Formatting and Citing in Chicago/Turabian using Google Docs - Tutorial

Sep 11, 2026

Uploaded by Noah

A practical tutorial explaining how to format and cite academic writing in Chicago/Turabian style within Google Docs. Covers setting readable 12-point text, double-spacing, paragraph indentation, 1-inch margins, and page numbering. Provides guidance for creating a properly structured title page. Details how to insert and format footnotes (including font size, indentation, spacing, and consecutive-note shortening) and how to create endnotes on a separate NOTES page. Concludes with key differences for building a bibliography entry list.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryPresentations

FormatPDF

Pages12

Reading Time4 min

AccessFree to download

General Formatting

Title Page

Footnotes

Footnote Formatting

Endnotes

Bibliography

Formatting and Citing in Chicago/Turabian using Google Docs This tutorial is for Chicago style format and will show you how to use Google Docs to format and cite your work including creating footnotes, endnotes, and a bibliography. Contents General Formatting ......................................................................................................................... 2 Title Page ......................................................................................................................................... 4 Footnotes ........................................................................................................................................ 7 Footnote Formatting ................................................................................................................... 8 Endnotes ......................................................................................................................................... 9 Bibliography .................................................................................................................................. 10 General Formatting Text should be 12-point readable font. Double-space all text and indent all paragraphs. Your paper should also have 1-inch margins on all sides and a page number in the upper right corner (except for the title page) . To double space all text, click the spacing button and select Double To indent paragraphs, go to Format then follow the indent trail: Align and Intent then indentation options Clicking Indentation options will bring up a formatting box. 1) Under the Special indent dropdown menu, select First Line. 2) make sure it says 0.5 in the box to the right. 3) click Apply. Next, margins should be 1 inch. Normally this is the default, but if your margins are off, go to the Layout tab and click on Margins to ensure your margins are 1 inch. Look at the example on the right. Lastly are your page numbers. To add page numbers, go to the Insert tab and go to Page elements > Page numbers. If not using a title page, select the numbering on the top right of the page. If you’re required to have a title page, select the option that has a blank title page and begins page numbers on the second page. See the example below. Title Page For the title page, center and double-space the title about one-third of the way down the page. About two-thirds down the page, in upper and lower case, put your name, course, and date. Your professor's name may go above the date; check with your instructor for alternative title page preferences. To center, click the center alignment button in the tool bar. Use the Enter key (for PC) or Return key (for Mac) on your keyboard to place your title one-third of the way down the page and your name, course, professor, and date two thirds of the way down the page. Look at the title page example below. Notice that the title is in regular text, not in bold or underlined. Title Subtitle (if applicable) Name Course Professor (if applicable) Date Footnotes First, locate your quote or paraphrase that you want to cite and place your cursor just after the quotation marks if using, or after the period in a paraphrase. See the highlighted section below: Then, look for the Insert tab at the top of the document and click it. Under the Insert tab, go to Page elements > Footnote as seen below. The shortcut for this is Ctrl+Alt+F You should see a little number pop up where you put your cursor, and then the bottom of the page opens so you can type the citation. When adding a footnote, be sure to use the “Note” style citation. Chicago format has two different types of citations; one is the Note citation, and the other is Bibliography citation. For more information on how to cite your particular source, refer to the Chicago Style Handbook offered on the Writing Center webpage under Resources. Below is an example of a completed footnote: Footnote Formattin

FAQs

How do I set general formatting in Google Docs for Chicago/Turabian style?

Use 12-point readable font, double-space all text, indent paragraphs with a 0.5-inch first-line indent, set 1-inch margins, and add page numbers in the upper right (with title-page exceptions).

How do I insert a footnote in Google Docs for Chicago style?

Place the cursor immediately after quotation marks or after a period in a paraphrase, then use Insert > Page elements > Footnote (shortcut Ctrl+Alt+F).

What is the difference between footnotes and endnotes in this tutorial?

Footnotes cite sources at the bottom of each page, while endnotes gather those same citations on a separate page at the end of the essay, ordered by citation sequence.

Sep 11, 2026

Uploaded by Noah