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Chicago Style: Basics

This guide is intended to help you learn what Chicago Style is and includes. This guide will help you cite sources and avoid plagiarism. The guide also includes examples of Chicago style and lead you to resources that can help you cite sources.

Hanging Indent

The bibliography entry text should be left-justified; if an entry is more than one line, indent the subsequent line(s) half an inch from the left margin. For more information, please see the CMOS 14.19: Notes and bibliography—an overview or 14.62: Format and placement of bibliography.

NOTE: The library's webpage doesn't show the hanging indent in our examples. 

Film & Television

Like sound recordings, video and film recordings are cited according to the nature of the material (television show, movie, etc.). Any facts relevant to identifying the item should be included. Indexed scenes are treated as chapters and cited by title or by number (as in example note 2 below). Ancillary material, such as critical commentary and interviews, is usually cited in terms of the related content. Note that in the Monty Python example, the citation is of material original to the 2001 edition, so the original release date of the film (1975) is omitted. See also 14.167.

1. American Crime Story: The People v. O. J. Simpson, episode 6, “Marcia, Marcia, Marcia,” written by D. V. DeVincentis, directed by Ryan Murphy, featuring Sterling K. Brown, Kenneth Choi, and Sarah Paulson, aired March 8, 2016, on FX, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01ARVPCOA/.

2. “Crop Duster Attack,” North by Northwest, directed by Alfred Hitchcock (1959; Warner Home Video, 2000), DVD.

3. Louis J. Mihalyi, Landscapes of Zambia, Central Africa (Visual Education, 1975), 35 mm slides, 40 frames, 15 min.

4. Star Trek, season 2, episode 15, “The Trouble with Tribbles,” written by David Gerrold, directed by Joseph Pevney, aired December 29, 1967, on NBC.

  • Bong Joon-ho, dir. Parasite. Barunson E&A, 2019. In Korean, with English subtitles by Darcy Paquet.
  • Cleese, John, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin. “Commentaries.” Disc 2. Monty Python and the Holy Grail, special ed. DVD. Directed by Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones. Columbia Tristar Home Entertainment, 2001.
  • Cuarón, Alfonso, dir. Gravity. 2013; Warner Bros. Pictures, 2014. Blu-ray Disc, 1080p HD.
  • Handel, George Frideric. Messiah. Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Chorus, Robert Shaw. Performed December 19, 1987. Video Artists International, 1988. Videocassette (VHS), 141 min.
  • Mayberry, Russ, dir. The Brady Bunch. Season 3, episode 10, “Her Sister’s Shadow.” Aired November 19, 1971, on ABC. https://www.paramountplus.com/shows/the_brady_bunch/.