On this page
Updated . Example details checked against the APA Style example for a Wikipedia entry (Publication Manual, 7th ed.): the Oil painting article as archived on December 11, 2019.
The Chicago format
Pattern
Wikipedia, s.v. “Article title,” accessed Month Day, Year, URL.
- s.v. stands for sub verbo, “under the word”: the article title follows it in quotation marks, written as Wikipedia writes it.
- Notes only: Chicago leaves well-known reference works out of the bibliography.
- Date: Chicago prefers the date the article was last revised and uses an access date when no revision date is given. Format writes the access date. To use the revision date instead, replace “accessed November 2, 2026” with “last modified December 11, 2019,” the date shown with the version you read.
- URL: the permanent link (Tools, Permanent link) points to that version.
Should you cite it?
Chicago does not forbid citing Wikipedia, but an article can change after you read it and its writers are anonymous, which is why many instructors ask for the sources it cites instead. Use it to get oriented, then read and cite the books and articles in its footnotes. If you do cite it, the permanent link at least shows readers the exact text you used.
A real example
Footnote (no bibliography entry)
Wikipedia, s.v. “Oil painting,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Oil_painting&oldid=929802398.
When details are missing
- Later notes: a shortened note gives the article title alone, or you can repeat the full note; it is already short.
- Author-date style: cite it in the text, (Wikipedia, s.v. “Oil painting”), with no reference list entry.
The rules for a missing author, date or page in every style are in no author, date or page.
Common mistakes
- A bibliography entry for Wikipedia. Reference works stay in the notes.
- “Wikipedia” in quotation marks. The encyclopedia is italic; the article title is quoted.
- A page number. Online articles have none. Name the section in your sentence if needed.
Or let Format do it.
Choose Encyclopedia or dictionary entry, type Wikipedia as the encyclopedia, and paste the article’s permanent link with the date of that version. Format writes the notes 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
What if my instructor wants it in the bibliography?
List it under the article title or under Wikipedia, and ask which they prefer, since Chicago itself gives no entry for it.
Does Turabian treat it the same way?
Yes. Turabian follows Chicago and cites reference works in notes only.
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.