Real-world examples of examples of Turabian reference page example formats

Starting with real examples of Turabian reference page entries

Instead of opening with theory, let’s start with what you actually need: clear, realistic examples of Turabian reference page example entries you can model. Think of this section as the part you keep open in one browser tab while you format your own bibliography in another.

All of the examples below follow the Turabian notes-bibliography style as laid out in the 9th edition of A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations by Kate L. Turabian. If your professor uses Chicago/Turabian for history, religion, or the humanities, these are the kinds of examples you’ll be expected to match.

Each example of a reference entry here is formatted as it would appear on a final references (bibliography) page: single-spaced within the entry, with a blank line between entries, and using a hanging indent.

Book citation: the best examples for a standard monograph

When people search for examples of examples of Turabian reference page example formats, they’re usually hunting for books first. A standard single-author book is the easiest place to start, and it gives you a pattern you can repeat.

Basic pattern for a book in a bibliography (notes-bibliography style):
Last Name, First Name. Title of Book: Subtitle. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year.

Real example of a single-author book:
Turabian, Kate L. A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations. 9th ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2018.

Notice how the author’s last name comes first, the book title is italicized, and the publication details end with a period. When you look at other examples of Turabian reference page example entries for books, you’ll see this same pattern repeated.

Real example with two authors:
Rampolla, Mary Lynn, and Andrew H. Lee. A Pocket Guide to Writing in History. 10th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2023.

For two or three authors, list all of them in the order they appear on the title page, with the first author inverted (Last, First) and the rest in normal order (First Last).

Real example with four or more authors (using “et al.”):
Henretta, James A., Rebecca Edwards, Robert O. Self, Eric Hinderaker, and Robert C. Self. America’s History: Since 1865. 11th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2024.

Some instructors allow you to shorten four or more authors with “et al.” after the first author, but check your department’s guidelines. When you review the best examples from your department’s style sheet, match their approach.

Examples of Turabian reference page example entries for chapters in edited books

Many research papers in history or religious studies use chapters from edited collections. These need a slightly different format.

Basic pattern for a chapter in an edited book:
Last Name, First Name. “Title of Chapter.” In Title of Book, edited by First Name Last Name, page range. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year.

Real example of a chapter in an edited volume:
Putnam, Robert D. “Religion and Civic Engagement in the United States.” In Democracy and the New Religious Pluralism, edited by Thomas Banchoff, 29–57. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007.

Here, the chapter title goes in quotation marks, the book title is italicized, and you include the page range for the chapter. When you look at multiple examples of examples of Turabian reference page example formats for chapters, this pattern is surprisingly consistent.

Journal article examples: print and online

Academic journal articles are another category where students often need clear, real examples.

Basic pattern for a journal article (print or stable PDF):
Last Name, First Name. “Title of Article.” Title of Journal volume number, no. issue number (Year): page range.

Real example of a print journal article:
Gaddis, John Lewis. “The Emerging Post-Revisionist Synthesis on the Origins of the Cold War.” Diplomatic History 7, no. 3 (1983): 171–190.

For most humanities articles, that’s enough. However, more instructors now expect you to include DOIs for online articles when available.

Real example of an online journal article with DOI:
Morris, Ian. “What Happened to the Ancient Greeks?” Daedalus 145, no. 2 (2016): 105–117. https://doi.org/10.1162/DAED_a_00377.

When you compare the best examples from university writing centers, they almost always place the DOI at the end, just as you see here.

If you want to double-check current practice, the University of Chicago Press provides Chicago/Turabian guidance here:
https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide/citation-guide-1.html

Website examples of Turabian reference page example entries

Web sources are where students tend to panic, because dates and authors are often unclear. Let’s walk through a few realistic examples of Turabian reference page example entries for websites.

Basic pattern for a web page with a clear author:
Last Name, First Name. “Title of Page.” Name of Website. Last modified Month Day, Year. URL.

Real example from a .gov site:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “How to Protect Yourself and Others.” COVID-19. Last reviewed May 11, 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/prevention.html.

Here, the organization acts as the author. The page title is in quotation marks, and the site or section name is italicized.

Real example from a university (.edu) site:
Harvard College Writing Center. “Using Sources.” Harvard College Writing Center. Accessed October 10, 2025. https://writingcenter.fas.harvard.edu/pages/using-sources.

If there’s no clear publication or revision date, Turabian allows you to use an access date instead. When you review multiple examples of Turabian reference page example formats for websites from different universities, you’ll see that access dates are common for undated pages.

For more guidance on evaluating web sources, the Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) offers reliable explanations:
https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/chicago_manual_17th_edition/chicago_style_introduction.html

Government report and organization examples

Research-heavy papers often draw on government reports, policy briefs, or organizational publications. These need to be treated a bit differently from typical books.

Basic pattern for a government report:
Government Agency Name. Title of Report: Subtitle. Place of Publication: Publisher, Year. URL (if online).

Real example of a U.S. government report:
U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. The Condition of Education 2024. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, 2024. https://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2024075.

Real example from a health organization (.org):
American Heart Association. Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics—2024 Update. Dallas, TX: American Heart Association, 2024. https://www.heart.org/.

