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Citation Generator

Generate an accurate citation and in-text reference in APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, or IEEE.

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In-Text Citation
("", n.d.)

Two Citations From One Form

Every academic paper needs two things for each source: a full reference-list entry and a short in-text citation pointing back to it. This tool generates both from a single form, across the five styles that cover the vast majority of student and researcher needs, and lets you build a complete, alphabetically sorted bibliography as you add sources.

How to Use This Tool

  1. 1Pick your citation styleAPA 7th, MLA 9th, Chicago, Harvard, or IEEE — the five styles covering most academic work.
  2. 2Fill in the source detailsChoose a source type (website, book, journal article, or newspaper) and enter what you have — authors, title, publisher, and so on.
  3. 3Copy the citation or the in-text versionThe full reference-list entry and the parenthetical in-text citation are both generated from the same form.
  4. 4Build a full bibliographyAdd multiple sources and copy the whole list at once, already sorted alphabetically per your style's rules.

Good to Know

  • Copying a citation preserves real italics (for book and journal titles) when pasted into Word or Google Docs — not just plain text.
  • DOI/URL auto-lookup isn't included — filling in fields manually keeps this tool fully private, with nothing sent to a server.
  • The bibliography list sorts alphabetically by the first author's last name automatically, matching how every one of these styles expects a reference list to be ordered.
  • Not sure a reference is formatted correctly? The companion Citation Checker tool scans an existing list for missing fields and formatting issues.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which citation style should I use?

It depends on your field or what your instructor/publisher requires — APA is common in social sciences, MLA in humanities, Chicago in history and some publishing contexts, Harvard in UK/Australian universities, and IEEE in engineering and computer science.

Can this tool look up a source automatically from a URL or DOI?

Not yet — that would require a server-side fetch, which this tool deliberately avoids to stay fully private. Manual entry is still what most citation tools rely on primarily, and it takes under a minute per source.

Does the in-text citation update automatically with my style choice?

Yes — the in-text citation format (parenthetical author-year for APA/Harvard, author-page for MLA, numbered for IEEE) changes automatically based on the style you've selected.

Will this guarantee my citations are 100% correct?

It follows the core, most common rules of each style accurately, but citation styles have many edge cases (multiple editions, translated works, government documents). For unusual sources, cross-check with your style guide's official manual.