You Did the Research, Now Don't Get Funky with the Citations: A (Mostly) Painless Guide to Chicago Website Citations
Ah, research. You've braved the internet jungle, wrestled with jargon-filled articles, and emerged victorious with a brain full of knowledge. Now comes the not-so-thrilling part: citations.
Chicago style, with its fancy footnotes and mysterious numbering system, can make even the most enthusiastic researcher want to take a permanent nap. But fear not, fellow knowledge warriors! This guide will be your Yoda (minus the green skin and questionable grammar) in the battle against funky citations.
First Things First: Gather Your Weapons (Information, Not Lightsabers...Probably)
Before diving into the nitty-gritty, grab your trusty internet shovel and start digging for some key info:
- Author(s): This might be a person, an organization, or even a mysterious "Website Staff" (seriously, websites, get with the program!).
- Title of the Webpage: It's usually the big, bold headline staring you right in the face.
- Website Name: This is the bigger picture, like the newspaper a single article belongs to.
- Publication Date: Not all websites are created equal. If you can find a date the webpage was published or last updated, snag it!
- URL: This is the fancy way of saying "internet address." You know, the long, squiggly thing you copy and paste.
Pro Tip: Sometimes this information can be a real treasure hunt. Don't be afraid to click around the website or scroll to the bottom of the page for clues.
Crafting Your Citation: A Symphony of Punctuation (Okay, Maybe Not That Dramatic)
Now that you're armed with info, let's build that citation! Here's the basic format for a footnote/endnote:
Author Last Name, First Name. "Title of Web Page." Website Name, Publishing Organization (if available), Publication Date (if available), Accessed Date (if no publication date), URL.
For example, let's say you found a fascinating article titled "The History of the Spork: From Accidental Hero to Kitchen Champion" on a website called "Utensil Emporium." Here's your citation:
Sporkington, Sporky. "The History of the Spork: From Accidental Hero to Kitchen Champion." Utensil Emporium, accessed May 7, 2024, https://www.theutensilemporium.com/product-page.html?id=product-12.
Shortened Citations: After the first full citation, you can use a shortened version for subsequent mentions:
Sporkington, "Spork History."
Don't Forget the Bibliography: This is like the victory lap of citations, a place to list all your sources in a fancy, formatted way. The format for the bibliography is almost identical to the footnote, but with a key difference:
The publication year goes after the author's name, not before.
For example:
Sporkington, Sporky. 2024. "The History of the Spork: From Accidental Hero to Kitchen Champion." Utensil Emporium, accessed May 7, 2024, https://www.theutensilemporium.com/product-page.html?id=product-12.
You've Done It! Now Go Forth and Conquer Research Papers!
There you have it! With this guide, you'll be a Chicago citation champion in no time. Remember, research should be an adventure, not an anxiety attack. So, grab your internet shovel, channel your inner Indiana Jones, and unearth those citations with confidence!
