Which citation styles do you support?

We support APA (6th and 7th edition), MLA (8th and 9th edition), Chicago (17th edition, both notes-bibliography and author-date), Harvard, IEEE, AMA, ACS, CSE, Turabian, ASA, AAA, and over 7,000 other styles indexed in the Citation Style Language (CSL) repository.

How accurate are the citations?

Our citation generator is built on the Citation Style Language (CSL), the same open standard used by Zotero and Mendeley. We layer additional checks on top for accuracy. That said, no generator is perfect. Always verify author names, dates, page numbers, and other fields against the original source before submitting.

What source types can I cite?

Books, journal articles, websites, news articles, magazine articles, YouTube videos, podcasts, social media posts, government reports, dissertations, conference papers, images, software, datasets, encyclopedia entries, dictionary entries, court cases, and more.

What is the difference between a citation, a reference, and a bibliography?

A citation usually refers to the short in-text marker like (Smith, 2024) or a footnote. A reference is the full source entry at the end of your paper. A bibliography is the full list of references. Each citation style uses slightly different terms: APA calls it a 'reference list', MLA calls it 'Works Cited', and Chicago calls it 'Bibliography'.

What is an in-text citation?

An in-text citation is a short reference inside the body of your paper that points to the full entry in your reference list. For example, in APA: (Smith, 2024). In MLA: (Smith 23). In Chicago: a footnote or endnote number. Our generator creates both the in-text citation and the full reference list entry together.

What is an annotated bibliography?

An annotated bibliography is a reference list where each entry includes a short paragraph (an annotation) describing or evaluating the source. Annotations are usually 100 to 200 words. Our generator lets you add an annotation to any reference and formats the output to your chosen style.

Can I export to Word, Google Docs, or BibTeX?

Yes. Export your reference list to Microsoft Word (with hanging indent and spacing set up correctly), Google Docs, plain text, or BibTeX for LaTeX. You can also copy any individual citation to your clipboard with one click.

Is my reference list private?

Yes. Free citations are not stored. If you sign up to save your reference lists, they are stored privately for you and can be deleted in one click. We never sell or share your data.

How is this different from a plagiarism checker?

A citation generator creates correctly formatted source entries for you. A plagiarism checker scans your finished text for content copied or paraphrased from other sources. They complement each other. Cite your sources properly with the citation generator, then run a final plagiarism check before submitting.

Citation Generator · 7,000+ styles · Free

Free Citation Generator

Generate accurate citations in APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, IEEE, and over 7,000 other styles. Paste a URL, DOI, or ISBN and the citation generator fills in the source details for you. Get a properly formatted in-text citation and reference list entry in seconds. Free, no signup needed.

Free citation generator

7,000+ styles

Citation style

Source type

Your citation

In-text

(Author, Year)

Reference

Author, A. (Year). Title of source. Publisher. https://example.com

Always verify your citation against the original source. We get it right most of the time, but every source has its quirks.

APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard·7,000+ citation styles·Auto-fill from URL, DOI, ISBN·Word, Google Docs, BibTeX

How it works

How the Citation Generator works

Step 1

Pick your citation style

Choose from APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, IEEE, AMA, ACS, CSE, Turabian, and thousands more. The most common ones are at the top of the dropdown. The generator handles the latest editions, so you do not have to remember which APA version your professor wants.

Step 2

Add your source

Paste a URL, DOI, or ISBN and we pull the title, author, publication date, and other details for you. No URL handy? Enter the details by hand. Citing a book, journal article, video, podcast, social media post, or government report? Pick the right source type and we adapt the fields automatically.

Step 3

Copy or export your citation

You get a properly formatted in-text citation and a full reference list entry. Copy either one to your clipboard, or export your whole reference list to Word, Google Docs, or BibTeX in one click.

Generate your first citation

Why it matters

Why you should generate citations the right way

Citations are not just busywork. They show your work, give credit to the people whose ideas you used, and protect you from accidental plagiarism. Getting them wrong costs marks, credibility, and sometimes your degree. Getting them right takes either a lot of careful manual work or 30 seconds with the right tool.

Wrong citations cost you marks

Professors and editors deduct points for incorrect formatting, missing fields, and mismatched in-text-to-reference entries. A handful of formatting errors can drop a paper a full letter grade.

Manual citations are error-prone

Every style has its own rules for punctuation, capitalization, italics, abbreviation, and ordering. APA italicizes book titles. MLA italicizes the journal but not the article. Chicago uses footnotes. Harvard uses parentheses. Doing it by hand for a 20-source paper means 20 chances to slip up.

Citation styles change

APA went from 6th to 7th edition. MLA went from 8th to 9th. Chicago is on its 17th. Each version has small but important changes. The generator stays current so you do not have to.

Missing or weak citations look like plagiarism

If you quote or paraphrase a source and forget the citation, you have technically committed plagiarism, even by accident. Run your finished paper through our plagiarism checker to catch any gaps.

Styles

Citation styles we support

Pick any style from the dropdown, or jump straight to a dedicated page for the style you use most.

APA

APA Citation Generator

The standard for social sciences, psychology, education, business, nursing, and the behavioral sciences. Author-date format with a “References” page. APA 6th and 7th editions.

Open generator

MLA

MLA Citation Generator

The standard for the humanities: literature, languages, film, cultural studies, philosophy. Author-page in-text format with a “Works Cited” page. MLA 8th and 9th.

