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Chicago Citation Guide (17th Edition): Sample Paper, Bibliography, & Annotated Bibliography

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General paper formatting guidelines, quick rules for a chicago bibliography.

What is an Annotated Bibliography?

Writing an Evaluative Annotation

Tips on Writing & Formatting an Annotated Bibliography

Sample Paper with Bibliography

• Chicago Sample Paper

This sample paper can be used as a template to set up your assignment. It includes a title page, main body paragraph with footnotes, and a bibliography.

Sample Paper with Appendix

• Chicago Sample Paper Template - with Appendix

If you are adding an appendix to your paper there are a few rules to follow that comply with Chicago guidelines:

• The Appendix appears before the Bibliography
• If you have more than one appendix you would name the first appendix Appendix A, the second Appendix B, etc.
• The appendices should appear in the order that the information is mentioned in your essay
• Each appendix begins on a new page

Sample Annotated Bibliography

This sample annotated bibliography shows you the structure you should use to write a Chicago style annotated bibliography and gives examples of evaluative and summary annotations.

It can be used as a template to set up your assignment.

• End-of-Paper Checklist

Finished your assignment? Use this checklist to be sure you haven't missed any information needed for Chicago style.

Useful Links for Annotated Bibliographies

Overview of purpose and form of annotated bibliographies from the Purdue OWL.

Includes a sample annotation from a Chicago Manual of Style annotated bibliography. From the Purdue OWL.

An example of an MLA annotated bibliography. From the Purdue OWL.

Assemble your paper in the following order:

• Body of paper
• Appendix (if needed)
• Bibliography

Use Times New Roman, Size 12 (unless otherwise instructed).

Margins and Indents

Your margins should be 1 inch on all sides.

Indent new paragraphs by one-half inch.

Double-space the main text of your paper.

Single-space the footnotes and bibliography, but add a blank line between entries.

Start numbering your pages on the  second  page of your paper (don't include the title page).

Put your page numbers in the header of the first page of text (skip the title page), beginning with page number 1. Continue numbering your pages to the end of the bibliography.

Place the footnote number at the end of the sentence in which you have quoted or paraphrased information from another source. The footnote number should be in superscript, and be placed  after  any punctuation.

Put your footnotes in the footer section of the page.

Your research paper ends with a list of all the sources cited in the text of the paper. This is called a bibliography.

See an example in the "Sample Paper with Bibliography" box on this page.

Here are nine quick rules for this list:

• Start a new page for your bibliography (e.g. If your paper is 4 pages long, start your bibliography on page 5).
• Centre the title, Bibliography, at the top of the page and do not bold or underline it. Look for the alignment option in Word. 
• Leave two blank lines between the title and the first entry on your list.
• Single-space the list, but leave one blank line between entries.
• Start the first line of each citation at the left margin; each subsequent line should be indented (also known as a "hanging indent").
• Put your list in alphabetical order. Alphabetize the list by the first word in the citation. In most cases, the first word will be the author’s last name. Where the author is unknown, alphabetize by the first word in the title, ignoring the words a, an, the.
• For each author, give the last name followed by a comma and the first name followed by a period.
• Italicize the titles of full works , such as: books, videos (films and television shows), artwork, images, maps, journals, newspapers, magazines.
• Do not italicize titles of parts of works , such as: articles from newspapers, magazines, or journals / essays, poems, short stories or chapter titles from a book / chapters or sections of an Internet document. Instead, use quotation marks.

What Is An Annotated Bibliography?

An  annotated bibliography  is a list of citations for various books, articles, and other sources on a topic. The annotated bibliography looks like a Works Cited page but includes an annotation after each source cited. An annotation is a short summary and/or critical evaluation of a source. Annotated bibliographies can be part of a larger research project, or can be a stand-alone report in itself.

Types of Annotations

 A  summary annotation  describes the source by answering the following questions: who wrote the document, what the document discusses, when and where was the document written, why was the document produced, and how was it provided to the public. The focus is on description. 

