Turabian Format: Complete Citation Guide (2026)

Turabian format is a citation and formatting style derived from Kate L. Turabian’s Manual for Writers. It is a streamlined version of Chicago style designed for students and researchers across the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences.

Universities, thesis committees, and many academic journals accept Turabian for coursework, dissertations, and published research. This guide covers core rules, examples for common source types, in-text citation options, and practical tips to produce error-free references. Use Rephrasely’s free citation generator to auto-build citations: Rephrasely Citation Generator.

General Rules

Turabian supports two documentation systems: Notes-Bibliography (NB) and Author-Date. Choose NB for history, literature, and arts. Choose Author-Date for sciences and social sciences.

Paper formatting: 1" margins, 12-point readable font (Times New Roman or similar), double-spaced text, single-spaced block quotes and bibliographies unless instructor requests otherwise.
Title page: Turabian often requires a title page with title, author name, course, instructor, and date. Check instructor guidelines.
Page numbers: Top-right header or bottom center depending on preferences; exclude page numbers on the title page unless specified.
Footnotes vs. endnotes: NB typically uses footnotes. Use endnotes only if required.
Punctuation and order: Follow precise punctuation, italicize book and journal titles, place article and chapter titles in quotes.

How to Cite by Source Type

Below are step-by-step formats and examples for the most common sources. Examples use code-style formatting to show exact punctuation and order.

Books

Notes-Bibliography (footnote) — first reference:

1. Firstname Lastname, Title of Book: Subtitle (Place of publication: Publisher, Year), page number.

Bibliography entry:

Lastname, Firstname. Title of Book: Subtitle. Place of publication: Publisher, Year.

Example:

1. Mary Beard, SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome (New York: Liveright, 2015), 45.

Author-Date (in-text) — parenthetical citation:

(Beard 2015, 45)

Reference list (Author-Date):

Beard, Mary. 2015. SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome. New York: Liveright.

Journal Articles

Notes-Bibliography — first reference:

1. Firstname Lastname, "Article Title," Journal Title volume, no. issue (Year): page range, DOI or URL if online.

Example:

1. Jane Smith, "Urban Farming and Food Security," Journal of Urban Studies 12, no. 3 (2020): 123–45, https://doi.org/10.1234/jus.2020.0123.

Author-Date — in-text and reference entry:

(Smith 2020, 130)

Smith, Jane. 2020. "Urban Farming and Food Security." Journal of Urban Studies 12 (3): 123–45. https://doi.org/10.1234/jus.2020.0123.

Websites

Notes-Bibliography — first reference:

1. Firstname Lastname, "Page or Article Title," Website Name, Month Day, Year, URL.

Example:

1. Alex Johnson, "How Renewable Energy Works," Energy Today, July 1, 2023, https://www.energytoday.org/renewables.

If no author is listed, start with the page title. Always include the access date only if the content is likely to change or the instructor requires it.

Book Chapters or Essays in an Edited Volume

Notes-Bibliography — first reference:

1. Firstname Lastname, "Chapter Title," in Title of Book, ed. Editor Name (Place: Publisher, Year), page range.

Example:

1. Sarah Gold, "Women and Work in the 19th Century," in Gender and Society, ed. L. Martin (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2018), 78–102.

Theses, Dissertations, and Media

Dissertation example (NB):

1. Roberto Álvarez, "Migration Patterns in the Andes" (PhD diss., University of Quito, 2021), 56.

Film example:

1. Director Name, film title, directed by Director Name (Country: Studio, Year), film length, format.

Example:

1. Ava DuVernay, Selma, directed by Ava DuVernay (USA: Paramount, 2014), 128 min., DVD.

In-Text Citations

Turabian provides two in-text systems. Use the one that fits your discipline and instructor's requirements.

Notes-Bibliography (NB)

Use superscript numbers in the text (after punctuation) to indicate a footnote or endnote. The note contains the full citation on first use and a shortened form thereafter.

Example in text:

The Roman senate's power diminished during the Imperial era.^1

First footnote:

1. Mary Beard, SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome (New York: Liveright, 2015), 203.

Shortened footnote for later citations:

2. Beard, SPQR, 210.

Author-Date

Place the author’s last name and year in parentheses. Include page numbers for direct quotes or specific points.

Example:

(Beard 2015, 203)

Actionable tip: pick one system and be consistent across the entire document. Use Rephrasely's AI detector and AI writer to generate and check content, but always verify citation details manually.

Reference List / Bibliography

The reference list (Author-Date) or bibliography (NB) appears at the end of the paper and includes all sources cited. Arrange entries alphabetically by author last name.

Use a hanging indent for each entry (first line flush left, following lines indented).
Italicize book and journal titles; use quotation marks for article and chapter titles.
For multiple works by the same author, list by year (earliest first in NB; in Author-Date, earliest first as well).
Include DOIs for journal articles when available. Use stable URLs for online sources.

Bibliography (example mixing types):

Beard, Mary. SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome. New York: Liveright, 2015.

Smith, Jane. "Urban Farming and Food Security." Journal of Urban Studies 12, no. 3 (2020): 123–45. https://doi.org/10.1234/jus.2020.0123.

Johnson, Alex. "How Renewable Energy Works." Energy Today. July 1, 2023. https://www.energytoday.org/renewables.

Actionable checklist before submitting:

Ensure every in-text citation has a matching bibliography entry.
Check punctuation, italics, and capitalization against these examples.
Run your bibliography through Rephrasely's citation generator for convenience, then verify manually.

Common Mistakes

Recognizing common errors will save time and reduce grade deductions.

1. Mixing NB and Author-Date elements

Students sometimes mix footnote formats with parenthetical references. Choose one system and apply its rules consistently throughout the paper.

2. Incorrect punctuation and order

Small punctuation errors (missing commas, misplaced periods) can make a citation invalid. Follow the precise order in examples above. Use a citation generator to avoid typographical mistakes, but double-check generated output.

3. Missing or incorrect DOIs and URLs

Always include DOIs for journal articles when available. For websites, use stable URLs and include access dates only when content changes frequently or instructor asks for it.

4. Incomplete bibliographic elements

Missing publishers, places of publication, or page ranges are common. Ensure each entry includes all required elements for the source type.

Actionable tip: before final submission, run a quick plagiarism check with Rephrasely’s plagiarism checker and use the AI detector if you used AI tools to write sections. Rephrasely’s AI writer can help draft, and the paraphraser and translator tools assist with rewording and multilingual sources.

Practical Workflow (Quick Steps)

Decide on Notes-Bibliography or Author-Date based on discipline and instructor guidelines.
Collect full bibliographic details as you research (author, title, publisher, place, date, pages, DOI/URL).
Create citations as you go — use Rephrasely’s citation generator for drafts and export a bibliography.
Insert footnotes or parenthetical citations in the text consistently.
Finalize the bibliography with hanging indents and alphabetical order.
Run a plagiarism check and proofread for punctuation and format errors.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Turabian system should I use: Notes-Bibliography or Author-Date?

Use Notes-Bibliography for humanities subjects like history and literature. Use Author-Date for sciences, social sciences, and subjects that favor parenthetical citations. If unsure, follow your instructor or department guidelines.

Do I need a bibliography if I use footnotes?

Yes, many instructors require a bibliography in addition to footnotes. Turabian often combines full citations in notes with a comprehensive bibliography at the end. Confirm with your assignment rubric.

Can I use an online citation generator for Turabian?

Yes. Online generators like Rephrasely’s citation generator speed up citation creation but always verify the output for punctuation, italics, and correct source details. Generators may not handle unusual sources perfectly.

Turabian Format: Complete Citation Guide (2026)