How Do I Format the Main Text in Turabian/Chicago Style?

Here’s how to format the main text of a Chicago-style paper following the guidelines in Kate L. Turabian’s A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations. (See sections A.1.2 and A.1.3 in the appendix called “Paper Format and Submission.”)

Choose a single, readable, and widely available font such as ten-point Arial or twelve-point Times New Roman for the body of the text.
Indent the first line of each new paragraph half an inch. (Use tabs or indents rather than spaces.)
Double-space.*
Leave the right margin “ragged.”
Put only one space, not two, between sentences.

For more details, see the sample page below and sections A.1.2 and A.1.3 of Turabian.

*Some departments or universities allow or require single spacing or one and a half spaces between lines in the body of the text. Check your local guidelines.

Sample Main Text Page

IMPORTANT: Your instructor’s requirements may overrule Chicago’s formatting recommendations!

Turabian Tip Sheets

The Turabian tip sheets illustrate everything you need to know for formatting a student paper in Chicago style. They are fully compatible with The Chicago Manual of Style (17th ed.). You can print them and download them.