Skip to Main Content

Chicago Manual of Style (Notes-Bibliography System)

Based on The Chicago Manual of Style, 17th edition

Overview

Author(s) 

N: List the author name(s) in natural order (first name last name).  Put a comma after each name.

B: List the first auther name in reverse order (last name, first name). List the subsequent names in natural order (first name last name).  Put a comma between the names.   Include "and" before the last author. Put a period after the last author.

MORE THAN ONE AUTHOR

N: List up to four authors. If more than 4 authors, list the first author followed by "et al." (meaning "and others") For example: Clark, David, et al. 

B: List all the authors.  If more than 10 authors, list the first 7 authors followed by "et al."

NO AUTHOR

When there is no author, start with the article title or the book title.

Web Page Title - Capitalize all words. Put in quotation marks.

Do not capitalize the following except when they are the first word of title and subtitle:

  • articles (the, a, an) and
  • conjunctions (and, but, for, or, nor).

Publishing Organization or Name of Website- Capitalize all words. If the website has a print counterpart (such as a newspaper), put the website name in italics. If not, use plain text. If you are not sure if a website has a print counterpart, do a quick web search or ask a librarian. For example, many people do not know The Onion has a print counterpart.

Tips and Helpful Tricks

Author: Look for the author name at the top or bottom of the page. (Ex: Kathleen Wong). The rules of APA ask you to only use the author's last name and first initial(s) - (Ex: Wong, K.)

Title of webpage or post: Look for the title at the top of the page. (Ex: "Hawaiians are Taking to the Streets and Exercising their First Amendment Rights")

Title of the website: What is the name of the website hosting this information? (Ex: ACLU)

Organization or Company Responsible for the Website: Look in the footer at the copyright information or in the About Us section of the website. (Ex: American Civil Liberties Union)

Date Published or Last Updated: Publication dates will generally appear at the top of an article or webpage (Ex: July 25, 2019). However, you will need to reformat it so that it fits the formatting rules of APA (Ex:  2019, July 25). If you do not see a publication date, use the Last Updated date for the website, usually found in the bottom corner footer. 

Retrieved from (URL): Use the web address in your address bar that brought you to the resource. To fit within the rules of APA, use the entire URL including protocol and www but deactivate the link (ex: https://www.aclu.org/blog/free-speech/rights-protesters/hawaiians-are-taking-streets-and-exercising-their-first-amendment).

Webpage Citation Example

Note format (N):

1. Author first name last name, “Title of Web Page,” Publishing Organization or Name of Website [plain text or italics if there is a print counterpart such as the NY Times], publication date [if no date, put the date of access], http://xxxxxxxxx.>.

Bibliography format (B):

Author’s last name, First name. “Title of Web Page.” Publishing Organization or Name of Website [plain text or italics if there is a print counterpart such as the NY Times]. Publication date [if no date, put the date of access]. http://xxxxxxxxxxx.

EXAMPLE

Additional Examples

Web Page with No Personal Author

N:     9. “WD2000: Visual Basics Marco to Assign Clipboard Text to a Strong Variable,” revision 1.3, Microsoft Help and Support, last modified November 23, 2006, http://support.microsoft.com/kb/212730.

B:     Microsoft Corporation. ““WD2000: Visual Basics Marco to Assign Clipboard Text to a Strong Variable.” Revision 1.3. Microsoft Help and Support. Last modified November 23, 2006. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/212730.

Blog Post (Note: This blog is part of a NY Times website which has a print counterpart.)

N:      1. Mike Nizza, "Go Ahead, Annoy Away, an Australian Court Says," The Lede (blog), New York Times, July 15, 2008, http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/15/.

B:     Nizza, Mike. "Go Ahead, Annoy Away, an Australian Court Says." The Lede (blog). New York Times, July 15, 2008, http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/15/.