Citation Generator
Generate citations in APA, MLA, and Chicago formats for books, websites, and journal articles. Free online bibliography tool.
Embed this toolCitation Inputs
Generated Citation
Unknown Author (n.d.). Untitled. n.p..
Example (APA — Book)
Smith, J. D. (2020). The Art of Research. Academic Press.
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Understanding Citation Styles
Academic writing requires you to credit the original authors of ideas, data, and quotations you use. Citation styles are standardized formats that ensure consistency and help readers locate your sources. Each discipline tends to favor a particular style.
APA Style
APA is the standard in psychology, education, and social sciences. In-text citations use the author–date system (Smith, 2020), and the reference list is ordered alphabetically by author surname. Pay close attention to capitalization, italics for titles, and DOIs for journal articles.
MLA Style
MLA is dominant in literature, arts, and humanities. In-text citations use author–page format (Smith 42), and the Works Cited page includes full publication details. MLA 9th edition emphasizes containers and standardizes the use of core elements.
Chicago Style
Chicago offers two systems: notes-bibliography (common in history and fine arts) and author-date (used in sciences and social sciences). The notes-bibliography system uses footnotes or endnotes, while author-date resembles APA. Always check which system your instructor prefers.