Texas GOVT 2306 | Research Paper (Hernandez): Writing and Citing

Download this pre-formatted Chicago template, click on the edit banner at the top. Click into the placeholders to insert your content.  The narrative in the placeholders may give you some helpful information, once you add your content it will disappear. 

The Chicago Manual of Style offers two distinct documentation methods, one for the humanities (Notes and Bibliography system) and one for the sciences (Author-Date system). This guide presumes you're using the Notes & Bibliography format, which is common for Lone Star College classes.

• There is no particular required font, but stick with Times New Roman size 12, as you would for other essays.
• Footnote numbers are consecutive throughout the whole paper. If you re-use a source, it will get a new footnote number each time. 
• Most of your paper will be double-spaced.
• Footnote entries & bibliography entries will be single-spaced. Footnotes will also use a "first line indent," making them look like a regular paragraph. Bibliography entries at the end of the paper will use a hanging indent like you've probably used in MLA and APA.

Basic Citation Anatomy:

The first time you write an in-text citation for a source, it will look like a full-blown reference that would appear on your Works Cited/Bibliography page. That's just how Chicago does it.

The second, third, fourth, etc. times you refer to that same source, you will use a short version of that note, which uses the author's last name, part of the title of the work, and a page number.

To see examples, just browse this guide for your source type. Each example provides a general format (labeling the different elements of the citation) as well as specific examples for a full note, shortened note, and the bibliography entry.