Citation Generator
Generate formatted citations in APA, MLA, and Chicago styles for books, websites, journal articles, and videos.
Reviewed by the ToolNestr Editorial Team — July 2026
One author per line — Last, First Middle
Bibliography
How citation styles work
Each style follows a specific set of rules for ordering and formatting source elements. APA (American Psychological Association, 7th ed.) uses an author-date system where the publication year immediately follows the author's name. Titles are written in sentence case and italicised for standalone works. MLA (Modern Language Association, 9th ed.) places the year at the end of the citation, uses title case for all titles, and abbreviates months. Chicago (author-date system) resembles APA in placing the year after the author but uses title case and differs in punctuation conventions.
The three styles differ most visibly in how they handle author formatting, date placement, and title capitalisation:
APA 7th Edition
Author names inverted (Last, F. M.). Year in parentheses after authors. Sentence case for titles. Italic for book and journal titles. DOI preferred over URL.
Smith, J. D. (2024). Title. Publisher.
MLA 9th Edition
First author inverted (Last, First). Subsequent authors normal order. Year at end. Title case for all titles. "vol." and "no." for journal details. Medium optional.
Smith, John D. Title. Publisher, 2024.
Chicago (Author-Date)
Author names inverted with "and". Year after authors. Title case for titles. Journal volume in italics without "vol." Issue in parentheses. DOI at end.
Smith, John D. 2024. Title. Publisher.
Worked example
The same book cited in all three styles, using a single author named John D. Smith, the title "Cognitive Psychology" published by Oxford University Press in 2024:
Smith, J. D. (2024). Cognitive psychology. Oxford University Press.
Smith, John D. Cognitive Psychology. Oxford University Press, 2024.
Smith, John D. 2024. Cognitive Psychology. Oxford University Press.
Academic Papers
Journal articles, dissertations, and conference papers require precise reference lists. A single formatting error can lose marks. Generate citations as you research and assemble the bibliography at the end.
Research Projects
Literature reviews and meta-analyses involve dozens of sources. Keep a running bibliography to track what you have cited and avoid missing references when submitting the final manuscript.
Student Assignments
Essays and reports must follow specific style guides. Generate citations as you write to ensure every quote and paraphrase has a corresponding reference entry by the deadline.
Web Content
Blog posts, online articles, and social media are increasingly common in academic writing. The website source type handles the access date and URL formatting that each style requires.
Tips for accurate citations
Author names matter
Always copy the author's name exactly as it appears on the source. Check for middle initials, hyphenated surnames (e.g., "Martinez-Lopez"), and institutional authors. APA requires up to 20 authors to be listed before using ellipsis and the final author, while MLA lists the first author and "et al." for sources with three or more contributors.
Always check DOI and URL validity
A DOI (Digital Object Identifier) is the most stable link to a scholarly article. Test the DOI at doi.org before including it. For URLs, ensure the link resolves and note the access date — APA and MLA require it for web sources, and a broken URL undermines the citation's usefulness for readers.
Keep track of your sources
Use the bibliography feature to build a running list as you research. This prevents last-minute scrambling to find a missing page number or publication year. Each entry in your bibliography should correspond to an in-text citation in your document. Cross-check before submission.
Verify against the official style guide
Automated tools are a starting point, not a final authority. Style guides are updated, and edge cases (government reports, multivolume works, translated books) may not follow the standard template. Compare generated citations against the latest edition of the APA Manual, MLA Handbook, or Chicago Manual of Style.
How to use this citation generator
Select source type
Choose between Book, Website, Journal Article, or Video. The form fields update to match the chosen source.
Fill in the details
Enter author name(s), title, year, and source-specific fields. One author per line in the Last, First format.
Generate & collect
Click generate, then add to the running bibliography. Copy individual citations or the full list when done.
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Frequently asked questions
What citation styles are supported?
APA 7th edition, MLA 9th edition, and Chicago Manual of Style (author-date).
What source types are supported?
Books, websites, journal articles, and YouTube videos.
How accurate are the citations?
They follow the official style guides, but always verify with your institution's requirements.
Can I export the bibliography?
Yes — copy citations individually or copy the full bibliography as plain text.