Chicago Manual of Style 18th Edition Citation Guide: General Guidelines

General Format

• Set all margins to 1 inch.

• Use a standard, easy-to-read font: 12 pt. Times New Roman is the most common.

• Place page numbers in the top right corner.

• Do not print a number on the title page, but include it in the overall count.

• Page numbering begins on the first page of the main text.

• Double-space the body text.

• Indent the first line of each paragraph by 0.5 inch.

Spacing and Indentation

• Double-space the main text.

• Single-space figure captions and table titles.

Single-space the following, with a blank line before and after each item:

• Table of contents

• Footnotes or endnotes

• Bibliographies or reference lists

Spacing and Indentation

• Double-space the main text.

• Single-space figure captions and table titles.

Single-space the following, with a blank line before and after each item:

• Table of contents

• Footnotes or endnotes

• Bibliographies or reference lists

Block Quotations

• Prose quotations of five or more lines (or over 100 words) should be formatted as block quotations.

• Poetry quotations of two or more lines should also be blocked.

Block quotations:

• Do not use quotation marks.

• Begin on a new line.

• Indent using the word processor’s indentation tool.

• Class papers should start with a title page (check with your instructor for specific requirements).

• Do not include a page number on the title page.

• Use the same font as the main text.

• Begin the title about one-third of the way down the page.

Format guidelines:

• Make the main title and subtitle bold.

• Use a font size 2–3 points larger than the body text.

• End the main title with a colon if followed by a subtitle.

• Apply headline-style capitalization.

• Center and double-space all text.

• Include any details your instructor requires, such as your name, course title, and date.

Sample Title Page 

(All text is centered and double-spaced. Begin the title about one-third down the page.)

The History of Printing in Europe:
From Gutenberg to the Industrial Revolution

Student Name

HIST 1301: World History

September 15, 2025

Two Documentation Styles in CMOS

Notes and Bibliography

• Commonly used in the Humanities ( literature, history, arts).

• Sources are cited in numbered footnotes or endnotes, linked to superscript numbers in the text.

• A separate bibliography usually lists all sources.

• Notes typically include the author, title, and publication details.

• In notes, authors’ names are written in regular order (first name first).

Author-Date System

• More often used in the Social Sciences and Sciences.

• Sources are cited briefly in the text—usually in parentheses—by author’s last name and year of publication.

• Each in-text citation corresponds to a full entry in the reference list, which provides complete bibliographic details.

*Points to remember:  

• Sources in the Notes/Footnotes and Bibliography system may be formatted differently. This is also true for sources used in the Author-Date system.
• Be sure to check with your instructor about whether you should use Notes-Biography or Author-Date for the overall style format.  If there's no preference or if you are given no guidance, pick ONE style and use it consistently. 

Introduction pages are not mandatory in Chicago style, but if your instructor requires an introduction page, here's how to format it:

• Introduction pages follow the title page. 
• Center the title Introduction at the top of the first page in bold type. The font size for page titles may be two or three points larger than the main text. 
• The main text is double-spaced.
• Leave two blank lines between the title and the first paragraph.

Image from University of Arizona Writing Center.