Q. Do footnotes have to be double-spaced and the same size font as the text? It just does not look right!
A. In Chicago style, yes. Remember that traditionally manuscripts are prepared for someone to edit on paper, if necessary. Manuscripts are not meant to “look right” if that means looking like a published article or book. The type should be large enough for easy reading, and there should be enough space between the lines for copyediting. (If the manuscript will be edited electronically, the editor can easily change the format, of course, and none of this matters.) When material is typeset in a book or journal, the notes are usually reduced in size and printed single-space—and then they will look right to you.