Citation Generator

Format your sources instantly in APA 7, MLA 9, Chicago 18, Harvard, or IEEE. No signup, pure client-side, always correct.

Authors
APA 7 · Book
Start filling in the form to see your formatted citation.
APA 7 · In-text Citation
Start filling in the form to see your in-text citation.

How Each Style is Built

Style Reference Pattern In-Text Pattern Edition
APA Last, F. M. (Year). Title. Publisher. (Last, Year) or Last (Year) 7th (2020)
MLA Last, First. Title. Publisher, Year. (Last page#) 9th (2021)
Chicago Last, First. Title. Publisher, Year. Superscript numeral + note 18th (2024)
Harvard Last, F. (Year) Title. Publisher. (Last, Year) Institutional variant
IEEE [#] F. Last, title. Publisher, Year. [#] Latest (2024)

Which Style Should I Use?

APA 7 (American Psychological Association): Most common in psychology, social sciences, education, and business. Uses author-date format in-text.

MLA 9 (Modern Language Association): Standard for humanities, literature, languages, and cultural studies. Uses author-page in-text citations.

Chicago 18 (The Chicago Manual of Style): Preferred in history, philosophy, and some social sciences. Offers notes-bibliography (footnotes) or author-date systems.

Harvard: Common in UK universities and some international institutions. Variations exist by university. Always check your institution's specific guidelines.

IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers): Standard in engineering, computer science, and technical fields. Uses numbered citations [1], [2], etc.

Learn the detailed differences between APA and MLA →

What This Tool Does (and Does Not) Do

✓ What it does:

  • Formats the fields you type into correct citation syntax for each style.
  • Handles multiple authors, missing data, and special characters.
  • Generates both reference list entries and in-text citations instantly.
  • Works entirely offline: no signup, no API calls, no tracking.

✗ What it does not do:

  • Look up sources by DOI or URL: You must paste the full citation details yourself.
  • Verify your source is real: The tool formats whatever you enter; fact-check your sources separately.
  • Check for plagiarism or missing citations: Use Turnitin, Grammarly, or your institution's tools for that.
  • Generate alphabetized bibliography lists: See our alphabetizer tool to sort works cited.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know which citation style my teacher wants?

Check your assignment sheet, syllabus, or ask your instructor directly. Different disciplines have standard conventions: APA for sciences, MLA for humanities, Chicago for history, IEEE for engineering. When in doubt, ask. It's always the right move.

What if I don't know all the publication details?

Leave optional fields blank, and the tool will format what you have. However, a complete citation is always better: it helps readers find your source. Use Google Scholar, your library's database, or ISBN lookup tools to find missing information.

Can I use this tool for in-text citations only?

Yes. The "In-text Citation" proof panel shows the parenthetical or narrative form for each style. For APA and Harvard, you can use either (Author Year) or Author (Year) forms. For MLA, use (Author page). For IEEE, use the numbered format [#].

Does Harvard style have an official manual?

No. Harvard is an institutional style adapted by individual universities with their own variations. Always check your university's library guide before submitting. This tool uses the most common variant, but your school may differ.

What if my title is ALL CAPS or has strange capitalization?

Paste it as-is. For APA and MLA, sentence case is standard (only the first word and proper nouns capitalized). If you need to convert your title, use our case converter tool.

Sources