Scribd
Upload
153 views4 pages

Help For Those Writing Their First Essay (Using The "Turabian" Style)

This document is a sample essay that provides guidance for students writing their first paper using the Turabian style format. It includes examples of how to format the title page, write quotations and footnotes, cite sources, and create a bibliography. The sample essay covers key elements like using a title in capital letters, double spacing, page numbers, indentation, and providing full citations for sources in footnotes and bibliographies. It aims to help answer questions about writing papers and using the Turabian citation style properly.

Uploaded by

Janet Otieno
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
153 views4 pages

Help For Those Writing Their First Essay (Using The "Turabian" Style)

This document is a sample essay that provides guidance for students writing their first paper using the Turabian style format. It includes examples of how to format the title page, write quotations and footnotes, cite sources, and create a bibliography. The sample essay covers key elements like using a title in capital letters, double spacing, page numbers, indentation, and providing full citations for sources in footnotes and bibliographies. It aims to help answer questions about writing papers and using the Turabian citation style properly.

Uploaded by

Janet Otieno
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 4

SAMPLE PAPER

HELP FOR THOSE WRITING THEIR FIRST ESSAY

(Using the “Turabian” Style)

Mary Matthews
Student #7773460

Sociology 125-50

Peter Smith

Douglas College, December 10, 1991


2

I. INTRODUCTION

The following sample essay has been prepared to help answer some of the

questions and problems that you may have when writing your first term paper. It

includes explanations and illustrations of format, quotations, footnotes and

bibliography, using the style set out in “A Manual for Writers of Term Papers,

Theses and Dissertations” by Kate Turabian.

II. BODY

The title page is a very important page of your essay as it is the first impression

that an instructor has of your work. Always put the full title of the essay in capital

letters, one-quarter (1/4) of the way down the page. Halfway down, put your

name and student number. Three-quarters (3/4) of the way down, put the course

name and number, section number, your instructor’s name, “Douglas College,”

and the date.

White, good quality, 8½” x 11” paper should be used whether your essay

is typed, printed or handwritten. Note the spacing used for this sample essay – it

is double-spaced on one side of each sheet. Allow 1 – 1½” on the left for binding

and a 1” margin on the other three sides. Indentation for new paragraphs is five

typed spaces. The number of each page is at the top right hand corner in Arabic

numerals, beginning with the first typed page.

The next section of this sample essay is devoted to quotations and

footnotes. Footnotes are generally used to indicate the origin of quotations or

ideas. A quotation in an essay is placed in quotation marks and followed by a

footnote number. “Note, numbers must follow one another in numerical order
3

beginning with the number one.”1 As the exact words of another author have

been used, this must be acknowledged by using quotation marks and a number.

Note at the foot of this page the footnote made for this quotation. When quoting

from a book, you must include: name of author, title of book, place of

publication, publisher’s name, date of publication, and the page number of the

specific quotation.

“When references to the same work follow each other without any

intervening reference … the abbreviation “Ibid.” is used.”2 Look again at the

footnotes on the bottom of this page. Number two (2) is from the same book, but

from a different page, so “Ibid.” (followed by a period and the page number) is

used. The “…” in this quotation are called ellipses and are used to indicate

omissions of words.

To write a footnote for an article or statement in a journal, the following

format should be used:

3 Ken Hatt, “Probation and Community Corrections in a Neo-

Correctional Era,” Canadian Journal of Criminology 27 (July 1985): 299.

For an unsigned article in an encyclopedia, the footnote should look like

this:

4 Encyclopedia Britannica, 14th ed., s.v. “Slang.”

When citing from any alphabetically arranged reference work such as a dictionary

or encyclopedia, it is best to give the title of the article preceded by “s.v.” (which

means “under the word”) rather than a volume and page number.

1
Kate L. Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses and Dissertations (Chicago:
University of Chicago Press, 1987, p. 124)
2
Ibid., p. 159
4

Be sure that the first line of your footnote is indented 6 spaces and that your

punctuation is correct. Always underline the titles of books, journals and

encyclopedias.

III. CONCLUSION

This sample essay outlines one accepted style which may be used for footnotes in

your term assignments. A bibliography follows which includes all the works

referred to for this sample essay. Although not all were referred to directly, they

must all be listed as sources consulted for this paper.

The works are listed in alphabetical order by the authors’ surnames and

those works with no author are listed by title. Each entry is single-spaced and

separated from the text by a double space.

Other library handouts are available that will give you further information

on footnote and bibliography form. Also available are books on essay writing.

Be sure to ask a Librarian for help.

You might also like