How to Cite a Website in Chicago Format
This guide explains how to cite a website Chicago style for both the Notes and Bibliography (NB) system and the Author-Date system. It’s written for students, researchers, and writers who need clear, step-by-step instructions and examples for website citations.
If you want a quick citation, try Rephrasely’s free citation generator: https://rephrasely.com/citation. You can also use Rephrasely’s plagiarism checker, AI writer, or AI detector to polish and validate your work: Plagiarism Checker, AI Writer, AI Detector.
Which Chicago system should I use?
Chicago offers two main citation systems. Humanities disciplines typically use Notes and Bibliography (footnotes or endnotes + bibliography). Sciences and social sciences often prefer Author-Date (parenthetical citations + reference list). Either can be used to cite websites; choose the system required by your instructor or publisher.
General Rules
- Be consistent: use the same Chicago system throughout your document.
- Provide as much information as available: author, page title, website name, date, and URL.
- If no date is provided, use “n.d.” in Author‑Date and consider including an access date for websites that change frequently.
- Include the full URL. Chicago accepts URLs without “http://” but including the full link is fine and often clearer.
- Do not include both a footnote and a parenthetical citation for the same source; pick the correct system for your paper.
How to Cite by Source Type
Below are step-by-step examples for common source types. All citation examples use code-style formatting to make copying easier.
1. Website (Notes and Bibliography)
Use a footnote for the first reference and a shortened form for subsequent notes. Then include a bibliography entry.
Footnote (first citation):
1. Firstname Lastname, "Title of Web Page," Website Name, Month Day, Year, URL.Bibliography entry:
Lastname, Firstname. "Title of Web Page." Website Name. Month Day, Year. URL.Example:
1. Jane Doe, "Urban Gardening Tips," Green City Initiative, March 10, 2021, https://www.greencity.org/urban-gardening.- Footnote (subsequent): Jane Doe, "Urban Gardening Tips."
- Bibliography: Doe, Jane. "Urban Gardening Tips." Green City Initiative. March 10, 2021. https://www.greencity.org/urban-gardening.
2. Website (Author‑Date)
In the Author‑Date system, use a parenthetical citation in the text and a reference list entry.
In-text citation:
(Lastname Year)Reference list:
Lastname, Firstname. Year. "Title of Web Page." Website Name. Month Day. URL.Example:
(Doe 2021)Doe, Jane. 2021. "Urban Gardening Tips." Green City Initiative. March 10. https://www.greencity.org/urban-gardening.3. Book (Chicago NB and Author‑Date examples)
Books are often cited similarly across systems. NB uses full names and publication info in footnotes and bibliography; Author‑Date places the year in citations.
NB footnote:
1. John Smith, The Ecology of Cities (New York: City Press, 2018), 45.Bibliography:
Smith, John. The Ecology of Cities. New York: City Press, 2018.Author‑Date reference list:
Smith, John. 2018. The Ecology of Cities. New York: City Press.4. Journal Article
NB footnote and bibliography:
1. Maria Lopez, "Green Roofs and Urban Heat," Journal of Urban Studies 12, no. 3 (2019): 210–25, https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxx.Author‑Date reference list:
Lopez, Maria. 2019. "Green Roofs and Urban Heat." Journal of Urban Studies 12 (3): 210–25. https://doi.org/10.xxxx/xxxx.5. Government Report or Dataset
Provide the agency name as author if no personal author is listed. Include report number if available.
U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Traffic Volume Trends, 2020, https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/traffic-volume-trends.pdf.6. Podcast or Multimedia
Give speaker/host, episode title, format, platform, and release date.
1. Emily Rivera, "Rooftops to Rooftops," podcast episode, in City Green, March 5, 2022, MP3, https://citygreen.org/episodes/rooftops.How to Cite a Website Chicago — Step-by-Step
Follow these quick steps for a website in Chicago NB:
- Identify the author (person or organization). If none, start with the page title.
- Record the page title in quotation marks and the website name in italics (or plain text when using code examples).
- Find the publication or last-updated date; if none, use “n.d.” or an access date if content is likely to change.
- Include the full URL and include the access date only if required by your instructor or if the content is unstable.
- Place a superscript footnote number in the text and add the full citation to the corresponding note.
Example footnote (step-by-step applied):
1. National Parks Service, "Explore Urban Parks," National Parks Service, July 14, 2020, https://www.nps.gov/explore-urban-parks.In‑Text Citations
Chicago NB uses footnotes or endnotes. Place the superscript numeral after punctuation and provide the full citation in the corresponding note.
Example in-text (NB):
The study found a 15% increase in rooftop gardens.^1
Author‑Date uses parenthetical citations with author and year. Add page numbers for direct quotes.
Examples (Author‑Date):
(Doe 2021)(Smith 2018, 45)Reference List / Bibliography
Arrange entries alphabetically by author’s last name. Use a hanging indent for each entry and double-space the list in most manuscripts.
Bibliography example with a website and book:
Doe, Jane. "Urban Gardening Tips." Green City Initiative. March 10, 2021. https://www.greencity.org/urban-gardening.
Smith, John. The Ecology of Cities. New York: City Press, 2018.For Author‑Date reference lists, list entries alphabetically and include the year immediately after the author's name.
Doe, Jane. 2021. "Urban Gardening Tips." Green City Initiative. March 10. https://www.greencity.org/urban-gardening.
Smith, John. 2018. The Ecology of Cities. New York: City Press.Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Omitting the author when one is available. If a corporate author exists, use it (e.g., World Health Organization).
- Forgetting to include dates. Use "n.d." if no date is present and consider an access date for unstable pages.
- Mixing citation systems. Don’t use footnotes and parenthetical citations for the same work—choose NB or Author‑Date.
- Using incomplete URLs or shortened links that obscure the source. Always prefer the full, stable URL or DOI.
Quick Troubleshooting Tips
- If a website lists only a corporate author and no date, enter the organization as author and use “n.d.” for the date in Author‑Date.
- When citing a subsection of a large site, include both the page title and the site name to clarify the location.
- For frequently updated web content (wikis, dashboards), include an access date in the citation: accessed Month Day, Year.
Practical Tools and Next Steps
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Frequently Asked Questions
How do I cite a webpage with no author in Chicago style?
Begin the citation with the page title. In NB, put the title in quotation marks in the note and at the start of the bibliography entry. In Author‑Date, place the title where the author would be and use “n.d.” if no date is available, or include an access date if the content is likely to change.
Should I include an access date for websites in Chicago?
Only include an access date when the content has no publication date or is expected to change frequently (e.g., wikis, dashboards). For most stable pages with a publication date, an access date is unnecessary.
Can I use Rephrasely to create Chicago citations?
Yes. Rephrasely’s free citation generator will format citations in Chicago (both Notes and Bibliography and Author‑Date). It also integrates well with Rephrasely’s plagiarism checker, AI writer, paraphraser, translator, and AI detector for a complete writing workflow.