Turabian Citation Guide
Turabian referencing is a subdivision of Chicago referencing; it is designed for use with dissertations, theses and term papers with students in mind. It is almost identical to Chicago referencing barring a few minor differences. Like Chicago, it has two variations: a footnotes and bibliography version and an author/date variation.
Turabian referencing overview
Turabian adapts Chicago style for student research. This guide uses the ninth edition and the publisher’s Turabian citation examples.
Choose either notes and bibliography or author-date. The former uses numbered notes; the latter uses citations such as (Green 2024, 18) and a reference list. There is no comma between author and year in that citation.
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The examples distinguish a note, a bibliography entry and an author-date reference.
Turabian bibliography example
The example below uses the notes and bibliography system. Arrange entries alphabetically by author or organisation name. Use a half-inch hanging indent, single spacing within each entry and a blank line between entries.
Bibliography
Black, Carol. “Learning in Small Groups.” Journal of Example Studies 8, no. 2 (2023): 45–60.
Green, Alice. Learning Together. London: Example Press, 2024.
Patel, Riya. “Learning in Community Groups.” PhD diss., Example University, 2024.
Study Council. “Study Groups.” Accessed October 14, 2026. https://example.org/groups.
White, Ben. “Learning in Groups.” In Learning Together, edited by Alice Green, 12–28. London: Example Press, 2024.
1. Books
Full note: Alice Green, Learning Together (London: Example Press, 2024), 18.
Short note: Green, Learning Together, 23.
Bibliography: Green, Alice. Learning Together. London: Example Press, 2024.
Author-date reference: Green, Alice. 2024. Learning Together. London: Example Press.
Author-date citation: (Green 2024, 18)
Ninth-edition book references retain the publisher’s city. In notes, names follow their normal order; in the bibliography, invert the first author’s name. Four or more authors are shortened to the first name plus et al. in a note. The bibliography lists up to ten; with more than ten, it gives the first seven and et al..
Chapters and edited collections
Note: Alice Green, “Learning in Groups,” in Learning Together, ed. Ben White (London: Example Press, 2024), 18.
Bibliography: Green, Alice. “Learning in Groups.” In Learning Together, edited by Ben White, 12-28. London: Example Press, 2024.
Use the specific page in the note and the chapter’s full range in the bibliography. For a whole edited book, begin with the editor and add ed. or eds. Identify a translation’s translator. See the publisher’s notes and bibliography examples.
Multiple works and ebooks
Distinguish repeated works with an unambiguous short title in notes. In author-date references, use the year and a letter where necessary. Online books can include a URL or database name; other ebooks identify their format. Use a chapter or section locator if that version has no stable pages.
2. Articles
Note: Alice Green, “Learning in Groups,” Journal of Example Studies 12, no. 2 (2024): 108, https://doi.org/10.1234/example.
Bibliography: Green, Alice. “Learning in Groups.” Journal of Example Studies 12, no. 2 (2024): 104-28. https://doi.org/10.1234/example.
Author-date reference: Green, Alice. 2024. “Learning in Groups.” Journal of Example Studies 12 (2): 104-28. https://doi.org/10.1234/example.
A DOI is preferable to a changeable browser URL. Newspaper and magazine references use the publication date; their bibliography entries omit article page numbers. For the second citation system, see the official author-date examples.
3. Websites
Note: “Study Groups,” Study Council, accessed October 14, 2026, https://example.org/groups.
Bibliography: Study Council. “Study Groups.” Accessed October 14, 2026. https://example.org/groups.
An access date is needed when the page has no publication or revision date. Author-date references to undated pages use n.d. For a social post, name the account, quote up to its first 160 characters, and give the platform, date and URL. Social posts and private messages are usually cited in the text or a note.
4. Images and audiovisual material
Films, videos, DVDs and YouTube
Identify the work and the version used: credited creator, title, other relevant contributors, date, medium and retrieval details. For a streamed video, include the platform and URL; for a DVD, identify the disc release. The official audiovisual examples show how to include a director, platform, duration and URL.
Images and photographs
For an artwork viewed in person, give the artist, title, creation date, medium and collection or location. For an image viewed online, add the website and URL. When the image comes from a book, cite the book and the page containing it.
5. Other source types
Theses and dissertations
Note: Alice Green, “Learning in Community Groups” (PhD diss., Example University, 2024), 18.
Bibliography: Green, Alice. “Learning in Community Groups.” PhD diss., Example University, 2024.
Add the database or URL when applicable. The dissertation title takes quotation marks in this pattern.
Interviews and personal communications
A published interview is credited to the interviewee and identifies its interviewer and publication or recording. Private interviews and correspondence usually belong in the text or a note only.
Government publications and music
A government report identifies the issuing agency, title, report number, publication place, publisher and year. A music reference identifies the performer or composer, album or track title, record label, release date and format; add the URL for a recording heard online.