Chicago Citation Guide (17th Edition): Websites

You only need to include one date when citing a web page. See the options below.

Best option: Use the “last modified” date. Sometimes this is called “last updated” or “last edited.”

Second-best option: Sometimes there is no “last modified” date. In this case, you can use the copyright date.

Third-best option: Sometimes there is no date at all on the web page. In this case, state the “Accessed” date. The "Accessed" date is the date that you visited the web page. When you are using this option you need to state the word "Accessed" before the date. 

Example: Accessed January 17, 2022.

Author

It can sometimes be difficult to find out who the author of a website is. Remember that an author can be a corporation or group, not only a specific person. Author information can sometimes be found under an "About" section on a website.

If there is no known author, start the citation with the title of the website instead.

Publisher

The owner or sponsor of a website is considered to be the publisher. This information can often be found in a copyright notice at the bottom of the home page or on a page that gives information about the site. 

Date

The best date to use for a website is the date that the content was last updated. Otherwise look for a copyright or original publication date. Unfortunately this information may not be provided or may be hard to find. Often date information is put on the bottom of the pages of a website.

If you do not know the complete date, put as much information as you can find. For example you may have a year but no month or day.

Access Date

If the website does not show a copyright date or the date it was last modified/updated, you should include the date you last accessed the site.

Footnote:

1. Author's First Name Last Name, Title of Website, Name of Owner or Sponsor of the Website [if different from Title of Website], Date of copyright or modification or access, URL. 

Bibliography Entry:

Author's Last Name, First Name. Title of Website. Name of Owner or Sponsor of the Website [if different from Title of Website]. Date of copyright or modification or access. URL.

Footnote:

1. "Title of Page or Document," Title of Website, Name of Corporation, Group, or Organization Associated with the Website [if different from Title of Website], Date of copyright or modification or access, URL. 

Bibliography Entry:

Name of Corporation, Group, or Organization Associated with the Website. "Title of Page or Document." Title of Website [if different from Name of Corporation, Group, or Organization]. Date of copyright or modification or access. URL.

Footnote:

1. Author's First Name Last Name, "Title of Page or Document," Title of Website, Name of Owner or Sponsor of the Website [if different from Title of Website], Date of copyright or modification or access, URL. 

Bibliography Entry:

Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Page or Document." Title of Website. Name of Owner or Sponsor of the Website [if different from Title of Website]. Date of copyright or modification or access. URL.

Example from Khan Academy

Example of Artist Personal Website

Footnote:

1. "Title of Page or Document," Title of Website, Name of Owner or Sponsor of the Website [if different from Title of Website], Date of copyright or modification or access, URL. 

Bibliography Entry:

"Title of Page or Document." Title of Website. Name of Owner or Sponsor of the Website [if different from Title of Website]. Date of copyright or modification or access. URL.

Example from Khan Academy

Footnote:

1. Name of Government Department, Agency or Committee, Title of Government Publication, Date of copyright or modification or access, Page Number [if available], URL. 

Bibliography Entry:

Name of Government Department, Agency or Committee. Title of Government Publication. Date of copyright or modification or access. URL.

Footnote:

1. Author's First Name Last Name, "Title of Blog Post," Title of Blog, Name of Publication [if blog is part of a larger publication], Date of Post, URL. 

Bibliography Entry:

Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Blog Post." Title of Blog. Name of Publication [if blog is part of a larger publication]. Date of Post. URL. 

Add (blog) after the title of the blog unless the word blog is already included in the title.

Footote:

1. Wikipedia, s.v. "Title of Entry," Date last modified, Time stamp, URL.

Bibliography Entry:

Wikipedia, s.v. "Title of Entry." Date last modified. Time stamp. URL.

 Time stamp refers to the time the article was last modified. The date and time the article was last modified appear at the bottom of each Wikipedia article.

Keep in mind that Wikipedia may not be considered an acceptable source for a college or university assignment. Be sure to evaluate the content carefully and check with your instructor if you can use it as a source in your assignment.

Footnote:

1. Author of Post's First Name Last Name [or Account Name], "Text of the post up to 160 characters," Facebook, Date of Post, URL. 

Bibliography Entry:

Author of Post's Last Name, First Name [or Account Name]. "Text of the post up to 160 characters." Facebook, Date of Post. URL. 

 If the Facebook account is for a group or organization, use the account name in place of an author name. E.g. The New York Times.

Content on websites will either have a copyright date, a date last modified or updated, or have no date. If there is no date, you must include the date you accessed the website.