The Chicago Manual of Style formatting guidelines is often used when writing research papers in the humanities and social sciences fields. Some key aspects of Chicago style formatting include:
Title Page: A title page is not required but if one is used, it should include only the title of the paper, the author’s name, course name and number, instructor’s name, and submission date. The title should be centered and in title case.
Page Numbers: Page numbers begin on the first page of text and are placed in the top right or bottom center of each page, depending on your instructor’s preference. The title page is considered page 1 but the number is not printed.
Font and Spacing: The font should be easily readable such as Times New Roman, 12 point size. All text is double spaced including headings, block quotes, captions, and references. Long quotes that are more than 3 lines should be in a block format and single spaced.
Margins: One inch margins on all sides of the 8.5×11 inch paper.
Paragraph Indentation: The first line of each paragraph is indented half an inch. No additional space between paragraphs.
Headers and Footers: Do not put any header or footer information on pages unless specifically instructed to do so. Page numbers should be the only text in the header or footer areas.
Spelling and Grammar: Chicago style follows standard US English spelling and grammar conventions. Check your work carefully for typos and errors.
In-text Citations: When paraphrasing or directly quoting from another source, cite the author’s last name and year of publication in parentheses after the cited material. Include page numbers if quoting directly. For example: (Smith, 2020, p. 45).
Block Quotes: Direct quotations of more than 3 lines are displayed as a block quote and indented half an inch from the left margin in a smaller font size than the rest of the text. No quotation marks. Introduce the quote and cite the page number(s) in parentheses after the closing punctuation.
Notes: Footnotes or endnotes are used to cite sources and provide any additional contextual information that expands upon a point made in the text. Footnotes are placed numerically at the bottom of each page. Endnotes are numbered consecutively and placed at the end of the paper before the reference list.
Reference List: On a new page at the end titled “References”, list all sources cited in the text alphabetically by author’s last name. Follow the appropriate Chicago reference style guidelines for books, journal articles, websites, etc. Hanging indentation is used.
Headings: Main section headings are centered and boldfaced. Subheadings are flush left on a new line and boldfaced. Tertiary headings are flush left, boldfaced, end with a period, and run into the text. Headings are title case.
Tables and Figures: Any tables, figures, images, etc must be cited in text and captioned. These go in the body of the paper near the first citation reference. All tables should have tables numbers and titles, i.e. “Table 1. Temperature readings.” Figures require figure numbers and captions. Both tables and figures should be formatted so viewers can understand the information and read any text clearly.
This covers the key structural and formatting elements required for a Chicago style research paper. Strict adherence to these rules demonstrates an understanding of academic integrity and makes the paper professional and easy for readers to follow. Let me know if you need any clarification or have additional questions!