Turabian and Chicago are not two separate citation systems — Turabian is a student-adapted version of Chicago style. Understanding the relationship between them, and where they diverge in practice, prevents confusion when a professor or institution specifies one versus the other.
The Basic Relationship
Kate L. Turabian developed her style guide in 1937 as a simplified manual for University of Chicago students writing theses and dissertations. The full name of the guide is A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations. It is based directly on The Chicago Manual of Style but streamlines and adapts the rules for academic student papers rather than published books and manuscripts.
| Feature | Chicago (CMOS) | Turabian |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | The Chicago Manual of Style, 17th ed. | A Manual for Writers, 9th ed. (Turabian) |
| Intended audience | Publishers, editors, professional authors | Students writing papers, theses, dissertations |
| Governing body | University of Chicago Press | University of Chicago Press (same) |
| Citation systems | Notes-Bibliography and Author-Date | Notes-Bibliography and Author-Date |
| Scope | Broader — covers typesetting, indexing, contracts | Narrower — focused on academic paper format |
Where They Are Identical
For citation formatting — the actual way you write footnotes, bibliography entries, and in-text citations — Turabian and Chicago are functionally identical. A journal article footnote written to Turabian spec and one written to Chicago spec look the same:
¹ John A. Smith, "Memory consolidation during sleep in young adults," Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience 34, no. 5 (2022): 915.Where They Differ
| Area | Chicago (CMOS) | Turabian |
|---|---|---|
| Paper formatting | Minimal guidance (assumes typesetter handles layout) | Detailed rules for margins, font, title pages, spacing |
| Title page | Not addressed (book-oriented) | Specific format for student title pages |
| Margins | Not specified | 1 inch (2.54 cm) on all sides |
| Font and size | Not specified | Times New Roman 12 pt or similar readable serif |
| Line spacing | Not specified for papers | Double-spaced throughout |
| Page numbers | Not specified for student papers | Top right corner, starting from page 1 |
| Thesis/dissertation format | Not covered | Dedicated chapters on formatting requirements |
Citation Format Examples: Turabian / Chicago (They Match)
Book — Notes-Bibliography
Footnote:
¹ Toni Morrison, Beloved (New York: Knopf, 1987), 22.
Bibliography:
Morrison, Toni. Beloved. New York: Knopf, 1987.Journal Article — Author-Date
In-text: (Smith 2022, 45)
Reference list:
Smith, John A. 2022. "Memory consolidation during sleep in young adults." Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience 34 (5): 912–928.Which One Will Your Professor or Institution Specify?
History and humanities departments typically say «Chicago style.» When the context is a student paper, thesis, or dissertation, «Chicago style» almost always means following Turabian for formatting while applying Chicago citation rules — which are the same in both manuals.
If a professor specifies «Turabian,» follow the paper formatting rules in A Manual for Writers (margins, title page, line spacing) in addition to Chicago citation formatting. If they specify «Chicago,» apply the citation system and use sensible academic defaults for paper formatting — or ask for clarification on whether they want the full Turabian layout.
Turabian vs Chicago vs APA: Quick Reference
| Feature | Turabian/Chicago NB | Chicago Author-Date | APA 7th |
|---|---|---|---|
| In-text format | Footnote number | (Author year, page) | (Author, year, p. X) |
| End matter | Bibliography | Reference list | References |
| Primary fields | Humanities, history | Some social sciences | Psychology, social sciences |
| Author-year comma | No (NB doesn’t apply) | No comma (Smith 2022) | Comma (Smith, 2022) |
For APA formatting guidance and templates, see the Normas APA resource center.