 An  evaluative annotation  includes a summary as listed above but also critically assesses the work for accuracy, relevance, and quality. Evaluative annotations can help you learn about your topic, develop a thesis statement, decide if a specific source will be useful for your assignment, and determine if there is enough valid information available to complete your project. The focus is on description and evaluation.

• Cite the source using Chicago style.
• Describe the main ideas, arguments, themes, theses, or methodology, and identify the intended audience.
• Explain the author’s expertise, point of view, and any bias he/she may have.
• Compare to other sources on the same topic that you have also cited to show similarities and differences.
• Explain why each source is useful for your research topic and how it relates to your topic.
• Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each source.
• Identify the observations or conclusions of the author. 

Remember: Annotations are original descriptions that you create after reading the document. When researching, you may find journal articles that provide a short summary at the beginning of the text. This article abstract is similar to a summary annotation. You may consult the abstract when creating your evaluative annotation, but never simply copy it as that would be considered plagiarism. 

Tips on Writing & Formatting an Annotated Bibliography

• Each annotation should be one paragraph, between three to six sentences long (about 150- 200 words).
• Start with the same format as a regular Bibliography list.
• All lines should be double-spaced. Do not add an extra line between the citations.
• If your list of citations is especially long, you can organize it by topic.
• Try to be objective, and give explanations if you state any opinions.
• Use the third person (e.g., he, she, the author) instead of the first person (e.g., I, my, me)
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• Chicago Style

How to Write an Annotated Bibliography in Chicago/Turabian Style

Published on October 15, 2019 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on December 5, 2022.

While a standard Chicago style bibliography provides publication details of your sources, an annotated bibliography also provides a summary (and often an evaluation) of each source.

Turabian style , a version of Chicago style specifically designed for students and researchers, provides formatting guidelines for an annotated bibliography. A typical entry might look like this:

Kenny, Anthony. A New History of Western Philosophy: In Four Parts . Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010.

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Table of contents

How to write annotations, how to format an annotated bibliography.

The purpose of annotations is to give the reader relevant information about each source you have consulted. There are two main types of annotation.

Descriptive annotations simply describe your sources, briefly summarizing their arguments and ideas . They are useful for keeping a record of your reading and giving a quick overview of sources related to your topic. 

Evaluative annotations go into more detail and provide your own perspective on each source. For example, you may evaluate your sources by:

• assessing the strength of the author’s arguments.
• describing the ways in which the source is helpful or unhelpful to your own research.
• evaluating the evidence presented in the source, discussing the credibility .

Check the requirements of your assignment to find out whether you need to write descriptive or evaluative annotations.

How long should annotations be?

Annotations can vary in length according to the approach taken and the length of the source. You may write a couple of sentences describing the argument of an essay, or several paragraphs summarizing and evaluating a book .

A good guideline is to aim for 50 to 200 words for each source. Consult your instructor to check how long your annotated bibliography should be and how many sources you need to include.

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See an example

Each entry starts with a Chicago style citation , which gives full publication details of the source. The citation is formatted the same as a normal bibliography entry:

• Single-spaced
• Each line after the first indented ( hanging indent )
• Organized in alphabetical order by author last name

The annotation appears on a new line directly after the source citation. The whole annotation is indented, to make it clear when the annotation ends and a new source appears.

According to Turabian guidelines, annotations should be formatted the same as the main text of any paper:

• Double-spaced
• Left-aligned
• Indent the first line of each new paragraph

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

Caulfield, J. (2022, December 05). How to Write an Annotated Bibliography in Chicago/Turabian Style. Scribbr. Retrieved September 4, 2023, from https://www.scribbr.com/chicago-style/chicago-annotated-bibliography/

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• Citation Styles

How to write an annotated bibliography in Chicago style [Updated 2023]

A Chicago annotated bibliography includes citations for the sources you are using and an annotation summarizing and/or evaluating each source. In this article, we define what an annotated bibliography is and offer tips for formatting one in Chicago style. We also include a Chicago citation example and a sample annotation.