These examples include the organization as the author, italicize the report title, and provide a stable URL when the report is available online. When you build your own references page, lining your entries up next to these best examples is a quick way to catch missing pieces.

For health-related sources, the Mayo Clinic and NIH provide both content and citation guidance:

• Mayo Clinic: https://www.mayoclinic.org/
• National Institutes of Health: https://www.nih.gov/

Examples of Turabian reference page example entries for dissertations and theses

If you’re writing at the graduate level, you may need to cite other theses or dissertations. Turabian gives a specific pattern for that.

Basic pattern for a dissertation or thesis:
Last Name, First Name. “Title of Dissertation.” PhD diss., Name of University, Year.
Last Name, First Name. “Title of Thesis.” Master’s thesis, Name of University, Year.

Real example of a PhD dissertation:
Smith, Angela R. “Women’s Political Networks in the Early American Republic.” PhD diss., University of Virginia, 2022.

Real example of a master’s thesis (online):
Johnson, Marcus D. “Digital Archives and Public Memory in the 21st Century.” Master’s thesis, University of Michigan, 2023. https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/.

Again, the pattern repeats: author, title in quotation marks, type of work, institution, year, and URL if it’s publicly accessible.

Formatting the whole page: putting the examples together

Seeing isolated entries is helpful, but you also need to understand how a full Turabian references page should look when everything is in place. Let’s imagine you’ve written a history paper that uses a book, a chapter in an edited volume, a journal article, a website, and a government report. Here’s how a short section of your bibliography might appear.

Sample Turabian references page segment:

American Heart Association. Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics—2024 Update. Dallas, TX: American Heart Association, 2024.

Gaddis, John Lewis. “The Emerging Post-Revisionist Synthesis on the Origins of the Cold War.” Diplomatic History 7, no. 3 (1983): 171–190.

Harvard College Writing Center. “Using Sources.” Harvard College Writing Center. Accessed October 10, 2025. https://writingcenter.fas.harvard.edu/pages/using-sources.

Putnam, Robert D. “Religion and Civic Engagement in the United States.” In Democracy and the New Religious Pluralism, edited by Thomas Banchoff, 29–57. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007.

Turabian, Kate L. A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations. 9th ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2018.

U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. The Condition of Education 2024. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, 2024. https://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2024075.

If you compare this mini-page with other examples of examples of Turabian reference page example formats from your library or writing center, you’ll notice a few shared habits:

• Entries are arranged in alphabetical order by the first author (or organization) listed.
• Each entry uses a hanging indent (first line flush left, subsequent lines indented).
• Titles of books and journals are italicized, while article and chapter titles are in quotation marks.

Once you see how these real examples line up, formatting your own page becomes a matter of copying the pattern rather than memorizing every rule.

2024–2025 trends to watch in Turabian references

Turabian doesn’t reinvent itself every year, but expectations around digital sources and transparency are shifting. When you look at the newest best examples from university writing centers in 2024–2025, a few trends stand out:

• More use of DOIs and stable URLs. Instructors increasingly prefer DOIs for journal articles when available, because they’re more stable than generic URLs.
• Clearer dates for online content. You’ll see “Last modified,” “Last reviewed,” or “Accessed” dates used more consistently, especially for fast-changing topics like public health or technology.
• Greater emphasis on authority. Many departments now explicitly encourage students to prioritize .gov, .edu, and reputable .org sources. That’s why the examples of Turabian reference page example entries here lean heavily on those domains.

To stay current, it’s wise to check your school’s writing center or library guide. Many of them update their examples of examples of Turabian reference page example entries every few years to reflect new expectations.

FAQ: Common questions about Turabian reference page examples

How many examples of sources should I include on my Turabian reference page?
You should list every source you cite in your footnotes or endnotes, and only those sources. There’s no fixed number; it depends on your assignment. A short undergraduate paper might have 8–15 entries, while a thesis could have hundreds.

Is it okay to mix books, websites, and journal articles in one Turabian references page?
Yes. All source types belong together in a single alphabetized list. The formatting changes slightly by type, but everything shares the same page, and the best examples from university guides show this clearly.

Can I copy a reference directly from a database as an example of a finished Turabian entry?
You can use database citations (from JSTOR, ProQuest, etc.) as a starting point, but they’re often imperfect. They may use APA or MLA instead of Turabian, or they may format authors and titles differently. Always compare them to trusted examples of Turabian reference page example entries and adjust.

Do I need a separate page titled “Bibliography” or “References”?
In notes-bibliography style, Turabian typically uses the heading “Bibliography” centered at the top of a new page. Some instructors use “References” instead. Follow your professor’s instructions, but format the entries using the same patterns shown in the real examples here.

Where can I see more examples of Turabian reference page example formats online?
Good places to look include your university’s writing center and library guides, as well as the Chicago Manual of Style’s official site. When those examples include entries similar to your own sources—like a government report or a web article—use them as models.

If you keep a few high-quality examples of examples of Turabian reference page example entries nearby while you work, the process stops feeling mysterious. Instead of worrying about every comma, you’re simply matching patterns—and that’s a much calmer way to finish a research paper.