How To Write A Research Essay Using the Chicago Style Of Formatting

For decades, written content has been a significant mode for communication with one another, especially among those separated by geographical barriers. The significance of a write-up is determined by the source of information that is included and cited in it. Among the several writing styles that are followed in the business arena the Chicago referencing style is commonly used. Also known as the Turabian Style, the Chicago Style of writing dates back to the early 1900s and has been developed by The Chicago University Press. Over the years, seventeen editions of the format have been made to meet the changing trends of the market. Several alterations to the format and citation have been made since then.
So whether it is in college or university, if you are asked to write in this referencing format, be careful when you pen down your thoughts as the professors will be examining your capability of simplifying information for quick assimilation of the reader. Through your presentation, the examiner will be able to evaluate your knowledge about writing a Chicago style paper.
So, you must be thinking what is it that makes a Chicago writing style unique and different from the others? Below are specific instructions which you need to understand and follow with utmost perfection to make your Chicago writing format better than the others.
Please note there are two formatting styles for the Chicago writing: Notes and Bibliography and the Author and Date. While the former is commonly used for subjects like arts, literature and history, the latter is used for social science.

Chicago Style Notes and Bibliography

As the name suggests, the NB writing style makes use of footnotes and endnotes which are referenced in the bibliographic portion of the document.

Footnotes and Endnotes

When information from a specific source is collected the footnote/endnote is marked with a superscript number. So you must be thinking what differentiates a footnote from the endnote? While a footnote is added at the bottom of each page, an endnote comes at the end of each chapter. It should be noted that these are a critical part of the Chicago style of Writing.
For a document containing a bibliographic reference, the footnotes/endnotes contain all necessary sources of information referred to. However, in general, all relevant information about the sources is provided in the bibliographic section.
A source that is cited for the first time should be presented in the following format: the first and second names of the author – the title – the place of publication – the name of the publisher – the year of publication – page(s) of interest.

An example of a Chicago Style Footnote/Endnote of a print book is as follows:

Henry David Thoreau, “Walking,” in The Making of the American Essay, ed. John D’Agata (Minneapolis: Graywolf Press, 2016), 167-72. However, when a source is cited for the second and subsequent times in the research paper, a shorter citation should be created with the surname of the author – a brief title of the document – page number(s).

For example: Beers, History, 450-500.

Where reference of the citation has already been provided and a consecutive citation needs to be given then “ïbid” is generally used. For example: Ibid., 250.

Bibliographies

The primary purpose of the bibliography is to list the sources that have been used or cited in the research paper and any additional sources relevant to the discussion made in the research paper. The Chicago form of Bibliography provides the document with authenticity and helps avoid unfavorable issues of plagiarism. Some of the parameters that a bibliographic reference must include are the author’s name, the title used, the year of publication and the name of the publisher. This information also needs to be presented in a proper format while you are providing any reference in the Bibliography section.

• For this style of formatting, the author’s name is inverted to put the surname name before the first name. For example, Chetan Bhagat is mentioned as Bhagat Chetan.
• Titles of books and journals are written in italics, but for articles and poems they are presented in quotation marks.
• In case of publication data for bibliography, the publication city and name of the publisher is succeeded by the specific year of publication. For writings including sources from the internet should provide the details of the reference such as the URL and the date when it was accessed to make the bibliography trustworthy. It should be noted that a bibliography may not always be present in case the footnote/endnote provides all the necessary information of the used sources. In such case annotated bibliographies are provided which gives details on the author, their scope of work, research methods used, main arguments, etc.

Author-Date Style

The name itself suggests that this Chicago formatting style uses the author’s name and the date. The in-text citation provides only two pieces of information to the reader. For example: (Burtons Beers 1991).

Some basic formatting rules

So, if you are writing your terms paper for College or University or research paper, you should follow certain basic formatting rules. Like other formatting styles, the Chicago style of writing also has its own set of rules that distinguish it from other styles. Among the formatting rules of the Chicago Style, the ones worth mentioning include the use of size 12 fonts, a double spacing of text, Times New Roman format with an overall margin of one inch. At the beginning of any paragraph, the indentation is limited to just half an inch. Arabic numerals are used for numbering the pages and are generally placed on the header of the pages.

Conclusion

From the above discussion, it can be said that the Chicago Style of Writing provides the research paper with a touch of uniqueness and professionalism. Using such a style for your University research work would indicate that you have conducted thorough research and your content is free from any plagiarism. It even enables the referencing of different sources from where information has been obtained. This style meets the requirements of a well-written paper and distinguishes your research work from the rest of the lot.