What is an annotated bibliography?

A annotated bibliography is a list of citations for books, journals, periodicals, websites, articles, or other sources, accompanied by a descriptive paragraph that summarizes and evaluates the source. The descriptive paragraph is called an annotation .

Descriptive paragraphs typically range between 100 and 300 words. Ultimately, an annotated bibliography informs the reader about the source's accuracy, quality, and relevance to your subject.

How to format an annotated bibliography in Chicago style

An annotated bibliography in Chicago style essentially contains two items: a citation for each source and an annotation. In this section, we discuss how to format the citation and what to include in the annotation.

The citation

Start by formatting the citation in correct Chicago style . Chicago-style citations come in two varieties: the notes and bibliography system and the author-date approach.

The notes and bibliography system is more common in the humanities, while the author-date system is used primarily in the sciences and social sciences. However, for an annotated bibliography in Chicago style, you will most likely be asked to use only the bibliographic reference format from the notes and bibliography system.

The elements of a bibliographic citation in Chicago style include:

• the author’s name in reverse order
• the title of the source
• publication information

In the next section, we provide an example of a correct Chicago citation for a source in an annotated bibliography.

The annotation

After citing the source, write a concise annotation, summarizing the source’s central argument and evaluating its credibility and relevance to your research. In most cases, an annotation ranges between 100 and 300 words.

An annotation can include several items:

• a brief summary of the source, especially its main argument
• the strengths and weaknesses of your source
• the source’s relevance to your research topic
• a brief discussion of the relationship between the source and other studies in the field
• information about the author’s background

After summarizing the source, you should evaluate it. For instance, is the source peer-reviewed ? What are the author’s credentials? What is the purpose of the source? You can use one of several evaluation methods, like CRAAP (currency, relevance, authority, accuracy, and purpose), to determine if a source is credible .

Finally, depending on the assignment’s guidelines, you should include some explanation of the source’s relevance to your research project. How will you use the source? How will your research benefit from its insights?

Example entry for an annotated bibliography in Chicago style

Davidson, Hilda Ellis. Roles of the Northern Goddess. London: Routledge, 1998.

Davidson's book provides a thorough examination of Northern Europe's major roles associated with several pagan goddesses. Some roles in everyday life include agriculture, hunting, domestic art like weaving, and death. In this book, the author discusses relevant archaeological evidence, previous research, and patterns of rituals and symbols. The book includes several photographs of relevant artifacts.

This Chicago-style annotation from Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab (OWL) is a single paragraph summarizing the book. In a longer annotation, you would evaluate the source’s credibility and relevance, in addition to summarizing it.

Chicago annotated bibliography tips

1. review your instructor’s guidelines for the annotated bibliography..

Instructors will often assign an annotated bibliography as part of a larger research project. To best understand what your instructor expects, be sure to read the assignment guidelines . If you’re not sure about something, ask your instructor for clarification as soon as possible.

2. Take the time to really familiarize yourself with your sources.

You should read each source carefully before writing an annotation. Take good notes, so you can easily summarize the main argument of the source. If you’re unsure about the best strategies for reading academic sources, take a look at our guide on how to read a scholarly article .

3. Save time by using a citation generator.

To quickly format your citations, try BibGuru’s Chicago citation generator . This will save you time and enable you to focus more deeply on writing your annotations.

4. Use CRAAP or another method to evaluate each source.

You can use CRAAP (currency, relevance, authority, accuracy, and purpose) or the six questions words (who? what? when? where? how? and what?) to evaluate whether a source is credible.

A source is likely credible if the tone is objective, the author is an expert in their field, and it is peer-reviewed. Take a look at our guide on finding, evaluating, and citing scholarly sources to learn more about these methods.

5. Use clear, concise, and correct language in your annotation.

You should always try to use language that is clear, concise, concrete, and correct when you write your annotations. As examples of academic writing , annotations should follow the typical conventions.

