Turabian Format with Examples

The Turabian format, developed by Kate L. Turabian, is a style guide for writing and citing sources in academic papers. It's based on the Chicago Manual of Style but tailored for students and researchers, offering guidelines for everything from formatting your title page to citing sources.

This article will break down the essentials of the Turabian writing style, including how to cite sources correctly. We'll also cover how to create a proper bibliography so your paper meets every academic requirement.

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What is Turabian Format?

Turabian format is a citation style designed to help students and researchers format their academic papers. It was first introduced in 1937 by Kate L. Turabian, the secretary of the University of Chicago's graduate school. She created this style as a simpler version of the Chicago Manual of Style, tailored specifically for students crafting research papers and theses.

The Turabian style provides guidelines for citing sources, structuring papers, and using proper grammar and punctuation. It includes two main citation methods: the notes-bibliography style, often used in humanities subjects like history and literature, and the author-date style, more common in the sciences and social sciences.

See related: MLA formatting style.

Turabian Formatting Guidelines

Turabian provides clear rules for formatting academic papers, theses, and dissertations. These guidelines help ensure your work looks professional and meets academic standards. Here are the basic rules you should follow unless your school gives different instructions:

• Use a standard, readable font like 12-point Times New Roman.
• Double-space all text except for block quotes or footnotes.
• Set margins to 1 inch on all sides or larger if required.
• Indent the first line of each new paragraph by ½ inch.
• Place page numbers in the top right corner or at the bottom center of the page.

Below is a Turabian format example of how a page formatted in this style might look:

See related: APA formatting style.

Page Formatting in Turabian Style

Title Page

In Turabian style, your paper might need a title page, depending on your instructor's preference. Follow these guidelines from our essay writers to create a proper title page:

• Place the title of your paper about one-third of the way down the page, centered.
• Leave a few blank lines, then include your name, course name, instructor's name, and submission date, each on a separate line.
• If your title has a subtitle, separate it with a colon and place the subtitle directly below the main title.
• Double-space all lines on the title page.

Example:

Main Body

The main body of a Turabian-style paper follows specific rules for capitalization, formatting titles, and using block quotes:

• Use headline-style capitalization for titles, capitalizing the first word and all significant words.
• Italicize titles of books, plays, and journals. Enclose article and chapter titles in quotation marks.
• For long prose quotes (five or more lines), format them as block quotes by indenting the entire text. Do not use quotation marks for block quotes.

Example:

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References

Turabian references provide a complete list of your sources, and follow these rules:

• Title the page Bibliography (for Notes-Bibliography style) or References (for Author-Date style).
• Leave two blank lines before the first entry and one blank line between entries.
• Organize entries alphabetically by the first word (author's name or title).
• Use "and" instead of "&" in multi-author citations.
• Provide a DOI or URL for online sources whenever possible.

Example:

Footnotes

Footnotes provide detailed references at the bottom of the page:

• Start with note numbers in superscript in the text, placed after punctuation.
• In the footnotes, use regular numbers followed by a period.
• Indent the first line of the note and align the rest flush left.

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Headings

Headings and subheadings structure your paper and should be consistent throughout:

• Use headline-style capitalization.
• Begin subheadings on a new line.
• Use font size, boldface, or italics to differentiate heading levels.
• Limit your hierarchy to three levels to avoid confusion.

Example:

Tables and Figures

Tables and figures clarify your data and must be positioned carefully:

• Insert them close to where they are mentioned in the text.
• Add a caption directly below the figure or table number.
• Include a credit line or source information below the caption, formatted like a citation.

Example:

Citing Sources in Turabian Style

Turabian style offers two systems for citing sources: Notes and Bibliography and Author-Date. Each is suited for different academic disciplines:

• Notes and Bibliography Style:
  • This style uses footnotes or endnotes for in-text citations and a detailed bibliography at the end of the paper.
  • It's commonly used in humanities disciplines, like history, art, and literature, where sources often require extended commentary.
• Author-Date Style:
  • In-text citations appear in parentheses, including the author's last name, the year of publication, and, if relevant, a page number.
  • This style is popular in scientific and social science disciplines, where brevity and clarity are key.

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Notes and Bibliography Style

Footnotes and Endnotes

In this style, citations appear in Turabian footnotes (at the bottom of the page) or endnotes (at the end of the document).

• The first citation of a source provides full bibliographic information.
• Subsequent citations are shortened to save space.
• Use superscript numbers in the text to refer to the note. These numbers appear after punctuation in the text.

Example in Text:

Bibliography

The Turabian bibliography lists all sources in full, alphabetized by the authors' last names.

• Authors' names are inverted (e.g., Smith, John).
• If a source spans multiple lines, use a hanging indent for the second and subsequent lines.
• The bibliography appears on a new page titled "Bibliography."

Turabian Bibliography Example:

Notes and Bibliography Citation Examples

Author-date Style

In-text Citations

Author-date citations are concise, appearing in parentheses directly in the text. Include the author's last name, the year of publication, and the page number, if applicable.

Example in Text:

Reference List

The reference list is similar to a bibliography but formatted to pair with in-text citations.

• The year of publication is placed immediately after the author's name for easy reference.
• Entries are alphabetized by the authors' last names.

Reference List Example:

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Author-date Citation Examples

To Wrap Up

To wrap up, here are the basics of Turabian formatting:

• Turabian offers two citation systems: Notes and Bibliography for humanities and Author-Date for sciences.
• Footnotes or endnotes are used for citations in the Notes and Bibliography style, with a detailed bibliography at the end.
• In-text citations are paired with a reference list in the Author-Date style.
• The bibliography or reference list organizes all your sources alphabetically, ensuring clarity and credibility.

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