All about the Turabian Format for Academic Writing

Turabian style is a widely used citation system that helps organize academic papers. It covers everything from document formatting to how to cite sources, making it easier to maintain consistency and clarity. With its flexibility, Turabian works well in various fields, offering both author-date citations and footnotes.

In this article, we'll walk you through the key guidelines for structuring a Turabian style paper, so you can cite sources accurately and keep things consistent.

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What is a Turabian Format?

The Turabian format is a system of citation and formatting used for scholarly writing based on The Chicago Style. It was developed by Kate L. Turabian and gives tips and recommendations for writing research papers, theses and dissertations. 

The Turabian format includes different specifications for title pages, margins, font size, spacing, and citations. It basically provides two types of citation: notes and bibliography (footnotes or endnotes with a bibliography) in the humanities and author-date (in-text citations with a reference list) in the sciences. 

By using this citation style, you can share your sources for various fields and this makes it widely accepted by writers and researchers. 

See related: MLA vs APA.

Turabian Formatting Guidelines

Here are the main requirements for any work written in Turabian.

• The margins must be adjusted to a minimum width of 2.54 cm and a maximum of 3.81 cm.
• Palantino or Times New Roman should be chosen so that the font can be read easily.
• The font size cannot be less than 10 points (preferably 12 points).
• There must be double spacing between lines, except for single spacing in block quotes (long quotes highlighted with indentation), table titles, and figure titles.
• A Turabian-style citation that consists of more than five lines should be put in a block quotation.
• A block quote is not enclosed in quotes.
• Additional input must precede and follow the quote.
• There must be single spacing between the lines of notes and bibliography; however, a blank line must be left between the listings.
• Page numbers begin with the Arabic numeral 1 in the first page header.
• Subheadings are used for longer documents. Custom formatting of subheadings is allowed, but it must be consistent throughout the document. A blank line should follow each subheading. The period after the subheadings is not required.

You might also want to check out an MLA format essay.

The Basics of Page Formatting in Turabian Style

Title Page

The Turabian title page is not always necessary in the class papers because students can sometimes include the title on the article's first page. However, the following tricks will be useful if a title page is required.

• To center a title, remember that it should be a third down the page.
• Then, a few lines below, provide your name, class information, and the date.
• The subtitle should be placed on the line below the title.
• Each line of the title page should always be double-spaced.

Main Body

• The first words of titles and subtitles, as well as any significant words after that, should be capitalized "headline-style" in the text, notes, and bibliography page.
• According to the work style, titles in annotations, bibliographies, and the text are formatted with italics or quotation marks.
• Italicize the names of books and periodicals (titles of longer works).
• Double quotation marks will help you surround chapter titles and articles (titles of shorter works).
• The names of certain poems should be embedded in double quotation marks. If you use the titles of longer poems, then don't forget to italicize them.
• The italicization of play titles is recommended. Otherwise, go with a straightforward approach.

References

Here are all the nuances of the Turabian reference page.

• Ltd., Inc., Co., etc., may slightly abbreviate publisher names.
• Only the first place is shown if the publication has been introduced in several places. If it is little known or can be confused with another location of the same name (for example, Cambridge), then the name of the province or state is given in a postal abbreviation without dots (Cambridge, MA).
• If one source has two authors, write the name of the first author, then add the conjunction 'and' and indicate the second author's name.
• For books whose authorship belongs to more than three persons but less than ten, all surnames and names are given in full.
• If the work has more than ten authors (for example, in the exact sciences), only the first seven should be fully indicated on the Turabian reference page; other names can be replaced with "etc." 

Footnotes

• Start note numbers with "1" and continue consecutively.
• In the text, superscript note numbers at the end of a clause or sentence after punctuation (except the dash).
• In footnotes, use full-sized note numbers followed by a period (superscripting is also fine).
• Align footnote lines flush left.
• Place commentary after the citation, separated by a period.
• In parenthetical citations, separate documentation and commentary with a semicolon.
• When citing page ranges, avoid repeating the hundreds digit if it's the same throughout.
• Don't repeat footnote numbers in the same paragraph; each note should link to a unique citation or commentary.

Headings

The Chicago Manual of Style doesn't prescribe a specific system for formatting headings and subheads but offers several guidelines:

• Keep headings and subheads consistent with parallel structure.
• Use headline-style capitalization.
• Start subheadings on a new line.
• Differentiate subheadings by font size.
• Ensure each level of hierarchy is clear and consistent.
• Vary subheading levels with type styles, boldface, italics, and alignment (usually centered or flush left).
• Limit to three levels of hierarchy.
• Avoid ending subheadings with periods.
• Turabian provides an optional five-level heading system.

Tables and Figures

Place tables and figures near their first mention, ideally right after the relevant paragraph.

• For figures, add a caption immediately after the figure number.
• Include a credit line at the bottom of tables and figures, placing it after the caption if applicable. Use parentheses or a different font style.
• Cite sources as in parenthetical citations and list full details in the Bibliography or References section.
• Properly credit reproduced or adapted materials (e.g., "Photo by...," "Data adapted from...").

If a table includes external data, add an unnumbered footnote starting with Source(s):, followed by the full source

Example Table:

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Source Citation in Turabian Style

Turabian citation offers two formats. Each one along with its details is mentioned below:  

• Notes and Bibliography: Citations are in footnotes or endnotes, with a full bibliography at the end. Common in humanities like history and literature.
• Author-Date: In-text citations include the author's last name and year in parentheses, with a reference list at the end. Often used in sciences and social sciences.

Notes and Bibliography Method

Footnotes and Endnotes

• Turabian footnotes are used for detailed citations in footnotes or endnotes.
• In notes style, Footnotes appear at the bottom of the page, and endnotes are placed at the document's end.
• Citations are numbered sequentially throughout the paper.
• Turabian footnotes include the author's name, title, publisher, and page number.
• This method is common in humanities fields like history and literature.
• A bibliography is added at the end, listing sources alphabetically by the author's last name.
• Footnotes and endnotes provide citation information without disrupting the main text.                                                 

Bibliography

• The notes bibliography system requires a full bibliography at the end of the paper.
• A separate bibliography lists all sources cited in the paper organized alphabetically.
• All bibliography entries include full citation details such as author name, title, publisher, and publication date.
• Unlike footnotes or endnotes, the bibliography does not cite specific page numbers.
• The Turabian bibliography is placed on a separate page at the end, titled "Bibliography."
• Ensure consistency in formatting, such as italics for titles of books.
• A Turabian bibliography example is given below.
• Hanging indents are required in the bibliography, with the first line flush left and subsequent lines indented.            

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Notes and Bibliography Citation Example

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Author-Date Method

In-text Citations

• Turabian citation in text uses parenthetical references for author and date.
• Place the citation directly after the referenced information, before punctuation.
• The citation format is (Author Last Name Year).
• If quoting, include the page number: (Author Last Name Year, Page Number).
• This method is common in the sciences.                  

Reference List

• The Turabian reference list includes all sources cited in the paper, alphabetically by author.
• Entries contain full citation details, such as author name, title, and publication date.
• The list is formatted with italics for titles and placed on a new page titled "References."

Author-Date Citation Examples

Final Words

Proper citation in academic papers helps maintain credibility and avoid plagiarism. Here is a short Turabian manual that you can follow for your write-ups:

• Title Page: Centered title, name, class, and date.
• Font: Use a readable 12-point font, like Times New Roman.
• Spacing: Double-space throughout, including the title page and bibliography.
• Margins: 1-inch margins on all sides.
• Citation Styles: Footnotes/endnotes (Notes and Bibliography) or parenthetical citations (Author-Date).

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