This doesn’t mean that your annotation needs to be full of jargon or “big words.” Instead, use as few words as possible to make a point. And, be sure to check that your grammar and spelling is correct.

Frequently Asked Questions about annotated bibliographies in Chicago style

An annotated bibliography includes a citation and an annotation. In your annotation, you’ll want to provide a brief summary of the source, an assessment of its credibility, and how the source will benefit your research.

Your annotated bibliography needs to include a citation, as well as a summary and evaluation of the work. These three parts should be present for every source.

The length of your bibliography will depend on the number of sources you’re required to use and the type of assignment. Annotated bibliographies for many English or writing classes feature around 8-10 sources.

To start an annotated bibliography, create a correctly formatted citation for each source, then write out the annotations. To quickly format your citations, try BibGuru’s Chicago citation generator .

Typically, an annotated bibliography in Chicago style uses 1-inch margins and double-spacing for entries.

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Chicago/Turabian Citation Guide (17th Edition): Annotated Bibliography

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• Bibliography & Sample Papers
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Annotations.

• Video: What is an Annotated Bibliography?

Writing an Evaluative Annotation

Basic tips on writing and formatting, sample evaluative annotation, useful links for annotated bibliographies.

An annotated bibliography is a list of citations for various books, articles, and other sources on a topic. The annotated bibliography looks like a Works Cited page but includes an annotation after each source cited. An annotation is a short summary and/or critical evaluation of a source. Annotated bibliographies can be part of a larger research project, or can be a stand-alone report in itself.

Types of Annotations

 A summary annotation describes the source by answering the following questions: who wrote the document, what the document discusses, when and where was the document written, why was the document produced, and how was it provided to the public. The focus is on description. 

 An evaluative annotation includes a summary as listed above but also critically assesses the work for accuracy, relevance, and quality. Evaluative annotations can help you learn about your topic, develop a thesis statement, decide if a specific source will be useful for your assignment, and determine if there is enough valid information available to complete your project. The focus is on description and evaluation.

What is an Annotated Bibliography?

• Cite the source using Chicago style.
• Describe the main ideas, arguments, themes, theses, or methodology, and identify the intended audience.
• Explain the author’s expertise, point of view, and any bias he/she may have.
• Compare to other sources on the same topic that you have also cited to show similarities and differences.
• Explain why each source is useful for your research topic and how it relates to your topic.
• Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each source.
• Identify the observations or conclusions of the author. 
• Each annotation should be one paragraph, between three to six sentences long (about 150- 200 words).
• Start with the same format as a regular Works Cited list.
• All lines should be double-spaced. Do not add an extra line between the citations.
• If your list of citations is especially long, you can organize it by topic.
• Try to be objective, and give explanations if you state any opinions.
• Use the third person (e.g., he, she, the author) instead of the first person (e.g., I, my, me)

London, Herbert. “Five Myths of the Television Age.” Television Quarterly , 10, no. 1 (March 1982): 69-81. Herbert London, the Dean of Journalism at New York University and author of several books and articles, explains how television contradicts five commonly believed ideas. He uses specific examples of events seen on television, such as the assassination of John Kennedy, to illustrate his points. His examples have been selected to contradict such truisms as: “seeing is believing”; “a picture is worth a thousand words”; and “satisfaction is its own reward.” London uses logical arguments to support his ideas which are his personal opinion. He does not refer to any previous works on the topic. London’s style and vocabulary would make the article of interest to any reader. The article clearly illustrates London’s points, but does not explore their implications leaving the reader with many unanswered questions.

Adapted from:

"How to Write Annotated Bibliographies."  Memorial University Libraries , www.library.mun.ca/researchtools/guides/writing/annotated_bibl/. Accessed 29 June 2016.

• Annotated Bibliographies Overview of purpose and form of annotated bibliographies from the Purdue OWL.
• Sample Annotated Bibliographies Sample annotated bibliographies from the OWL (Online Writing Lab) at Purdue University.

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