Most history and political science research papers give credit to sources following the Chicago/Turabian style.  This guide provides a brief overview of the basic formatting patterns used in this citation style and provides examples from types of sources most commonly used by college students.

Offical Turabian Home Page

Chicago/Turabian citation style uses footnotes at the bottom of each page to give credit to sources within the body of the paper, and a bibliography to list all of the cited sources at the end of the paper.  The way you cite a source in a footnote differs slightly from the format you use when listing the source in the bibliography.  

• In footnotes (see Footnotes tab for more details): 
  • List author names in standard order (first name last name). 
  • Indent the first line of footnotes, including the footnote number, by ½ inch. 
  • Include at the end of each footnote the page number or page range where the cited information can be found. 
  • Notes should be single-spaced, with an extra blank line between notes. 
• In bibliography citations (see Bibliography tab for more details):
  • Reverse the first author name (last name, first name) only. Names of any additional authors should not be reversed. 
  • Indent the second line and any subsequent lines (use a hanging indent to format quickly) by ½ inch. 
  • Page numbers or page ranges are only included in bibliography entries if the source is a smaller work within a larger one (e.g. a single chapter of a book or a single article within a journal). 
  • Bibliography citations should be single-spaced, with an extra space between entries on the bibliography page. 

Looking for more clarification and details with Chicago? 

Check out Perdue Owl's Chicago/Turabian Formatting and Style Guide