Formatting citations by hand is one of the most error-prone parts of academic writing — a misplaced comma or italic can cost marks. Our free Citation Generator builds correctly structured references for books, websites and journal articles in APA, MLA and Chicago styles. Enter the author, title, year and a few source details, and all three formats are generated side by side with copy buttons.
Students, researchers and bloggers use it to produce bibliographies quickly and consistently, whether for a school essay, a thesis chapter or a referenced article. The tool runs entirely in your browser with no sign-up and no limits, so you can generate as many citations as you need. While the formatting follows the standard rules of each style, always double-check unusual sources against your institution’s official style guide before submitting.
Citation Generator
Generate APA, MLA and Chicago citations from the details you enter.
How to use
- Select the source type: book, website or journal article.
- Enter the author name, title and year of publication.
- Fill in the extra fields for your source type (publisher, URL, journal details).
- Click “Generate Citations” to build all three styles.
- Click the copy button next to the style you need and paste it into your document.
FAQs
How should I enter the author name?
Type it as “First Last” (for example “John Smith”). The tool rearranges it automatically into the correct order and initials for each citation style. If the source lists an organization as the author, enter the organization name and it will be formatted as a corporate author.
Which citation styles are supported?
APA (7th edition style), MLA (9th edition style) and Chicago (author-date / notes style for bibliographies) — the three most commonly required in schools and universities. If your institution asks for a different edition, the generated citation gives you a correct base to adjust from.
Can I cite a source with multiple authors?
For now, enter the primary author. For works with several authors, generate the citation and then add the remaining names following your style guide’s rules for multiple authors. As a shortcut, many students list the first author followed by “et al.” where their style guide permits it.