As you’re writing your humanities or science paper in Chicago style, you’ll need to create both an in-text citation and a source citation for a website. Depending on whether your teacher asks for notes-bibliography or author-date formatting, you’ll append either a bibliography or a reference list to your paper. Before you even start writing, check your assignment rubric for instructions on formatting your school paper. Then, follow these Chicago in-text website citation examples for proper formatting.
Chicago Author-Date In-Text Citation Examples
In Chicago style, an in-text citation is also called a “parenthetical citation.” Follow this format to create a parenthetical citation in the author-date style.
Format
(Author’s Last Name Year of Publication)
If there’s a page number listed, include it after the year:
(Author’s Last Name Year of Publication, XX)
Example
There are over 40 million people still living in slavery (Baron 2019).
Including Citations Within the Text
To create a smoother reading experience, try to incorporate the source information in your sentences.
Example
According to Baron, over 40 million people globally still live in slavery (2019).
Chicago Notes-Bibliography In-Text Citations for a Website
If you’re adhering to the Chicago notes-bibliography style, then you’ll need to follow a different set of guidelines for website citations. Rather than including citations within your text directly, simply number your citations using a superscript format. Then, place the note either at the bottom of each page (as a footnote) or at the end of your paper (as an endnote).
Make sure your note number matches with the corresponding note.
Format
#. Author’s First Name Last Name, “Title of Web Page,” Name of Website, Publisher, publication date or revision date, URL.
Use your access date for undated articles.
Example
Although one city in Pakistan produces almost half of the footballs (soccer balls) in the world, they still don’t use the latest manufacturing technology.1
1. Joe Pinsker, “One City in Pakistan Makes Nearly Half of the World’s Soccer Balls,” The Atlantic, July 2, 2014, https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/07/one-city-in-pakistan-produces-nearly-half-of-the-worlds-soccer-balls/373802.
Multiple Authors
When the website source has four or more authors, just list the first author and add et al.
- Always follow your teacher’s guidelines.
- Use authoritative sources for your research.
- Organize before you start writing your paper.
- If the website article is undated, include your date of access.
Before You Start Writing Your Paper
Researching and writing an essay or school paper can seem confusing at first. You want to earn a good grade, but you’re not really sure how to do that. Get organized first! After you choose your subject, prepare an essay outline. As you research, gather your sources together in a preliminary bibliography. Following these steps gets you started and keeps you on track.