Citation Generator
Fill in the details of a book, website or journal article and get a correctly formatted citation in APA 7th, MLA 9th or Chicago 17th edition, ready to paste with italics intact.
References
Your saved sources appear here, formatted in the selected style and sorted alphabetically. They are stored only in this browser.
How to use the Citation Generator
- Choose the citation style (APA, MLA or Chicago) and the source type (book, website or journal article).
- Enter the authors: first and middle names in the first box, last name in the second. Tick Organization for a group author and add more with + Add author.
- Fill in the remaining fields. Missing required details are listed under the citation.
- Press Create citation, then Copy to paste it into your document with italics, or Copy plain text.
- Add to bibliography to build a reference list. Switch styles at any time and the whole list is reformatted and sorted.
Citation formats side by side
The same book in the three styles (italics shown as in your document):
| Style | Book citation |
|---|---|
| APA 7th | Harari, Y. N. (2015). Sapiens: A brief history of humankind. Harper. |
| MLA 9th | Harari, Yuval Noah. Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind. Harper, 2015. |
| Chicago bibliography | Harari, Yuval Noah. Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind. New York: Harper, 2015. |
| Chicago footnote | Yuval Noah Harari, Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (New York: Harper, 2015), 45. |
A journal article with three authors:
| Style | Journal article citation |
|---|---|
| APA 7th | Smith, J., Lee, M. A., & Brown, R. (2020). The effects of sleep on memory consolidation. Journal of Sleep Research, 29(4), 101–115. https://doi.org/10.1111/jsr.12345 |
| MLA 9th | Smith, John, et al. “The Effects of Sleep on Memory Consolidation.” Journal of Sleep Research, vol. 29, no. 4, 2020, pp. 101-115, https://doi.org/10.1111/jsr.12345. |
| Chicago bibliography | Smith, John, Mary Ann Lee, and Robert Brown. “The Effects of Sleep on Memory Consolidation.” Journal of Sleep Research 29, no. 4 (2020): 101–115. https://doi.org/10.1111/jsr.12345. |
Author rules by style
| Authors | APA 7th | MLA 9th | Chicago bibliography | Chicago note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Smith, J. | Smith, John. | Smith, John. | John Smith |
| 2 | Smith, J., & Lee, M. | Smith, John, and Mary Lee. | Smith, John, and Mary Lee. | John Smith and Mary Lee |
| 3 | Smith, J., Lee, M., & Brown, R. | Smith, John, et al. | all three listed | all three listed |
| 4–10 | all listed | Smith, John, et al. | all listed | John Smith et al. |
| 11–20 | all listed | Smith, John, et al. | first 7, et al. | John Smith et al. |
| 21+ | first 19, … last | Smith, John, et al. | first 7, et al. | John Smith et al. |
Formatting your reference list
- Order: sort entries alphabetically by the first author’s last name, or by title when there is no author (ignoring A, An and The).
- Hanging indent: every line after the first is indented 0.5 inch. The copied bibliography includes the indent and double spacing.
- Title of the list: APA uses References, MLA uses Works Cited and Chicago uses Bibliography.
- DOIs are written as https://doi.org/ links in all three styles. MLA drops the https:// from ordinary web addresses.
Frequently asked questions
How do I cite a book in APA 7th edition?
Use Author, A. A. (Year). Title of the book in sentence case and italics (edition if not the first). Publisher. For example: Harari, Y. N. (2015). Sapiens: A brief history of humankind. Harper. APA 7 no longer includes the city of publication.
When do I use et al.?
In an APA 7 reference list you list up to 20 authors; with 21 or more you give the first 19, an ellipsis and the last author. MLA 9 lists one or two authors and uses et al. after the first author for three or more. In Chicago 17 bibliographies list up to 10 authors (with more, the first seven followed by et al.), while footnotes use et al. after the first author when there are four or more.
What is the difference between APA, MLA and Chicago?
APA is used mainly in psychology, education and the social sciences and puts the year right after the author. MLA is common in the humanities and languages and puts the date near the end. Chicago notes and bibliography is popular in history and the arts and uses footnotes plus a bibliography.
Why are some titles in italics and others in quotes?
Works that stand alone, such as books, journals and website names in MLA, are italicised. Parts of a larger work, such as articles and web pages, are placed in quotation marks in MLA and Chicago. APA uses no quotation marks and italicises the book title or the journal name and volume.
Does copying keep the italics?
Yes. Copy puts the citation on the clipboard as formatted text, so italics are kept when you paste into Word, Google Docs or most email programs. Use Copy plain text for places that do not support formatting.
Should I check the generated citation?
Yes. The generator follows each style's rules, but it can only use what you type. Check spelling, capitalisation of proper nouns in APA titles, and dates, and follow any extra rules from your instructor or journal.