Chicago (CMOS) citations
A guide to formatting in CMOS style
The information below is drawn from the Chicago Manual of Style, 17th ed. In order to find a more in-depth explanation of any item below, be sure to buy a copy for yourself or check one out from VCU Libraries.
Formatting and Styling Guidelines
Select a header below to learn more about writing in CMOS.
Basic formatting
- Times New Roman or Palatino, 12 pt.
- 1-inch or 1.5-inch margins
- Double-spaced, except for single-space block quotations, Table and Figure titles and captions, and notes and bibliographies
- Page numbers begin in the header of the first page of text (after title page)
Basic Style
- Most commonly used in the Humanities and Social Sciences
- Offers less intrusive citations
- Provides for an opportunity for writers to insert supplemental ideas and sources!
- Maintain a formal, academic tone & avoid overly casual phrasing
- Generally, more dynamic/customizable than other citation styles
- Emphasize the person; characteristics should be adjectives, not nouns
- Bias-free language = language free of prejudice; eliminating bias = maintaining credibility
- Preferred by US book publishers
Key feature: There are two style choices to choose from with unique uses: Author-Date and Notes & Bibliography.
Author-Date style
- Common for physical, natural, & social sciences
- Uses parenthetical citations in (Author Date) model
- The only punctuation in parenthetical citations should be a comma preceding the page number, if including one
- If the Author is mentioned in the sentence, then you just need the Year of Publication and the page number in parentheses
- (Author [or “Title”] Year of Publication, Page #)
- Ends with Reference List
- Last Name, First Name. Year of Publication. “Title of Work.” Title of Container/Publishing Organization. URL/DOI
Notes & Bibliography style
- Common for Arts & Humanities
- Uses superscripts and footnotes
- Notes can be citation or commentary
- Numbered & hyperlinked
- Commas, not periods
- Author [First Last]
- FOP in parentheses
- 1. First name Last name, “Title of Work,” Title of Container (Place: Publisher, Year), page(s). URL/DOI.
- Notes can be citation or commentary
- Bibliographical Citations: cite resources referenced in body text through direct quotes or paraphrasing, etc.
- Commentary Citations: Offers supplemental information tangential thoughts & ideas
- Ends with Bibliography
- Last name, First name. “Title of Piece.” Title of Container. Place: Publisher, Year. URL/DOI.
The key difference between Author-Date and Notes & Bibliography is the location of the date; the year of publication now goes with the publisher instead of after the name of the author.
Title page
- Separate page
- Centered, bold, a third of the way down the page.
- 2/3 of the way down the page, centered, include your full name, course name and number, due date
How to create footnotes
- Google Docs
- At the top of your toolbar: Insert > Page elements > Footnote (or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Alt + F)
- Microsoft Word
- At the top of your toolbar: References > Insert Footnote (or use the keyboard shortcut Alt + Ctrl + F)