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Chicago Style Writing Guide

Make sure that your source is not a journal, encyclopedia, dissertation, or similar before citing like this:

Websites can be cited in the text or in a note rather than in a bibliography. You should include as much information as can be determined.

  1. The Title or description of the site as a whole
  2. The Owner or sponsor of the site
  3. URL
  4. Include a publication date or the most recent update or revision; if not determined, include an access date. 

Notes

Title will usually come first 

1"Title of Website Article," Name of Website, accessed Month X, XXXX, URL.

2"Title of Website Article," Name of Website, updated Month X, XXXX, URL.

1 "Chicago College of Performing Arts," Roosevelt University, accessed June 6, 2025, https://www.roosevelt.edu/colleges/ccpa.

2 "Microsoft Privacy Statement," Microsoft, updated May 2025, https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/privacy/privacystatement. 

Bibliography

The source should be listed under the owner or sponsor of the site.

Name of Website. "Title of Website Article." Accessed or Updated Month XX, XXXX. URL.

Roosevelt University. "Chicago College of Performing Arts." Accessed June 6, 2025. https://www.roosevelt.edu/colleges/ccpa.

Microsoft. "Microsoft Privacy Statement." Updated May 2025. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/privacy/privacystatement. 

Blog posts are cited similarly to news articles and need:

  1. Author of the post
  2. "The Title of the Post in quotation marks"
  3. The title of the blog in italics
  4. The date of the post
  5. A URL
  6. Blogs that are part of larger publications should include the title of that publication and also the word (blog) in parentheses if not clear.

Notes

1 First Last, "Article Name,"  Publication (blog if needed to specify), Larger Publication, Month XX, XXXX, URL.

1 Nicole Nelson, "Classical Around Town, Summer 2025," WQRX (blog), New York Public Radio, June 16, 2025, https://www.wqxr.org/story/classical-around-town-summer-2025/.

2 Charlise Tiee, "SF Opera's Idomeneo," The Opera Tattler, June 15, 2025, https://operatattler.typepad.com/opera/2025/06/sf-opera-idomeneo.html.

Bibliography 

Last, First. "Article Name." Publication (blog if needed to specify). Larger Publication, Month XX, XXXX. URL.

Nelson, Nicole. "Classical Around Town, Summer 2025." WQRX (blog). New York Public Radio, June 16, 2025. https://www.wqxr.org/story/classical-around-town-summer-2025/.

Tiee, Charlise. "SF Opera's Idomeneo.The Opera Tattler, June 15, 2025. https://operatattler.typepad.com/opera/2025/06/sf-opera-idomeneo.html.

 

Comment On Blog Post 

Readers' comments (including replies to comments) are usually mentioned in text or in a note and cited to the relevant post. The identity of the commenter should use the wording on the site. Also the comment should refer to a previously mentioned blog post that was cited in full. Therefore the entire blog does not need to be recited like so:

Notes

1 Commenter Name, Date of Comment, Comment on Original Account Name, "Blog Article Name."

1 GY, June 18, 2025, comment on Tiee, "SF Opera's Idomeneo." 

Posts and comments shared on social media are usually mentioned or cited in the text or in a note. Because such content is typically brief and often informal, it is not usually listed in a bibliography. 

Citations in the notes should include enough text from the original post to identify it. Add a URL to the end of the citation. 

1 Name of Account (@HandleName), "Post text that is identifying," Platform, Date, URL. 

1Roosevelt University (@RooseveltU), "Happy St. Patrick's Day! #RULakerLife #ChicagoIsOurCampus," X, March 17, 2018, https://x.com/RooseveltU/status/975025910314340359.

Comments on the original post can be styled as this but it's usually not necessary:

1 First Last (@handleofcomenter), "Comment text," reply to Name of Original Account, Month xx, xxxx (of comment), URL.

1 John Doe (@anonymousinsta), "Happy Saint Patrick's Day Lakers!," reply to Roosevelt University, March 24, 2018, https://x.com/RooseveltU/status/975025910314340359.

DMs or Posts on Private Accounts 

These are considered personal communication and usually does not need to be cited in the bibliography or even in notes. 

For text you could say something like:

In a conversation with the author on January 9, 2019, singer Patte LuPone admitted...

In a note:

1Name, method, Date.

1 Wendy Carlos, Instagram private message to author, June 24, 2000.