Chicago Style Paper Checker
Validate papers against Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition) and Turabian format: footnote notes, bibliography formatting, author-date citations, and Chicago manuscript conventions.
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What is Chicago style?
The Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS, 17th edition) is one of the most widely used style guides in academic publishing. Chicago style has two systems: Notes-Bibliography (NB) used in history, literature, and the arts, which uses footnotes or endnotes with a bibliography; and Author-Date (AD) used in social sciences and natural sciences, which uses in-text parenthetical citations with a reference list. Turabian style (Kate Turabian's A Manual for Writers) is an adaptation of Chicago style for student papers and theses. Our checker validates both Chicago NB and Author-Date formats.
Chicago style checks
Footnote formatting
Validate Chicago Notes-Bibliography footnote and endnote formatting.
Bibliography format
Check bibliography entries follow Chicago 17 formatting for all source types.
Author-date citations
Validate in-text author-year citations for Chicago Author-Date manuscripts.
Ibid and short citations
Check proper use of shortened citations for subsequent footnote references.
Title formatting
Validate that book titles are italicized and article titles are in quotation marks.
Page number format
Confirm correct page number formatting in footnotes and bibliography.
Checks relevant to this topic
Part of our 80+ automated checks
Footnote format
Footnotes correctly formatted per Chicago 17 NB style.
Bibliography
Bibliography entries in correct Chicago format.
Title styling
Books italicized, articles in quotes, consistently applied.
Ibid usage
Ibid and shortened citations used correctly for repeated sources.
The practical edge your peers already use
Across disciplines and career stages, researchers reduce bottlenecks and submit with confidence: clearer drafts, easier guideline compliance, and less back and forth with co‑authors and reviewers.
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Professor in Mechanical Engineering, ÉTS Montréal
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Master's Student in Speech Therapy
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PhD Candidate, UFPE
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Postdoc Researcher, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology
A round of suggestions helped to generally refine the text of my paper and, moreover, to present some of its key points in a more focused form.
Oleg
Professor, Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University
I use it to review my students' papers. It instantly highlights typos, missing references, and unclear sections, helping me focus my feedback on the quality of the research instead of surface errors.
Ilyass
Professor in Mechanical Engineering, ÉTS Montréal
I relied on it throughout my thesis to strengthen my writing. It suggested clearer phrasing, improved flow between sections, and ensured my references were complete before the final deadline.
Manon
Master's Student in Speech Therapy
I write research in both Portuguese and English, and it adapts perfectly to either language. It provided precise feedback in Portuguese, helping me maintain academic tone and consistency across my drafts.
Afonso
PhD Candidate, UFPE
It gave excellent advice on how to rephrase and present ideas more clearly and concisely. The suggestions helped me refine my arguments and make my research more impactful.
Félix
Postdoc Researcher, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology
A round of suggestions helped to generally refine the text of my paper and, moreover, to present some of its key points in a more focused form.
Oleg
Professor, Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University
Frequently asked questions
Notes-Bibliography is standard in humanities (history, literature, arts). Author-Date is used in social and natural sciences. Check your discipline or target journal's requirements. Student papers should follow their instructor's guidance.
Turabian style (from Kate Turabian's 'A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations', 9th ed.) is an adaptation of Chicago style for student papers and theses. It follows the same citation formats as Chicago but includes additional guidance on thesis and dissertation formatting.
Yes: many humanities journals (history, art history, classics, philosophy) use Chicago Notes-Bibliography style. Some social science journals use Chicago Author-Date. Always verify the specific journal's style requirements.
Chicago NB footnotes use a full citation on first reference: Author First Last, Title (City: Publisher, Year), page. Subsequent references use a shortened form: Last, Short Title, page. 'Ibid' can be used when citing the same source consecutively.