Turabian Formatting Example: Title Page, Sample Paper and Checklist (9th Edition)

A Turabian paper is laid out the same way whether you call it an essay, a research paper or a seminar paper: one-inch margins, a 12-point serif font, double-spaced text, a title page that carries no page number, and a bibliography at the end. What differs from school to school is the detail, so this page separates the points that two independent university library guides agree on from the points that only one of them states. It then walks through a filled sample paper built from clearly fictional content.

Edition checked (as of 2026-10): Turabian’s A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, 9th edition (University of Chicago Press, 2018), which is based on The Chicago Manual of Style, 17th edition. Both library guides cited here treat the 9th edition as the current Turabian manual. A newer 18th edition of the Chicago Manual itself exists (2024), but it is a separate book and this page does not describe any 18th-edition changes.

Turabian paper format at a glance

These settings are stated by both of two university guides: the Union University library guide “Turabian 9th edition Style Guide: Formatting Your Paper” (last updated May 26, 2026; checked 2026-10-29) and the Liberty University Academic Success Center “Turabian Format Quick Guide” (undated; checked 2026-10-29).

Element	Setting both guides agree on
Margins	One inch on all sides
Font	12-point Times New Roman is preferred (Union also allows Arial and says nothing smaller than 10 point)
Body text	Double-spaced
Single-spaced parts	Block quotations, footnotes and the bibliography (Union also single-spaces front matter such as a table of contents, and sets table titles and figure captions single-spaced)
Title page	No page number printed on it
Instructor rules	Your instructor’s requirements override the general guidance

Only one guide states each of these points. Liberty says the title page is technically page one and uses Turabian’s student title page format, while Union says only that the title page is not numbered and that numbering starts with the first page of text. Liberty requires notes-bibliography for papers and uses author-date only for book reviews, while Union allows either notes-bibliography or author-date and says to confirm the choice with your professor.

Turabian title page example

Union University describes the title page this way: the title is centered about one-third of the way down the page in headline-style capitalization, a subtitle sits one line below with a colon after the first part, and your name, class information and date appear several lines further down. Every line on the title page is double-spaced. Here is a fictional title page laid out to that description.

(top third of the page left empty)

        The Ledger and the Lantern:
   Record-Keeping in a Fictional Harbor Town

            (several blank lines)

                Jordan Example
         HIST 510: Research Seminar in Local History
             Dr. Sample Instructor
                 October 29, 2026

Everything above is invented for illustration: the author, course, instructor and harbor town do not exist. Replace each line with your own details and follow your course instructions if they ask for different information.

Example Turabian paper (fictional)

The skeleton below shows the order of the parts of a short notes-bibliography paper. The content is made up to show placement, not to be cited.

1. Title page (no number shown).
2. First page of text. A double-spaced opening paragraph. A superscript note number follows the sentence it supports.
3. Body. Double-spaced paragraphs, with headings if the paper is long enough to need them.
4. Footnotes. Single-spaced at the bottom of each page that has a note number.
5. Bibliography. Single-spaced entries; Liberty starts it on a new page after the conclusion.

A fictional opening for the first page of text would read:

When the harbor office of Example Cove opened its first ledger, no one expected it to outlast the town’s fishing fleet.¹ By the time the ledger closed, it had become the only continuous record of who sailed and who returned.

The matching footnote sits at the bottom of that page, single-spaced, beginning with the number 1. Entry formats for books, journal articles and websites are covered in the site’s Turabian book citation guide, and the in-text pattern is explained in the Turabian in-text citation guide.

Page numbers

Union University says to place page numbers centered or flush in the header or footer, choose one place and stay consistent. Liberty University’s house rule is more specific: lowercase roman numerals at the bottom center for front matter starting at ii, then arabic numerals at the top right starting at 1 for the body. Treat Liberty’s version as that school’s requirement, not a general Turabian rule.

Turabian essay example: what changes for short papers

Neither guide sets a separate format for an “essay” versus a “paper”. A short essay uses the same margins, font, spacing and title page. The practical differences are usually the ones your instructor sets: whether a title page is required at all, whether the paper needs headings, and whether a bibliography is expected alongside footnotes. Ask before assuming.

Liberty University house rules (not universal)

Liberty’s quick guide includes requirements that the Union guide does not state. They are useful if you study there and optional context if you do not.

• Paragraphs are indented one-half inch.
• Five heading levels: level 1 centered, bold, headline-style capitalization; level 2 centered, not bold, headline style; level 3 left-aligned, bold, headline style; level 4 left-aligned, not bold, sentence-style capitalization; level 5 indented one-half inch, italic, sentence style, ending with a period and running into the paragraph.
• Footnotes are preferred and endnotes are not permitted.
• The bibliography starts on a new page after the conclusion, with the word “Bibliography” centered and bold, entries alphabetized with a one-half inch hanging indent, single-spaced with a blank line between entries.

Footnote and bibliography layout example

Using the fictional paper above, the end of the document would look like this in outline:

                 Bibliography

Example, Author. (entry 1, single-spaced,
     second and later lines indented half an inch)

Sample, Writer. (entry 2, one blank line above)

The entry text itself follows the patterns in the Turabian bibliography guide. For how other styles handle the same list, see the MLA works cited format guide or the overview of citation styles and referencing formats.

Checklist before you submit

• Instructor or department requirements checked first; they override any general guide.
• One-inch margins on all sides and 12-point Times New Roman (or another readable font your instructor allows).
• Body text double-spaced; block quotations, footnotes and bibliography single-spaced.
• Title page present with no number printed on it (Liberty counts it as page one; Union starts numbering at the first page of text).
• Page numbers in one consistent location.
• Every footnote number in the text has a matching footnote at the bottom of the page.
• Bibliography after the conclusion (Liberty requires a new page and alphabetical order; confirm your own program’s rule).
• Citation system (notes-bibliography or author-date) confirmed with your instructor.

The title page and bibliography entries in the CASRAI dictionary define both elements in general terms.

Frequently asked questions

What is a Turabian formatting example?

It is a sample showing how a paper is laid out under Turabian: title page, double-spaced text with footnotes, and a bibliography. The fictional skeleton above shows each part in order.

What does an example Turabian paper look like?

A title page with no page number, a first page that repeats the title and begins the double-spaced text, single-spaced footnotes at the page bottoms, and a bibliography on a new page at the end.

Is a Turabian essay formatted differently from a paper?

Neither library guide gives a separate essay format. Use the same settings unless your instructor says otherwise.

Which Turabian edition is current?

Both guides cited here treat the 9th edition (2018) as the current Turabian manual as of 2026-10.

Sources

• Union University library, “Turabian 9th edition Style Guide: Formatting Your Paper”: https://guides.uu.edu/turabian/formatting (page updated May 26, 2026; checked 2026-10-29).
• Liberty University Academic Success Center, “Turabian Format Quick Guide”: https://www.liberty.edu/casas/academic-success-center/turabian/quick-guide (undated; checked 2026-10-29).