Citation Generator — APA, MLA & Chicago
Generate properly formatted citations for websites, books, journal articles, and videos in APA 7th, MLA 9th, or Chicago 17th edition. No signup required — runs entirely in your browser.
How the Citation Generator Works
- 1Select your citation style — APA, MLA, or Chicago.
- 2Choose the source type: website, book, journal article, or video.
- 3Fill in the fields — author, title, date, URL, publisher, and other source-specific details.
- 4Your formatted citation appears instantly. Click Copy citation to paste it into your paper.
APA vs MLA vs Chicago — Which to Use?
APA (American Psychological Association) is standard in social sciences, psychology, and education. MLA (Modern Language Association) is used in humanities — literature, language, and the arts. Chicago style is common in history, publishing, and some business fields. When in doubt, check your assignment guidelines or ask your instructor.
Tips for Accurate Citations
Enter the full author name
Use "Last, First" format. For two authors, separate with a semicolon: "Smith, John; Jones, Mary". The tool handles all the commas and conjunctions for each style.
Always include the access date for web pages
Web content changes. APA and Chicago require a retrieval or access date for pages that may be updated or removed. Use the month and day fields when citing a website.
DOI takes priority over URL for journals
If a journal article has a DOI, use that instead of a URL. DOIs are permanent — URLs to journal articles often break. Enter just the DOI string, not the full URL.
Italicise titles correctly
In APA and MLA, book and journal titles are italicised; article titles are not. The generator outputs plain text — when pasting, apply italics to the portions shown in the style guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which citation styles are supported?
APA 7th edition, MLA 9th edition, and Chicago 17th edition. These cover the vast majority of high school, undergraduate, and graduate assignments.
Which source types can I cite?
Websites, books, journal articles, and videos (including YouTube). Each source type has the appropriate fields for that format.
Is my data stored?
No. All citation generation happens in your browser. Nothing is sent to any server or stored after you close the tab.
How do I cite multiple authors?
Separate authors with semicolons in the format "Last, First; Last, First". The tool formats them correctly for each style — APA uses "&", MLA and Chicago use "and".
What is DOI and when should I include it?
A DOI (Digital Object Identifier) is a persistent link to a journal article or book chapter. Include it when available — most citation styles require it if present.
Does this replace a proper citation manager?
For occasional citations it is perfect. For managing large reference lists (thesis, dissertation), consider Zotero or Mendeley which can import full reference databases.