the case, and you do not have any other different
sources that need to be cited between those from that same source, you are allowed to simply do
one footnote or endnote citation at the end of the last quotation from that source in that
paragraph. The reader should know that your footnote/endnote applies to all of the quotations in
that paragraph prior to that citation. However, if you have a quotation from a different source in
between those from the same source, you will need to do a citation for that other source as well.
The following is an example of the above, but keep in mind that any paragraph that relies
this heavily on outside sources should be rewritten to include more original thought. In regards
to the roots of Bacon’s Rebellion, Jones et. al. considered Nathaniel Bacon an “ambitious
11
Foner, Free Soil, Free Labor, Free Men, 66.
12
Ibid.,145.
13
Foner, Free Soil, Free Labor, Free Men, 68.
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gentlemen.” They explained that Bacon “threw himself into the conflict,” and his “army
continued to grow.”14 Historian Eric Foner adds, “Bacon promised freedom… to all who joined
his ranks… and became the rule of Virginia.”15 However, Bacon died of dysentery and, Jones et.
al. concludes, the “revolt had been crushed, but its impact proved huge.”16
Including a Final List of Sources Used
At the end of your paper, your professor may request you to list each source cited and/or
consulted using a works cited page, reference list, or a bibliography. A Bibliography contains all
studies that have informed your work. A Works Cited page contains only the sources that have
been cited (as a footnote or an endnote) in your paper. If you are required to use a certain
amount of sources, you may want to include a Bibliography instead of a Works Cited. As with
notes, the format of specific entries in a bibliography depends on the kind of sources used, such
as books, websites, newspapers, etc. Each usually begins with the author’s last name, but for
more thorough formatting guidelines and examples, see the CPC Writing Center handout
“Chicago Manual of Style Samples,” pages 2-3.
Basic guidelines for formatting the bibliography page itself are easy. On a new page,
type “Works Cited,” “References,” or “Bibliography,” depending on which type your instructor
requests. Regardless of which you choose, each should be separated into Primary Sources
(documents that come from the time that you are studying) and Secondary Sources (sources that
use Primary Sources to draw conclusions about the time that you are studying). Then list the
entries in alphabetical order, by the author’s last name. Separate main parts of the entry by
14
Jones et. al., 103-104.
15
Eric Foner, Give Me Liberty: An American History, vol. 2, Second Seagull Edition
(New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2012), 103.
16
Jones, et. al., 103.
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periods, not commas, and end each entry with a period. Single-space each entry, but doublespace between entries. Begin the first line of the entry flush with the left margin, but indent any
subsequent lines of that entry (this is opposite of footnote and endnote formatting). This kind of
indention, called the hanging indent, is the opposite of that used for footnotes and endnotes. If
your professor is requiring an annotated bibliography, ask what he/she wants in your annotation.
This requirement varies by instructor, but most agree that an annotation should go beyond
rephrasing the post-colonic title.
For more information on Chicago style, pick up the Chicago handouts in the CPC
Writing Center, in A104, attend the free “Chicago, My Kind of Style” workshop offered every
Spring and Fall Semester by the CPC Writing Center, and/or consult the website:
http://chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationsguide.html.17
17
Credit: Bonnie Ford and Betty Correll, CPC Writing Center.
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Chicago Grammar Tips
Further vs. Farther
Further measures degree, farther measures distance.
College courses challenged him to push himself further than he had thought possible.
The marathon caused him to run farther than he thought possible.
Who vs. Whom
Who = He, she, they
Whom = Him, her, them
Who bought the present? He did. She did. They did.
To whom is the present going? To her. To him. To them.
Apostrophes for Possession not plural
Decades should not have apostrophes : 1920s, 1980s, 2010s
Decades with apostrophes indicate possession: 1980’s = it belongs to the year 1980.
Names should have ‘s added or es’ added.
The shoes belong to James. Those are James’s shoes.
The dog belongs to the Walters Family. That is the Walterses’ dog.
Exceptions for Moses and Jesus.
That is Jesus’ hammer.
That is Moses’ basket.
Exceptions for names that end with “s” and have an “eez” sound.
Those are Socrates’ books.
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That is Xerxes’ staff.
Exceptions for the United States and Texas.
If there is only one, apostrophes can be added with the s.
Texas’ Constitution or Texas’s Constitution
The United States’ Constitution or the United States’s Constitution
The Chicago Manual of Style says if you don’t like the way it looks, rephrase.
Italicizing Titles
Book, Movie, Journal titles, etc. should be italicized.
Article titles should be placed in quotation marks.
Names of space crafts and boats should be italicized.
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Works Cited
Primary Sources
Confederate States Constitution. Art. II, §1, cl. 1.
Davis, Jefferson. Interview by Colonel Jaques. July 16, 1864. Richmond, VA.
LeConte, Emma. “Diary, 1864-1865.” Documenting the American South. January 2, 1865.
http://docsouth.unc.edu/fpn/leconteemma/leconte.html.
Secondary Sources
A & E Television Networks, LLC. “Jefferson Davis.” History.com. November 15, 2015.
http://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/jefferson-davis.
Foner, Eric. Free Soil, Free Labor, Free Men: The Ideology of the Republican Party Before the
Civil War. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1995.
Foner, Eric. Give Me Liberty: An American History. Vol. 1. Second Seagull Edition, New
York: W. W. Norton Company, 2012.
Jefferson Davis: An American President. Los Angeles: Flying Chaucer Films, 2008. TV Movie,
228 min.
Jones, Jacqueline, Peter H. Wood, Thomas Borstelmann, Elain Tyler May, and Vicki L. Ruiz.
Created Equal: A History of the United States. Vol. 1. Fourth Edition. Boston: Pearson,
2014.
Vandiver, Frank E. “Jefferson Davis--Leader Without Legend.” The Journal of Southern History
43, no. 1 (February 1977): 3-18.