How to Format a Chicago Style Bibliography

The bibliography in Chicago format has specific formatting requirements. Whether you're formatting a document in Microsoft Word or using a tool, getting these Chicago style formatting details right makes your paper look polished and professional.

The Chicago Format Heading

According to CMOS 17th Edition (Section 14.61):

• The heading is simply "Bibliography" (not "Works Cited" or "References")
• Centered at the top of a new page
• No special formatting—not bold, italic, or underlined
• Leave a blank line before the first entry

Alphabetization

Entries are alphabetized letter-by-letter:

• By the author's surname
• For entries with no author, alphabetize by the first significant word of the title (ignore A, An, The)
• Multiple works by the same author are ordered alphabetically by title

Author Names

Unlike footnotes, bibliography entries invert the first author's name:

• Single author: Lastname, Firstname.
• Two authors: Smith, John, and Mary Johnson.
• Use "and" (not ampersand) between author names
• Only the first author's name is inverted

Hanging Indents

Each entry uses a hanging indent: first line flush left, subsequent lines indented 0.5 inches. This makes scanning for author names easy.

Spacing

• Single-spacing within each entry
• Blank line (or double-spacing) between entries
• This creates clear visual separation while keeping entries compact

Important: No Numbering

Chicago bibliography entries are never numbered. If you see numbered references, that's a different citation style (like IEEE or Vancouver), not Chicago.

Automatic Chicago Style Formatting

SimpleFormat Pro generates properly formatted Chicago bibliographies with correct Chicago format hanging indents, alphabetization, and spacing—no manual formatting required.