How to Cite a Website in Chicago 17th Edition (Author-Date)

Format Template

The general pattern for citing a website in Chicago 17th Edition (Author-Date):

In-Text Citation Example

How the citation appears within the body of your paper:

Reference List Entry Example

The full citation as it appears in your reference list:

Step-by-Step Guide

1. 1

   Identify the author

   Use the individual author (Last, First) or the organization name. If no author is available, the title moves to the author position.

2. 2

   Add the year

   Place the year immediately after the author, followed by a period. If no date is available, use "n.d." (no date).

3. 3

   Write the page title

   Place the page title in quotation marks with headline-style capitalization.

4. 4

   Add the website name and full date

   Write the website name (not italicized unless it is the title of a larger work). Include the full date (Month Day, Year) if available.

5. 5

   Include the URL

   Provide the full URL including the protocol (https://). End with a period.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Omitting the year after the author (in Author-Date, the year must appear immediately after the author name).
• Not placing the page title in quotation marks.
• Including a comma between the author and year in the in-text citation.
• Forgetting to include both the year after the author and the full date later in the entry.
• Omitting the access date for undated pages (use "Accessed Month Day, Year" when no publication date is available).

Frequently Asked Questions

Information You Will Need

Before creating your citation, gather the following information from your website:

• Author(s) or Organization
• Date of publication or last update
• Title of page or article
• Website name
• URL
• Date accessed (if no publication date)