Chicago Manual of Style — General paper format (Notes & Bibliography)
Overview
Chicago Notes & Bibliography is commonly used in history and other humanities writing, and it emphasizes source attribution via footnotes/endnotes plus a bibliography—so layout rules often center on note markers, note spacing, and a bibliography block (not just headings and margins).
This page focuses on Word (.docx) layout you can apply and check: page setup, paragraph indentation/spacing, page numbers, notes/bibliography block layout, and basic heading practices (not the full Chicago citation manual).
How to format / how to check formatting
- 1Click “Format using this template” above to open the FreeFormat tool with this template pre‑selected.
- 2Upload your .docx: optionally run “Check formatting” first to get a score and issues, then format.
- 3Download the result and verify key rules using the self-check notes and the cleaned original guideline below.
Source: Official formatting guideline
Key notes & self-check
Quick parameters (Chicago Notes & Bibliography — layout)
Quick params| Item | Typical Chicago N&B expectation | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Paper size | US Letter (8.5" × 11") | |
| Margins | 1 inch on all sides | |
| Body spacing | Double-spaced body text | Some instructors allow single-spaced notes/bibliography |
| Body font | Readable serif (e.g., 12 pt Times New Roman) | Consistency matters |
| Alignment | Left-aligned, ragged right | Avoid full justification unless required |
| Paragraph indent | 0.5 inch first-line indent | No extra blank lines between paragraphs |
| Page numbers | Header, top right | Often ~0.5" from top |
| Notes | Superscript note numbers + footnotes/endnotes | Notes commonly single-spaced |
| Bibliography | New page “Bibliography” / “References” | Entries often hanging indent |
Common Chicago N&B layout mistakes (high-impact + easy to verify)
Top mistakesTool-detectable / layout-related
- Extra blank lines between paragraphs (Chicago uses indentation + spacing, not empty lines).
- Full justification enabled (Chicago student papers typically use ragged right).
- Notes formatted like body text (notes often have different spacing/indent rules).
- Bibliography not starting on a new page or missing a clear heading.
Manual but important
- Mixing Notes & Bibliography with author-date conventions in the same paper.
- Footnote markers not superscripted consistently or not matching note entries.
Submission self-check (actions, not parameters)
Checklist- Paragraph sanity check: pick 3 paragraphs and confirm first-line indent is consistent and there are no manual blank lines.
- Notes sanity check: confirm note markers are superscripts and notes have consistent spacing/indent.
- Bibliography sanity check: confirm it starts on a new page and uses consistent hanging indent/spacing.
- Header: verify page numbers are placed consistently (usually top right).
What this page covers (and what it does not)
ScopeCovers: Chicago Notes & Bibliography layout (page setup, spacing, paragraph indent, page numbers, notes/bibliography block layout, basic headings).
Does not cover: the full Chicago citation rules (note content, abbreviations, and bibliography entry details belong to the Chicago Manual of Style / instructor requirements).
Official files / 原始格式要求
Attachments- DownloadThesis Sample En (DOCX)DOCX • 42.4 KB
