Citation Generator
Fill in the details of a website, book or journal article and get a clean reference in APA 7, MLA 9, Chicago and Harvard at the same time. Pick a source type, add your authors, and copy the style your class or journal needs.
How to generate a citation
- Choose your source type: website, book or journal.
- Add each author and fill in the title, year and remaining fields.
- Copy the APA, MLA, Chicago or Harvard reference from the results.
Examples
A book in four styles
Book by Jane Doe, My Book, 2020, Acme Press
APA: Doe, J. (2020). My Book. Acme Press. | MLA: Doe, Jane. My Book. Acme Press, 2020.
Frequently asked questions
Which citation styles are supported?
Four of the most common reference styles: APA 7th edition, MLA 9th edition, Chicago author-date and Harvard. You enter the source details once and see all four formatted at the same time, so you can copy whichever your instructor or journal requires.
What is the difference between an in-text citation and a reference?
This tool builds the full reference entry that belongs in your reference list, bibliography or works cited page. That is the long form with the author, year, title and publication details. In-text citations are the short parenthetical notes like (Doe, 2020) that point back to these entries.
How do I handle two or more authors?
Add a row for each author with their first and last name. The generator orders and joins them per style: APA and Harvard invert every name and use an ampersand before the last, while MLA and Chicago invert only the first author and use 'and'.
What if a source has no date or no author?
A title and at least one author with a last name are required, so the citation is meaningful. When the year is left blank, APA and Harvard fall back to 'n.d.' for no date. Authors with only a last name (a mononym) are supported.
Are these citations guaranteed to be perfect?
The output follows the core rules of each style for websites, books and journal articles, which covers most coursework. Style manuals have many special cases, so for an unusual source double-check the finished reference against your official style guide.
Is my data private?
Yes. Every citation is built entirely in your browser. Nothing you type, including author names and URLs, is sent to a server or stored anywhere.
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