Chicago 17th ed. basics: Format & Style

Format

• Garamond or Times New Roman, 12-point font
• 1-inch margin all around
• Double Space entire paper
• Remove extra space between paragraphs (see below)
• Use the Tab button to indent paragraphs--one tab per indent 
• Page Number on top right of page with last name (Insert page number and then manually type in Last Name--make sure the font of your last name and page number is the same font as the text of your paper)

Formatting your Title Page

• Start your title about 1/3 of the way down the page
• Center the text

Style

Oxford Comma: Always include a comma before the and when you are listing 3+ items. 

Example: I need to write my theology paper, do the dishes, and finish my laundry. 

Semicolons: Use a semicolon to join two independent clauses. You can either use a stand-alone semicolon or a semicolon + conjunctive adverb+ a comma. 

Example: I need to wash the car; I also need to do the grocery shopping. 

Example: I need to wash the car; furthermore, I also need to do the grocery shopping. 

Numerals: Write out numbers under 1,000. Never start a sentence with a numeral. 

Example: There were fifty-seven students who showed up for the movie night. 

Quotations: Use a double quotation for direct quotes. Use a single quotation for a quote that appears within another quote. 

Example: According to Daniel Arnold, "each team member should 'notify the moderator' upon arrival."  

Footnotes: To insert a footnote in Microsoft Word, go to References and then Insert Footnote. 

Footnotes should appear after the end-of-sentence punctuation.