Pick Your Citation Style
What Are You Citing?
Fill in the fields above and click "Generate Citation" to create your properly formatted citation.
Citation Tips
Double Check Author Names
Make sure you get the order right - usually it's Last name, First name. If there are multiple authors, check your style guide for how to list them.
Capitalize Titles Correctly
For APA, only capitalize the first word and proper nouns. For MLA, capitalize all major words. When in doubt, look at the original source.
Include All Required Info
Each citation style requires specific information. If you're missing something, try to find it in the original source or note that it's unavailable.
Keep Your Citations Organized
Save your citations as you go. Most papers require an alphabetized reference list or works cited page at the end.
How to Use This Citation Generator
The Basics
Pick your citation style (APA, MLA, or Chicago), choose what type of source you're citing, fill in the information, and hit generate. We'll format everything correctly so you can just copy and paste it into your paper.
Understanding Citation Styles
Different academic fields use different citation styles. APA is popular in social sciences like psychology and education. MLA is the standard for humanities like literature and philosophy. Chicago style shows up in history and some other fields. Your professor should tell you which one to use, but if they don't specify, APA is usually a safe bet.
Common Citation Mistakes
The biggest mistakes people make are forgetting to italicize titles (or using the wrong type of formatting), mixing up the order of information, and not being consistent. Once you pick a style, stick with it throughout your entire paper. Don't switch between APA and MLA halfway through.
What If Information Is Missing?
Sometimes you can't find all the information you need - maybe there's no author listed or no publication date. That's okay. For APA, use "n.d." for no date. For missing authors, start with the title. Each style has specific ways to handle missing info, and our generator accounts for these situations.
Why Citations Matter
Citations aren't just busy work. They give credit to the people whose ideas you're using, they let readers find your sources if they want to learn more, and they show your professor that you did actual research. Plus, not citing your sources properly is plagiarism, which can get you in serious academic trouble.