Chicago · 17th Edition
How to Cite a Website in Chicago Style
Learn how to cite websites in Chicago format (17th ed.) with examples. Includes notes-bibliography and author-date systems.
Quick Answer
To cite a website in Chicago style (17th edition), use this bibliography format: Author. "Page Title." Website Name. Month Day, Year. URL. Chicago requires an access date for all online sources — add "Accessed Month Day, Year" before the URL. Put the page title in quotation marks and italicize the website name. Each element ends with a period (unlike MLA, which uses commas between elements). Chicago offers two systems: notes-bibliography (common in humanities) uses footnotes, while author-date (common in sciences) uses parenthetical citations like (Yale University, n.d.). First footnote format: Author, "Page Title," Website Name, Month Day, Year, URL. Example bibliography entry: Yale University. "About Yale: Yale Facts." Yale University. Accessed May 1, 2024. https://www.yale.edu/about-yale/yale-facts. If no author exists, start with the page title. If no date is available, include only the access date. CiteMe generates both Chicago notes-bibliography and author-date formats from a single search.
Quick answer: To cite a website in Chicago (17th Edition), use this template: Author First Last, "Page Title," Website Name, Month Day, Year, URL.
Citation template
Full example
Reference / Bibliography
Yale University. "About Yale: Yale Facts." Yale University. Accessed May 1, 2024. https://www.yale.edu/about-yale/yale-facts.
In-text citation
(Yale University, n.d.)
Source breakdown
- author
- Yale University
- title
- About Yale: Yale Facts
- site
- Yale University
- year
- n.d.
- url
- https://www.yale.edu/about-yale/yale-facts
- accessDate
- May 1, 2024
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Tips
- ✓Include access date for online sources
- ✓Put page titles in quotation marks
- ✓Italicize website names
- ✓Use full URLs without hyperlinks
Common mistakes
- ⚠Omitting the access date
- ⚠Not italicizing the website name
- ⚠Using shortened URLs
- ⚠Forgetting punctuation between elements
Before & after
Missing access date
Wrong
Yale University. "About Yale." Yale University. https://www.yale.edu/about.
Correct
Yale University. "About Yale." Yale University. Accessed May 1, 2024. https://www.yale.edu/about.
Chicago style requires an access date for online sources. Use "Accessed Month Day, Year" format.
Wrong punctuation sequence
Wrong
Author, "Title" Website Name, Date. URL.
Correct
Author. "Title." Website Name. Date. URL.
Each element in Chicago style ends with a period. Commas are only used within elements (like multiple authors).
Using shortened URL
Wrong
Yale. "Facts." Yale. Accessed 2024. bit.ly/yale-facts.
Correct
Yale University. "Yale Facts." Yale University. Accessed May 1, 2024. https://www.yale.edu/about-yale/yale-facts.
Use complete, stable URLs. Shortened URLs like bit.ly can break and don't show the actual source.
Frequently asked questions
Should I use notes-bibliography or author-date for websites?
Notes-bibliography is common in humanities, author-date in sciences. Follow your instructor or publisher guidelines.
How do I cite a website with no author in Chicago?
Start with the page title in quotation marks, followed by the website name and other elements.
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