Today’s post was written by Darlene Aguilar. Darlene Aguilar is a instructional design librarian at the William H. Hannon Library. With a background in learning design and technology, Darlene specializes in creating asynchronous instructional resources, including tutorials on information literacy and citation practices.
For anyone teaching with or assigning Chicago Style citations, the William H. Hannon Library’s new “Chicago Style Tutorial” is an excellent tool for your students. This tutorial, designed specifically for students to complete independently, focuses on the notes-bibliography format of the Chicago Style. Since Chicago Style has two formats, this focus is especially helpful for those who need a clear introduction to the notes-bibliography citation style for journals and books. It is based on the most recent 18th edition of the “Chicago Manual of Style.”
The tutorial provides a structured introduction to citation that goes beyond simply listing rules. It begins by explaining why citations are important and then leads students through activities that help them identify citation components using simulated materials, like PDFs and book samples. By incorporating text, video, and interactive elements, the tutorial caters to different learning preferences. A standout feature is the drag-and-drop activity that lets students practice forming citations with immediate feedback—a perfect way to reinforce skills without added pressure.
To make citation review engaging, we added the “Citation Inspection Station.” Set in a virtual warehouse with a conveyor belt, this game has students examine citations, deciding if each one “passes inspection” or should be “rejected.” With two levels covering note citations and bibliographic citations, the game helps students spot common mistakes and improves their ability to assess citations accurately—skills that are especially valuable in academic writing.
To support students further, the tutorial includes two handouts with templates and guidance for forming notes and bibliographies. By using these handouts, students can easily reference the correct format for their citations, making it simpler to apply the notes-bibliography style accurately in their work. Both handouts are available in the tutorial and on the Writing LibGuide.
The Chicago Style Tutorial includes a 15-question quiz designed to reinforce key citation concepts and skills covered throughout the lesson. Scoring is automatic, allowing students to see their results immediately upon completion, helping them to recognize areas where they need more practice. For faculty using this in Brightspace, the quiz score can be easily integrated as a grade item worth 15 points, offering a way to track students’ progress in mastering Chicago Style.
Faculty members interested in using the tutorial as part of their course can contact Darlene Aguilar, to connect the tutorial to Brightspace along with a grade item. Students interested in using this tutorial can find it in the Writing LibGuide under the “Using and Citing Sources” tab along with other useful citation resources.
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