On this page
Updated . Example details checked against A List Apart, alistapart.com/article/writeliving (also the Purdue OWL MLA example).
The Chicago format
Pattern
Last name, First name. “Title of the Page.” Name of Site, Month Day, Year. URL.
- Site name in roman (not italic), unless the site is also a publication with a print counterpart, such as a newspaper.
- Date of publication or last update. Add an access date only when the page has no date.
- Notes use commas and parentheses; the bibliography uses periods. The note gives the author’s name in normal order.
- Short notes after the first: last name, a short title of up to four words, and the location if any. Chicago 18 prefers short notes to “ibid.”
A real example
Bibliography entry
Bernstein, Mark. “10 Tips on Writing the Living Web.” A List Apart, August 16, 2002. https://alistapart.com/article/writeliving/.
First footnote
Mark Bernstein, “10 Tips on Writing the Living Web,” A List Apart, August 16, 2002, https://alistapart.com/article/writeliving/.
Later footnotes
Bernstein, “10 Tips on Writing.”
When details are missing
- No author: start the note and the entry with the title of the page. If an organization is responsible, it can stand as author: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “About Sleep.”
- No date: add “accessed” and the date you read it, before the URL.
- No page numbers: leave the location out of the note, or point to a heading: Bernstein, “10 Tips on Writing,” under “Tip 3.”
The same page with no author
Bibliography entry
“10 Tips on Writing the Living Web.” A List Apart, August 16, 2002. https://alistapart.com/article/writeliving/.
First footnote
“10 Tips on Writing the Living Web,” A List Apart, August 16, 2002, https://alistapart.com/article/writeliving/.
Later footnotes
“10 Tips on Writing.”
Common mistakes
- The site name in italics. Websites are roman in Chicago. Italics are for books, journals, newspapers and similar works.
- An access date on every entry. Chicago asks for one only when there is no date of publication or revision.
- “Ibid.” after every note. Chicago 18 prefers the short note. “Ibid.” is allowed but discouraged.
Or let Format do it.
Paste the page's link and Format reads its title, author and date where the page publishes them; check them, and fill in what the page leaves out. Format writes the notes and bibliography in Chicago, exactly as shown above, and builds the bibliography page when you export to Word or PDF. Chicago is part of Pro, $4 a month or $29 a year; MLA and APA are free.
Questions
Do I put a website in the bibliography?
Yes, for a page you cite. A page cited only in passing can stay in the notes, but most instructors want every source listed.
What is the difference between the note and the bibliography entry?
The note reads as a phrase: names in normal order, commas between parts. The entry is a list item: last name first, periods between parts.
How do I cite this page in author-date style?
Chicago author-date puts the year after the name in the reference list and cites (Bernstein 2002) in the text. Format switches between the two systems for you.
More citation guides
The same source in other styles
Similar sources in Chicago
Every source kind is on the Chicago page, and every style is on How to cite.