Bibliography Generator
Add your sources once and switch between APA 7, MLA 9, Chicago 17 and Harvard. The list is alphabetized automatically with hanging indents, and you can edit, reorder, import, copy or download it.
Add a source
Import a plain list (one entry per line)
References
Sentence case lowercases every word except the first, the first after a colon and acronyms: re-check proper nouns or untick this.
How to use the Bibliography Generator
- Choose a citation style at the top: APA 7, MLA 9, Chicago 17 or Harvard. You can switch at any time.
- Pick the source type and fill in the authors, title, publication details, date and URL or DOI.
- Press Add source. The entry is formatted and placed in alphabetical order. Repeat for every source.
- Edit, delete or move entries with the buttons next to each one, or import a list of finished entries.
- Press Generate bibliography, then Copy (with italics) or download it as .txt or .html.
The same sources in four styles
Here is one journal article formatted in each style, so you can see what changes: author names, where the date goes, capitalization, quotation marks and italics.
| Style | Journal article example |
|---|---|
| APA 7 | Smith, J., & Garcia, M. (2021). Memory and narrative in nineteenth-century fiction. Journal of Literary Studies, 12(3), 45–67. https://doi.org/10.1000/xyz123 |
| MLA 9 | Smith, John, and Maria Garcia. "Memory and Narrative in Nineteenth-Century Fiction." Journal of Literary Studies, vol. 12, no. 3, 2021, pp. 45-67, https://doi.org/10.1000/xyz123. |
| Chicago 17 | Smith, John, and Maria Garcia. "Memory and Narrative in Nineteenth-Century Fiction." Journal of Literary Studies 12, no. 3 (2021): 45–67. https://doi.org/10.1000/xyz123. |
| Harvard | Smith, J. and Garcia, M. (2021) 'Memory and narrative in nineteenth-century fiction', Journal of Literary Studies, 12(3), pp. 45–67. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1000/xyz123. |
The article and DOI above are a made-up example used to show the formats; 10.1000 is the example prefix reserved by the DOI system.
Author rules by style
| Authors | APA 7 | MLA 9 | Chicago 17 | Harvard |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Doe, J. A. | Doe, Jane | Doe, Jane | Doe, J.A. |
| 2 | Doe, J., & Lee, K. | Doe, Jane, and Kim Lee | Doe, Jane, and Kim Lee | Doe, J. and Lee, K. |
| 3 | Doe, J., Lee, K., & Roy, P. | Doe, Jane, et al. | Doe, Jane, Kim Lee, and Pat Roy | Doe, J., Lee, K. and Roy, P. |
| Many | List up to 20; for 21+, first 19, …, last | First author + et al. | List up to 10; for 11+, first 7 + et al. | 4+: first author + et al. |
Bibliography, works cited or reference list?
- References (APA): only the works you cite in the text. The heading is centered and bold, entries double-spaced.
- Works Cited (MLA): the works you cite, on a new page, heading centered without bold, entries double-spaced.
- Bibliography (Chicago notes-bibliography): sources you cite and, if you like, other works you consulted. Entries are usually single-spaced with a blank line between them.
- Reference list (Harvard): every source cited in the text, alphabetized by author, with no numbering.
All four use a half-inch hanging indent and alphabetical order by the first word of each entry, normally the first author's surname.
Frequently asked questions
How is a bibliography alphabetized?
Entries are sorted letter by letter by the first author's surname. If a source has no author, it is sorted by its title, ignoring a leading A, An or The. In APA, works by the same author are then ordered by year. This tool applies that order automatically; switch to Custom order if your instructor wants a different one.
What is the difference between APA, MLA, Chicago and Harvard?
APA 7 (psychology, education, sciences) puts the year right after the author and uses sentence case for titles. MLA 9 (humanities) starts with the full author name and puts the date near the end. Chicago 17 notes-bibliography (history, arts) is similar to MLA but includes the place of publication for books. Harvard is an author-date family used widely in the UK and Australia; this tool follows the popular Cite Them Right version.
What is a hanging indent?
Every line of an entry except the first is indented by half an inch (1.27 cm). It makes the author names easy to scan. When you copy with formatting, the hanging indent is included; in Word you can also set it under Paragraph > Indentation > Special > Hanging.
Why does APA change my title to lowercase?
APA 7 and Harvard use sentence case for article and book titles: only the first word, the first word after a colon and proper nouns are capitalized. Automatic sentence case can't know which words are names, so check proper nouns, or untick Auto-capitalize titles and type the titles exactly as they should appear.
Can I just alphabetize a list I already have?
Yes. Open Import a plain list, paste one finished entry per line and press Alphabetize & import. The entries are sorted, given hanging indents and can be copied or downloaded. Mark italics with *asterisks* if you want them kept.
Is my bibliography saved?
Your sources, style and order are saved in this browser's local storage, so they are still there when you come back on the same device. Nothing is uploaded to a server. Download the .txt or .html file to keep a copy elsewhere.
Should I still check the result?
Yes. The tool applies each style's rules to the details you enter, but missing or mistyped information (such as a wrong year or a missing DOI) carries through, and some instructors have their own variations. Compare the output with your style guide or assignment instructions.