Chicago Format Guide
Follow these Chicago (17th edition) paper formatting rules to ensure your document meets the required standards. This guide covers font, margins, spacing, title page, headers, and bibliography formatting.
Paper Formatting
Below are the core formatting requirements for papers written in Chicago (17th edition) style.
- Font
- 12 pt Times New Roman or similar serif font
- Font Size
- 12 pt
- Margins
- 1 inch on all sides
- Spacing
- Double-spaced for text; single-spaced for block quotes, notes, and bibliography entries (with a blank line between entries)
- Title Page
- Separate title page with title centered one-third from the top, author name, class info, and date centered lower
- Headers / Page Numbers
- Page numbers top-right or bottom-center; no running head required
Bibliography Formatting
Your bibliography must follow these rules to be correctly formatted in Chicago style:
- Title the page "Bibliography" (centered) at the top
- Start on a new page
- Use a hanging indent for each entry
- Single-space within entries; add a blank line between entries
- Alphabetize by the first author's last name
- Invert the first author's name (Last, First); subsequent authors in normal order
- Italicize titles of books, journals, and websites
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Cite in Chicago Now →Frequently Asked Questions
- What font and size should I use for Chicago format?
- Chicago (17th edition) requires 12 pt Times New Roman or similar serif font. The standard font size is 12 pt.
- What are the margin requirements for Chicago?
- Chicago papers require 1 inch on all sides. This applies to the top, bottom, left, and right margins of every page.
- Does Chicago require a title page?
- Separate title page with title centered one-third from the top, author name, class info, and date centered lower