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Chicago Citation Style

An overview of the Chicago Manual and Turabian styles—with citation help and examples, formatting guidelines, and additional resources for more help.

Chicago Manual and Turabian Manual for Students

The Chicago Manual was created in 1906 by the University of Chicago Press to create a standard style for their printing and publishing. Overtime, the guide has been revised and updated to suit the needs of organizations, publishers, students, and more.

Turabian is the Chicago Manual for students. It was created in 1937 by Kate Turabian for University of Chicago Students' dissertations. The manual introduces students to the Chicago citation style and provides guidance on creating a research paper. 

This style is best suited for these subjects:

  • History
  • the Humanities
  • Literature
  • Social Sciences

This style guide is just that, a guide. Its citation rules are not set in stone because there are too many possible resources to prepare for them all. They are a starting point for you.

Businesses, publishers, and journals all have their own style guides that are variations on this style for what types of writing they need. Likewise, your professor might have specific formats and preferences for the class. Follow your professor's preferences and ask for clarification and specifics as needed. You are also welcome to ask the library for assistance with citation and formatting.

Style Guide Books

We have the style guide at the 4th floor Information Desk and copies available for check-out on the 5th floor. 

We also have an eBook version of the Chicago Manual of Style

In fall of 2024, the 18th edition has been published. We will update these resources when available.