Chicago is a documentation style that has been published by the Chicago University Press since 1906. This citation style incorporates rules of grammar and punctuation common in American English. Typically, Chicago style presents two basic documentation systems: (1) notes and bibliography and (2) author-date. Choosing between the two often depends on subject matter and the nature of sources cited, as each system is favored by different groups of scholars.
The notes and bibliography style is preferred by many in the humanities, including those in literature, history, and the arts. This style presents bibliographic information in notes and, often, a bibliography. The author-date style has long been used by those in the physical, natural, and social sciences. In this system, sources are briefly cited in the text, usually in parentheses, by author’s last name and date of publication. The short citations are amplified in a list of references, where full bibliographic information is provided.
Turabian style is based off of Chicago style, but simplified and intended for students writing research papers. Turabian also does not contain any information about publication. The Chicago Manual of Style is designed for individuals who are publishing, so it includes a great deal of information on formatting papers.
Always check with your instructor. However, in general, most of the guidelines that you find in the Turabian manual will also apply to the Chicago style.
Here's a quick overview of some of the new features of Chicago Style, 18th edition with the section number in parentheses.
This guide was created using content from the Columbia College Chicago Citation Guide. Many thanks to Columbia College librarians for their permission.