Citation Generator
Generate properly formatted citations for your research papers and bibliographies. Choose your citation style, enter your source details, and copy a ready-to-use citation. Supports APA 7th edition, MLA 9th edition, and Chicago 17th edition for books, journal articles, websites, and videos. Once you have your citations, the essay outline generator can help you structure the paper itself, and the book report template is useful when your source is the subject of the assignment.
Citation Settings
For organizations or single-name authors, fill in Last Name only.
Your Citation
Always double-check your citation against your style guide, as requirements can vary by institution.
About Citation Formats
Different academic disciplines have settled on different citation conventions. Knowing which format to use — and why the rules differ — helps you apply them consistently rather than memorizing a long list of rules.
APA (American Psychological Association) — 7th Edition
APA is used primarily in the social sciences — psychology, education, sociology, nursing, and business. It emphasizes the date of publication prominently because recency matters in these fields. Authors are listed Last, F. M. with initials rather than full first names. Article titles are sentence-case, while journal names are title-case and italicized.
MLA (Modern Language Association) — 9th Edition
MLA is standard in English, literature, and the humanities. It uses a "Works Cited" list and in-text page number citations like (Smith 45). The 9th edition introduced a flexible "container" model where the same template applies to all source types. Book and article titles follow standard title case; titles of longer works are italicized while shorter works appear in quotation marks.
Chicago — 17th Edition (Author-Date)
Chicago style is most common in history, philosophy, and the arts. It comes in two systems: Notes-Bibliography (footnotes + a bibliography) and Author-Date (in-text citations + a reference list). This generator uses the Author-Date system. Chicago author-date in-text citations look like (Smith 2020, 45). Full first names are used in the bibliography, and the year follows the author's name directly.
Which Format Should You Use?
Follow whatever your instructor or institution specifies. When no format is specified, consider the subject: use APA for science and social science papers, MLA for English and humanities papers, and Chicago for history papers. When in doubt, ask — professors will always tell you their preference.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a hanging indent and do I need one?
A hanging indent means the first line of each citation starts at the left margin, and all subsequent lines are indented 0.5 inches. APA, MLA, and Chicago all require hanging indents in reference lists. When you paste a citation into your word processor, apply a hanging indent in the paragraph formatting settings.
What if there are more than three authors?
In APA, list up to 20 authors; for 21 or more, list the first 19 then add an ellipsis and the last author's name. In MLA, list the first author followed by "et al." when there are three or more. In Chicago author-date, list up to three authors; for four or more, use "et al." after the first name in in-text citations, while the reference list includes all authors up to ten.
How do I cite a source with no author?
In APA, move the title to the author position. In MLA, begin the entry with the title. In Chicago, begin with the title as well. In all three styles, in-text citations for authorless sources use the title (or a short form of it) in place of the author's name.
What's the difference between a bibliography and a works cited list?
A Works Cited list (MLA) or References list (APA) includes only sources you actually cited in your paper. A bibliography (Chicago Notes-Bibliography) may include sources you consulted for background even if you never cited them directly. Always follow your assignment instructions on which is expected.
Do I need to include the URL access date?
APA 7th recommends including a retrieval date only when the content is likely to change (like a Wikipedia article or a live database). MLA 9th always includes an access date. Chicago author-date recommends including it when there is no other date available. When in doubt, include it — it never hurts and can only help.
Can I use this generator for professional or academic submissions?
This tool generates citations that follow standard formatting rules, but you should always verify the output against the official style manual or your institution's specific guidelines before submitting. Style manuals are updated periodically, and some institutions maintain local adaptations of these styles. For high-stakes submissions, cross-check with the official APA Publication Manual, MLA Handbook, or Chicago Manual of Style.
