AI Citation Generator
A citation is a fixed order of parts. Get the order wrong and a real source starts to look invented.
FreeNo sign-upFormat-accurate
Fill in the fields and press Generate. The output streams in here and stays in your browser.
Citation styles are not decoration. Each one encodes a claim about what matters: APA puts the date early so recency is visible, MLA puts author and page first because the text is the evidence, Chicago separates notes from the bibliography because historians read footnotes. Get the order wrong and the entry stops working as a pointer, which is the only job a reference has.
Use it when the source is in front of you and needs formatting, or when a paper is being converted between styles. Enter the author names exactly as they appear, in the order printed. Leave unknown fields blank rather than guessing, because an invented volume number is worse than a missing one and much harder to defend.
What the citation generator gives you
01Element order fixed by each style
Each format fixes the sequence of author, date, title and source, and the tool follows it instead of approximating. Order is the first thing a marker checks, and it is what makes a reference findable in the first place.
02Author names inverted by the right rule
APA inverts only the first author, MLA inverts the first and leaves the rest natural, Chicago has its own rule. Name errors are the most common citation mistake and the one that makes a real reference look fabricated.
03No invented publication data at all
Missing volumes, issues, page ranges and DOIs stay missing. A fabricated element is detectable, and it turns a formatting slip into an academic integrity problem, which is a much worse conversation than a missing page number.
04The in-text form included as well
Every entry comes with its in-text citation, because the two have to agree. A reference entry with no matching in-text citation is the most common reason a paper gets flagged in a spot check by a marker.
When to use it
Getting past the blank outline
The structure is usually the blocker, not the ideas. Produce a three-level outline you can argue with, then write the section you actually understand first.
Formatting anxiety
Citation styles, abstracts and thesis statements are mechanical rules with high stakes. Getting the shape right frees the attention for the argument.
Reading your own draft
After the fourth revision you cannot see the paragraph anymore. Paraphrase it, summarise it, or ask for the counter-argument to find out what you actually said.
How it works
- 1
Pick the required style
Not the one you know best. Departments enforce a specific edition, and APA 7 and APA 6 differ in ways that get marked. Check the syllabus before formatting anything.
- 2
Copy the author names as printed
Order, initials and diacritics all matter. Do not alphabetize by hand, and do not abbreviate a name the source spells out. The style’s own inversion rule gets applied for you.
- 3
Check the entry against the source
Read the year, title and page range back against the article or book. The entry is only as accurate as the fields you typed, and a typo in a DOI stays invisible until someone clicks it.
Frequently asked questions
Which citation style should I use?
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Whichever your instructor or journal specifies, in the edition they name. APA dominates the social sciences, MLA the humanities, Chicago history and some humanities journals, Harvard much of UK higher education. Using the wrong one loses marks even when every element is correct.
What is the difference between APA 7 and MLA 9?
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APA puts the year second and capitalizes only the first word of a title. MLA puts the title before the container and capitalizes the main words. APA also inverts only the first author’s name, while MLA inverts the first and leaves the rest in natural order.
Do I need a retrieval date for a website?
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Only when the page is designed to change and has no stable archived version, such as a live dashboard or a rolling index. For a dated article, the publication date is enough. APA 7 requires the retrieval date far less often than students assume.
How do I cite a source with no author?
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Start with the title in the author position, moved to the front of the entry. In-text, use a shortened title, in quotation marks or italics depending on the source type. Never invent an author, and never write anonymous unless the source does.
What if I cannot find the page range?
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Leave it out. A missing page range is a small omission; an invented one is a fabricated detail a marker can check in seconds. For a journal article, the DOI leads a reader to the pages anyway, and the volume and issue narrow it further.
Can I use this for a long bibliography?
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Yes, one source at a time. Generate each entry, then sort the list by the style’s rule, which is alphabetical by author surname in all four styles here. Check that every in-text citation has a matching entry before you submit.
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