A Chicago website citation may be tricky. There are different formats you will need to follow, like those for footnotes or your Bibliography. In addition, some sources may go without an author’s name or a publication date. No wonder some students spend years citing Internet sources. It’s time to sort all things out and learn how to cite a website in Chicago. Read our guide and find out how to create citations for online sources, articles, images and much more. Let’s dive inside!
Chicago Style Citation: Website
It is easy to remember how to cite a website in Chicago: it is similar to citing an article. You have to specify a site where you have found the selected content. Then, provide information about its web address and the date of its retrieval.
As you know, this referencing style uses footnotes and endnotes. So you can use a general formula for citing websites in Chicago attached below. These examples are designed for notes and Bibliography entries. Note that when creating a full note, you will use commas instead of periods. Follow this formula:
Bibliography | Author’s Surname, First Name. “Webpage Title.” Site Name. Publication date (month-day-year) or retrieval date. URL. |
Full Note | Author’s First Name and Surname, “Webpage Title,” Site Name, publication date (month-day-year) or retrieval date, URL. |
Brief Note | Author’s Surname, “Shortened Webpage Title.” |
Here’s how your citation may look.
How to Cite a Government Website: Chicago
It is useful to remember how to cite a government website, Chicago style format. The difference lies in specifying the full official name of your source which should be available on a home page or in the About section. See a general formula and examples shown below:
Bibliography | Name of Government Organization & Agency. Document’s Title. Congress Number, Session Number, Publication/ Report Number. Place: Publisher, Year. URL. |
Full Note | Name of Government Organization & Agency, Document’s Title, Publication/ Report Number, Place: Publisher, Year, URL. |
Brief Note | Issuing Agency, Shortened Document’s Title. |
Your citation will look similar to this example.
Chicago Style Citation: Image From Website
Here is another special format for you: Chicago Style citation – image from website! Yes, even specific media files posted online can be used as a solid reference. Just make sure such an image is credible enough for your work and a stable link to it is available. Here’s a general citation format for online sources:
Bibliography | Author’s Surname, First Name. Image Title. Website Name. Creation Date. Accessed Month Day, Year. URL. |
Full Note | Author’s First Name and Surname, Image Title, Website Name, creation date, accessed Month Day, Year, URL. |
Brief Note | Author’s Surname, Shortened Image Title. |
Let’s check this example of image citation found online:
Chicago Citation Website Article: Magazine and Newspaper
Let us proceed to explore several crucial rules of the Chicago citation website article. How do you cite it? In general, you will go through the same way as you would cite an article in a magazine or newspaper. Include those pages that contain your selected material. Just do not forget about the URL. Here’s what your citation will look like.
Bibliography | Author’s Surname, First Name. "Article’s Title." Title of Journal Volume, no. Date of Issue (Date): Page range. DOI or URL. |
Full Note | Author’s First Name and Surname, "Article’s Title," Title of Journal Volume, no. Date of Issue (Date): page range, DOI or URL. |
Brief Note | Author’s Last Name, “Shortened Article’s Title.” |
Here’s an example of an online journal article formatted in Chicago style.
Chicago Website Citation: Other Cases
Now we will take a closer look at other rules of Chicago website citation. Normally, when citing your online sources, you will need to include an author’s name, article’s title, a web page name and a publication date. But sometimes there is no information provided about the article’s author or the website’s owner. And often the date of an article’s publication is missing. Here is what you should do in such a situation.
How to Cite a Website With No Author: Chicago Style
First, let’s look closer at the Chicago style in-text citation (website with no author). If the author is unknown, you just skip this information in your reference and go on along the general format of the Chicago in text citation for online sources. Include all the details, except the author’s name. Use this formula:
Bibliography | Name of Organization. “Webpage Title.” Name of Website. Publication or Retrieval Date (Month-Day-Year). URL. |
Full Note | Name of Organization, “Webpage Title,” Name of Website, Publication or Retrieval Date (Month-Day-Year), URL. |
Brief Note | Name of Organization, “Shortened Webpage Title.” |
Here’s an example of citation for an online source with no author:
How to Cite a Website With No Date Chicago Style
Now, let’s see how to cite a website with no date (Chicago style). It is simple, if you do not have a publication date for a specific article, you should just include the retrieval date into the bibliography section or into your respective footnote entry.
Bibliography | Author’s Surname, First Name. “Web Source Title.” Name of Site. Accessed Date (Month-Day-Year). URL. |
Full Note | Author’s First Name and Surname, “Web Source Title,” Name of Site, Accessed Date (Month-Day-Year), URL. |
Brief Note | Author’s Last Name, “Shortened Web Source Title.” |
Here’s an example of a Chicago citation with no date.
Last Thoughts
The rules of Chicago website citation are quite simple. You just need to be mindful of the specifics of websites used as sources. It is crucial to provide a correct URL and it is also important to include a publication or retrieval date into your reference. Internet links sometimes expire so your source might not be still available by the time you present your work. As long as you remember that, the Chicago website citation rules will be a trifle for you!
If you are struggling with formatting citations for web sources in Chicago style, feel free to use our citation machine. If you have any other concerns, get in touch with our paper writing service. Our academic experts will be happy to solve any problem you may have.
FAQ About Chicago Style Website Citation
1. How to do a chicago style in text citation for a website?
In Chicago format citation, websites should be cited in accordance with the reference section. An author’s name and the date should be taken into round brackets after each quote. Your in-text entry in an author-date format will look like this: (Doe, 2020).
2. How do you reference a website?
Earlier we have explored the rules of website citation in Chicago style. In short, it requires the following order of making a reference: author, year (when the selected content was posted), page title (in italics), accessed day month year, URL or Internet address (pointed brackets).
3. What is “Ibid” in Chicago style?
This is a specific feature of Chicago footnote citation for a website. A web source which has already been mentioned in your reference can be replaced by the word “Ibid” (“in the same place”). This rule applies if you are citing the same edition. Please note, however, that the latest edition disapproves this term.
4. What are the types of referencing style?
The main referencing styles are APA (developed by American Psychological Association), MLA (developed and recommended by Modern Language Association) and the Chicago style, commonly used for works in Literature, History, and Arts.
Emma Flores knows all about formatting standards. She shares with StudyCrumb readers tips on creating academic papers that will meet high-quality standards.
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