Mistakes Checklist
Common Chicago Website Citation Mistakes
Published studies report citation/reference error rates between 25-54%. Use this page to catch the most frequent formatting failures before submission.
Top mistakes to avoid
- ⚠Omitting the access date
- ⚠Not italicizing the website name
- ⚠Using shortened URLs
- ⚠Forgetting punctuation between elements
Wrong vs correct examples
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.
Mistake frequency snapshot
Fix checklist
- ✓Include access date for online sources
- ✓Put page titles in quotation marks
- ✓Italicize website names
- ✓Use full URLs without hyperlinks
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.
Build the corrected citation now
Use the template and guide, then generate the final citation from verified academic sources.