Academic Tool

📚 Citation Generator Pro

Generate perfect citations in APA, MLA, Chicago, and Harvard styles. Free, fast, and accurate.

4Citation Styles
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📝 Citation Generator

Enter the details of your source and get a perfectly formatted citation in your chosen style.

Your formatted citation will appear here.

📖 Citation Style Guide

APA 7th Edition

American Psychological Association style. Used in social sciences, psychology, and education.

MLA 9th Edition

Modern Language Association style. Used in humanities, literature, and languages.

Chicago 17th Edition

University of Chicago style. Used in history, arts, and social sciences. Two styles: Notes & Bibliography and Author-Date.

Harvard

Parenthetical referencing style. Widely used in business, economics, and social sciences.

💡 Pro Citation Tips

Always Double-Check

Citation generators are helpful but always verify your citations against the official style guide.

Use a Reference Manager

Tools like Zotero, Mendeley, or EndNote can automate citations and bibliography creation.

Check PDFs First

Journal articles often have the correct citation format on the first page or in the PDF metadata.

Include DOIs

Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) are preferred over URLs for journal articles in most citation styles.

Organize Your References

Keep a running list of sources as you research to save time at the end.

Ask Your Librarian

University librarians are experts in citation styles and can help with tricky sources.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which citation style should I use?
The style depends on your field and instructor requirements. APA is common in social sciences, MLA in humanities, Chicago in history, and Harvard in business. Always check your course guidelines.
What's the difference between a bibliography and a reference list?
A reference list includes only the sources you cited in your text. A bibliography includes all sources you consulted during your research, even if you didn't cite them directly.
How do I cite a source with multiple authors?
In APA, list up to 20 authors (with an ampersand before the last). In MLA, list up to 3 authors (with "and" before the last). For more than 3 authors, use "et al." after the first author in MLA.
How do I cite a website with no author?
Use the title of the page in place of the author. In APA, move the title to the author position. In MLA, use the title followed by the date and URL.
What's the difference between APA and MLA?
APA uses author-date in-text citations and a reference list. MLA uses author-page citations and a Works Cited list. APA is more common in sciences, MLA in humanities.
How do I cite a source I found in another source?
This is called secondary citing. In APA, cite both the primary and secondary sources. For example: (Smith, 2020, as cited in Jones, 2023). Try to find and cite the original source if possible.

🔥 Quick Start Challenge

Test the citation generator right now:

  1. Find a book, article, or website you want to cite.
  2. Enter the details into the form above.
  3. Select your citation style and source type.
  4. Click "Generate Citation".
  5. Copy the formatted citation to your bibliography.

🚀 That's how you create perfect citations in seconds!