Open generator

CMS

Chicago Citation Generator

Used in history, the arts, and some social sciences. Chicago has two systems: notes-bibliography (footnotes) and author-date. We handle both. 17th edition.

Open generator

HARV

Harvard Citation Generator

Common in UK, Australian, and some European universities. Author-date in-text format with a reference list. Used across many disciplines.

Open generator

IEEE

IEEE Citation Generator

The standard for engineering and computer science papers. Numbered in-text citations with a matching numbered reference list.

Open generator

AMA

Used in medicine and biomedical research. Numbered citations.

Generate AMA citations

ACS

American Chemical Society style, used in chemistry.

Generate ACS citations

CSE

Council of Science Editors, used in biology and life sciences.

Generate CSE citations

TUR

Turabian — a student-friendly version of Chicago style.

Generate Turabian citations

Plus 7,000+ additional styles indexed in the open Citation Style Language (CSL) repository. If your professor or journal uses a niche style, search for it in the style dropdown.

Source types

What sources can you cite?

Every academic paper draws from a mix of sources. The generator supports the full range, with fields adapted to each source type so you never enter the wrong information.

Website

Online articles, blog posts, news websites

Journal article

Peer-reviewed academic articles

Book

Print or ebook

Book chapter

Edited collections and anthologies

Newspaper article

Print and online newspapers

Magazine article

Print and online magazines

YouTube video

Online video sources

Podcast

Audio episodes and series

Social media post

Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn

Government report

Federal, state, international agency reports

Dissertation

Theses and dissertations

Conference paper

Papers presented at academic conferences

Image

Photos, figures, diagrams

Software

Apps, scripts, libraries

Dataset

Public and private datasets

Encyclopedia entry

Print and online encyclopedias

The workspace

Inside your citation workspace

plagiarismcheckerplus.com/citations/industrial-revolution

HIST 204 — Final Paper

5 sources · APA 7th edition · last saved 2m ago

Auto-saved

Currently editing · source 1 of 5

DOI

10.1093/oseo/instance.00114091 Fetched

Author

Mokyr, J.

Year

1998

Publisher

Northwestern Univ.

Reference list · 5 sources

Mokyr, J. (1998). The second industrial revolution, 1870–1914. Northwestern University.

Allen, R. C. (2009). The British industrial revolution in global perspective. Cambridge University Press.

Hobsbawm, E. (1968). Industry and empire: from 1750 to the present day. Pantheon Books.

Landes, D. S. (1969). The unbound Prometheus: technological change and industrial development in Western Europe.

Hartwell, R. M. (1971). The Industrial Revolution and economic growth. Methuen.

APA 7th edition·Auto-sorted A–Z·Fetched via CrossRef

5 / unlimited

Auto-fill from URL, DOI, or ISBN

Paste a link or identifier and the generator pulls the title, authors, publication date, publisher, and other details from public databases like CrossRef, Google Scholar, and WorldCat.

In-text and reference list, together

Every source gives you both the in-text citation and the full reference list entry, formatted to your chosen style.

Edit any field after generation

If the auto-filled details are incomplete or wrong, fix them in place. The citation re-renders as you type.

Save your reference lists

Create a separate reference list for each paper or project. Free accounts can save unlimited lists.

Export anywhere

Send your reference list to Microsoft Word with proper hanging indent and spacing, to Google Docs, to BibTeX for LaTeX, or to plain text.

Annotated bibliography support

Add an annotation (100 to 200 words) to any reference. The generator formats the output to your chosen style automatically.

Use cases

Built for the way you write

Students

You have a 15-source paper due in two days. Stop hand-formatting citations. Paste your sources, copy your reference list, and get on with the writing.

Researchers & academics

You manage hundreds of sources across multiple papers. Save reference lists by project, export to BibTeX, and never reformat the same source twice.

Teachers

Help your students learn citation properly. The generator shows the formatted output, the style rules behind it, and a link to the official style guide for every entry.

Writers & journalists

Add credible citations to your articles, white papers, and reports. Pick a style your publication uses or copy in any of the 7,000+ supported options.

SEO & content teams

Cite sources properly in your articles to build E-E-A-T signals. Properly cited content tends to earn more backlinks and ranks better.

Integrations

Use the citation generator where you research

Most of your citations come from web pages you are already reading. We built the integrations so you do not have to copy a URL into another tab to cite it.

Chrome extension

Open any web page, click the extension icon, and get a formatted citation in one click. The extension also pulls the publication date and author from the page for you.

Install the Chrome extension

Google Docs add-on

Cite directly inside your doc. Insert in-text citations and a full reference list without leaving your paper.

Add to Google Docs

WordPress plugin

Add formatted citations and reference lists to your blog posts and articles. Useful for content sites that take sources seriously.

Get the WordPress plugin

API for teams

Generate citations programmatically. Useful for LMS integrations, content QA tools, and academic platforms.

Read the API docs

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Yes. Generate unlimited citations in any style for free with no account and no card on file. Sign up free to save your reference lists across multiple papers and projects.

More tools

More tools to help you write with confidence

Plagiarism Checker

Scan your finished paper for copied or paraphrased content.

AI Detector

Spot AI-generated text in seconds.

Grammar Checker

Catch grammar, spelling, and style issues.

Generate your first citation in seconds

Free, no signup, 7,000+ styles supported.

Generate a citation now