How to Cite a Book in Turabian Format
This guide explains how to cite a book Turabian style so you can prepare footnotes, parenthetical citations, and bibliography entries correctly. Turabian (a simplified version of Chicago style) is commonly used in history, theology, and other humanities fields; it supports two systems: Notes-Bibliography (NB) and Author-Date.
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Which Turabian system should you use?
Choose Notes-Bibliography (NB) for humanities papers that rely on primary sources and extensive commentary. Choose Author-Date for sciences and social sciences that emphasize publication year and quick reference. This guide prioritizes NB examples but covers Author-Date equivalents.
General Rules
- Two systems: NB uses footnotes or endnotes plus a bibliography. Author-Date uses parenthetical citations and a reference list.
- Title formatting: Italicize book titles; put chapter/article titles in quotation marks.
- Author names: In bibliography use LastName, FirstName. In notes use FirstName LastName.
- Punctuation and order: Follow punctuation exactly—commas, periods, and colons matter in Turabian.
- Bibliography layout: Use a hanging indent and single-space entries with a blank line between entries (or follow your instructor’s spacing rules).
How to Cite by Source Type
1. Books (single author)
Notes-Bibliography: provide a full citation in the first note, then a shortened note if cited again. Bibliography entry differs in name order and punctuation.
Note (first citation):
1. John Smith, The History of Writing (Chicago: Chicago University Press, 2018), 45.
Shortened note:
2. Smith, The History of Writing, 102.
Bibliography:
Smith, John. The History of Writing. Chicago: Chicago University Press, 2018.Author-Date (in-text and reference):
In-text: (Smith 2018, 45)
Reference list:
Smith, John. 2018. The History of Writing. Chicago: Chicago University Press.2. Books with Two or Three Authors
List all authors in both notes and bibliography if there are up to three. For NB notes, use FirstName LastName order in the note and LastName, FirstName in bibliography.
Note:
1. Jane Doe and Robert Lee, Writing for Experts (New York: Academic Press, 2020), 12.
Bibliography:
Doe, Jane, and Robert Lee. Writing for Experts. New York: Academic Press, 2020.3. Edited Book or Chapter in an Edited Volume
When citing a chapter or essay within an edited collection, give the chapter author first and cite the chapter title in quotation marks, then the editor(s) and book title.
Note:
1. Maria Torres, "Context and Meaning," in Cultural Signals, ed. Anne K. Brown (Boston: Beacon Press, 2016), 78.
Bibliography:
Torres, Maria. "Context and Meaning." In Cultural Signals, edited by Anne K. Brown, 65–90. Boston: Beacon Press, 2016.4. E-books and Online Books
Include a URL or DOI in place of publisher location only if the e-book version is important to retrieval; otherwise treat like a print book. For PDFs from a stable repository, add the URL or DOI at the end.
Note:
1. Alan Chen, Digital Texts (London: Modern Press, 2019), chap. 3, https://doi.org/10.1234/example.
Bibliography:
Chen, Alan. Digital Texts. London: Modern Press, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1234/example.5. Journal Articles
Journal citations include article title in quotes, journal title in italics, volume, issue, year, and page range. Add DOI if available.
Note:
1. Laura Green, "Reading and Memory," Journal of Historical Studies 12, no. 2 (2017): 145–67, https://doi.org/10.5678/jhs.2017.12.
Bibliography:
Green, Laura. "Reading and Memory." Journal of Historical Studies 12, no. 2 (2017): 145–67. https://doi.org/10.5678/jhs.2017.12.6. Websites and Web Pages
Provide author (if available), page title in quotes, site title in italics, full URL, and access date only if content is likely to change.
Note:
1. Mark Ellis, "Preserving Archives," Archive Today, https://www.archivetoday.org/preserving (accessed January 5, 2024).
Bibliography:
Ellis, Mark. "Preserving Archives." Archive Today. https://www.archivetoday.org/preserving (accessed January 5, 2024).In-Text Citations
In Notes-Bibliography, cite sources using footnotes or endnotes. The first note gives full bibliographic details; later notes use a shortened form: LastName, Shortened Title, page.
Example of a first full note:
1. John Smith, The History of Writing (Chicago: Chicago University Press, 2018), 45.Example of a shortened note later in the paper:
5. Smith, The History of Writing, 122.For Author-Date, use parenthetical citations with author, year, and page number: (Smith 2018, 45). Place punctuation after the parenthetical citation unless the citation is integrated in the sentence.
Reference List / Bibliography
The bibliography is an alphabetical list of all sources cited. Use a hanging indent (first line flush left, subsequent lines indented). List author names as LastName, FirstName.
Rules summary:
- Alphabetize by the author’s last name; if no author, alphabetize by title (ignore leading A, An, The).
- Capitalize titles headline-style (capitalize major words) for books and articles.
- Do not include access dates for stable scholarly sources unless required.
- Include DOIs for journal articles when available; include full URLs for online-only texts.
Bibliography example (multiple entries):
Bibliography
Chen, Alan. Digital Texts. London: Modern Press, 2019.
Doe, Jane, and Robert Lee. Writing for Experts. New York: Academic Press, 2020.
Smith, John. The History of Writing. Chicago: Chicago University Press, 2018.Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Mixing systems: Don’t mix Notes-Bibliography formatting with Author-Date in the same paper. Pick one and apply it consistently.
- Wrong name order: Bibliography entries must be LastName, FirstName. Notes use FirstName LastName for the first citation.
- Incorrect punctuation and placement: Missing commas, mis-placed periods or colons, and forgetting page numbers in notes are common errors. Follow the exact punctuation in examples above.
- Overusing et al.: Turabian has specific rules: in the bibliography list all authors up to ten (for Chicago 17th ed. rules) or follow instructor guidance; for notes use “et al.” after the first author when there are four or more authors (check your edition rules).
Quick Practical Checklist
- Decide NB or Author-Date based on discipline and instructor preference.
- Collect full publication details: author(s), title, edition, publisher, year, page range/DOI/URL.
- Use Rephrasely’s citation generator to build a correctly formatted citation and paste it into your notes or bibliography.
- Run your paper through the plagiarism checker and refine language with the AI writer if needed.
- Verify AI-origin text with the AI detector and adjust wording for academic voice.
Examples: Quick Reference
Single-author book — NB first note:
1. Emily Carter, The Art of Citation (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2015), 23.Same book — bibliography:
Carter, Emily. The Art of Citation. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2015.Author-Date in-text and reference list:
(Carter 2015, 23)
Carter, Emily. 2015. The Art of Citation. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Frequently Asked Questions
How do I cite a chapter from an edited book in Turabian?
Cite the chapter author and title in quotation marks, then include the book title, editors, page range, and publication details. Example in a note: 1. Maria Torres, "Context and Meaning," in Cultural Signals, ed. Anne K. Brown (Boston: Beacon Press, 2016), 78.
When should I use a footnote versus an in-text citation?
Use footnotes/endnotes with the Notes-Bibliography system (common in humanities). Use in-text author-date citations for the Author-Date system (common in sciences). Follow your instructor's preference or your department style guide.
Can Rephrasely help me format Turabian citations automatically?
Yes. Use Rephrasely’s free citation generator to create Turabian-style citations. You can also polish phrasing with the AI writer, check originality with the plagiarism checker, and confirm AI usage with the AI detector.