Free download · Chicago 17 / Turabian
Free Chicago Style Template for Word
A ready-to-use Chicago (Turabian) student paper for Microsoft Word, notes-bibliography style. The title page, double spacing, 12-point Times New Roman, page numbers, a real footnote, a block quotation and a Bibliography with hanging indents are already set up. Type over the highlighted placeholders and write.
Free, no signup. Works in Word for Windows and Mac, and in Google Docs.
What the template looks like
What is already set up
- Title page with the title a third of the way down and your name, course and date two thirds down, no page number
- 12-point Times New Roman, double-spaced text with 1-inch margins and a ½-inch first-line indent
- Page numbers top right, starting at 1 on the first page of text (the title page is its own section)
- A real footnote, inserted with Word's footnote tool, in 10-point single spacing with a sample first note and shortened note
- A block quotation style: single-spaced, indented ½ inch, a blank line before and after
- First- and second-level heading styles (centered bold; flush-left bold)
- A Bibliography page with a ½-inch hanging indent and example book, journal and web-page entries
How to use the template in Word
- 1
Download and open the file in Word
Open chicago-paper-template.docx. If Word opens it in Protected View, click Enable Editing.
- 2
Type over the highlighted placeholders
Replace the title, subtitle, your name, course and date on the title page, and the title at the top of page 1. Select the text and choose Home → Text Highlight Color → No Color to remove the highlighting.
- 3
Write over the sample paragraphs
Double spacing and the first-line indent carry over when you press Enter. Delete the headings you do not need.
- 4
Add footnotes with Word's tool
Put the cursor after the sentence (after the punctuation) and choose References → Insert Footnote. Word numbers the notes and keeps them on the right page; the sample note shows the full first-note form and the shortened form for a repeat.
- 5
Fill the Bibliography
Replace the example entries on the Bibliography page, one per paragraph. The hanging indent and the blank line between entries are part of the paragraph style. Sort them with Home → Sort → Paragraphs, Text, Ascending.
- 6
Save as .docx (or PDF if your instructor asks)
Use File → Save As. Keep a .docx copy so you can make changes later.
Frequently asked questions
Is this Chicago template free?
Yes. It is a free download with no signup. You can share it or link to it.
Is it Chicago or Turabian?
Both. Turabian is the student version of the Chicago Manual of Style, with the same notes-bibliography citations; the differences are in the title page and the page numbering, and the template follows the student (Turabian) layout.
Notes-bibliography or author-date?
This template is notes-bibliography: sources are cited in footnotes and listed in a Bibliography. Chicago's author-date system uses (Author year) citations in the text and a References list instead; if your course uses author-date, delete the footnote and cite in the text.
How do I insert a footnote in Word?
Place the cursor after the sentence's punctuation and choose References → Insert Footnote (Ctrl+Alt+F on Windows, Cmd+Option+F on Mac). Word adds the superscript number and the note area at the foot of the page.
Can I open the template in Google Docs?
Yes. Upload the .docx to Google Drive and choose Open with → Google Docs. The footnote, spacing, indents and page numbers carry over; Google Docs inserts further footnotes with Insert → Footnote.
I already wrote my paper. Do I have to copy it into the template?
No. Upload your Word file to Veermat's Chicago paper formatter and it applies the title page, spacing, indents and Bibliography formatting to the paper you have, then lists what it could not fix.
Free to share or link. Made by Veermat, the tool that formats an existing Word document in Chicago, APA or MLA without changing your words. Writing in APA instead? Get the APA 7 template.
Already wrote your paper?
Upload your .docx and Veermat applies Chicago style formatting automatically: title page, double spacing, indents, page numbers and a Bibliography with hanging indents. Your words stay exactly as you wrote them.