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Referencing style - Chicago: Web Sources, Blogs and Social Media

A guide to using the Chicago 18th referencing style for footnotes and reference lists.

Web Sources, Blogs and Social Media

 

Material type Note (footnote) example

Shortened citation

(see CMOS18 13.33)

 Bibliography example
Webpage: No Author or date     8. "History of the Library and collections," Royal British Association of Architects, accessed April 4, 2013, http://www.architecture.com./LibraryDrawings AndPhotographs/RIBALibrary/History.aspx.     16. Royal British Association of Architects, "History of the Library." Royal British Association of Architects. "History of the Library and collections." Accessed April 4, 2013.  http:www.architecture.com/Library DrawingsAndPhotographs/RIBALibrary/History.aspx.
Webpage: last modified date     12. "Weaver Hawkins," Design & Art Australia Online, last modified April 4, 2013,
http://www.daao.org.au/bio/weaver-hawkins/.		     17. Design & Art Australia Online, "Weaver Hawkins." Design & Art Australia Online. "Weaver Hawkins." Last modified April 4, 2013.
http://www.daao.org.au/bio/weaver-hawkins/.
Blog

    4. Paige Mills, “Why This Artist Paints the Parts of a City You Walk Right Past”, Artwork Archive (blog), July 10, 2025, https://www.artworkarchive.com/blog/why-this-artist-paints-the-parts-of-a-city-you-walk-right-past. 

* Add the word blog in brackets after the name of the blog (unless the word blog is part of the name)

 17. Mills, "Why This Artist Paints." Mills, Paige. "Why This Artist Paints the Parts of a City You Walk Right Past." Artwork Archive (blog). July 10, 2025.
https://www.artworkarchive.com/blog/why-this-artist-paints-the-parts-of-a-city-you-walk-right-past.
Facebook post     1. Junot Díaz, “Always surprises my students when I tell them that the ‘real’ medieval was more diverse than the fake ones most of us consume,” Facebook, February 24, 2016, https://www.facebook.com/junotdiaz.writer/posts/972495572815454.     13. Díaz, Facebook post.

Díaz, Junot. “Always surprises my students when I tell them that the ‘real’ medieval was more diverse than the fake ones most of us consume,” Facebook, February 24, 2016. https://www.facebook.com/junotdiaz.writer/posts/972495572815454.

(Example taken from Chicago Manual of Style, Chapter 14, Section 209.)
X (formerly Twitter)

    2. Conan O’Brien (@ConanOBrien), “In honor of Earth Day, I’m recycling my tweets,” X, April 22, 2015, 2:10 a.m., https://x.com/ConanOBrien/status/590940792967016448.

For more see Chicago Manual of Style Online, chatper 14 section 106

    15. O'Brien, X post.

O'Brien, Conan (@ConanOBrien). “In honor of Earth Day, I’m recycling my tweets,” X, April 22, 2015. https://x.com/ConanOBrien/status/590940792967016448.

(Example taken from Chicago Manual of Style, Chapter 14, Section 209.)
Online video (YouTube)     32. “Horowitz TV Interview 1977,” filmed March 1977, YouTube Video, 14:58, posted by “goodmanmusica,” August 2010, http://youtu.be/eZm7OW3ufbc.    15. "Horowitz TV Interview 1977" “Horowitz TV Interview 1977.” Filmed March 1977. YouTube Video, 14:58. Posted by “goodmanmusica,” August 2010. http://youtu.be/eZm7OW3ufbc.

 

Creating Notes (Footnotes) using Microsoft Word

By default, Microsoft Word will format footnotes at the end of the page with a superscript number and no indent.  

For the Chicago Notes and Bibliography style, you will need to manually change the font size of footnote number and indent it.

See our instructions on how to create a Note (footnote) in Word and manually edit the format according to the Chicago Notes and Bibliography style.

Please check with your Unit Coordinator to see if their preference is to use the formal Chicago style footnote formatting or the default Word format.

CONTENT LICENCE

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