Citation Generator
Create a formatted citation in APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard or IEEE.
How the citation generator works
Select a citation style (APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard or IEEE) and a source type (website, journal article or book), then fill in the details you have — author, title, year, publisher or journal, URL and more.
The generator formats what you provide into a reference-list entry. It never invents missing information: if you leave a field blank, that part of the citation is simply omitted.
Always verify the output against your institution's required style guide. Style rules vary between editions and publishers, and your department may have specific requirements.
Reference-list formats
APA: Author. (Year). Title. Source.
Each style orders and punctuates the same core elements differently. APA uses author–date parentheses, MLA uses title containers and page ranges, Chicago uses footnotes or author–date, Harvard uses author–year, and IEEE uses numbered initials and bracketed references.
Worked example
A book in APA style
Smith, J. (2021). Research methods. Academic Press. The same book in MLA becomes: Smith, Jane. Research Methods. Academic Press, 2021.
Frequently asked questions
Why is some of my citation missing?
The generator only includes the information you provided. It will not invent authors, years, publishers or URLs. Add the missing details and the citation updates.
Which citation style should I use?
Use whichever style your course or journal requires — commonly APA for social sciences, MLA for humanities, Chicago for history and publishing, Harvard across many disciplines, and IEEE for engineering and computer science.
Is the generated citation 100% accurate?
It follows standard reference-list rules, but style guides are updated and institutional requirements vary. Always check the final citation against the style guide your institution specifies.
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