How To Use Footnotes In A Chicago Style Research Paper – Expert Tips

If you are writing a research paper in history, you should use a Chicago formatting style. It provides guidelines on how to format a title page, in-text citations, headings, tables, figures, bibliography, and footnotes. Footnotes are often provided as summaries, direct quotations, and paraphrasing. There are some important basic rules that you should be aware of and some expert tips that you need to bear in mind in order to avoid mistakes.

Using Footnotes in the Chicago Style – General Guidelines

The following general guidelines are designed in order to help you format any footnote in your assignment:

1. Remember that the first footnote should provide the full bibliographic description, including the page or pages used if applicable.
2. Give only three elements for the second footnote for the same publication, such as the author’s last name, shortened publication title, and the page number.
3. Number footnotes consecutively throughout your research paper.
4. Leave a space between footnotes.
5. Make a 1/2 inch indent in the first line.
6. Italicize the titles of books and names of journals.
7. Single-space the text in footnotes.
8. Provide a URL or DOI for electronic versions of print publications, along with the full bibliographical information for the print version.
9. Insert the date when an electronic resource was accessed unless you can provide the date when the website was last modified.
10. Get a good example of the formatting of footnotes in a Chicago style research paper and follow it carefully.

Getting High-Quality Examples of Footnote Formatting – Vital Advice

Most experts agree that it is almost impossible to format your assignment correctly without having a proper example. So, it makes sense to get a few different samples, study them, and keep the important nuances in mind. The following places contain reliable information on how to use footnotes in the Chicago style correctly:

Your school library. Visit the library and find a Chicago style manual with examples.

The school’s academic writing center. Find a website of the center and get an electronic version of a research paper writing tutorial with formatting tips and hints.

Educational websites. Search for resources moderated by educational institutions so that the materials provided there are checked and proofread.

Blogs of high-rated professional writers. Check the blogs of high-rated professionals to find sample works formatted in different styles.

Scientific journals. Study how scientists format footnotes in their articles and arrange your footnotes in the same way.