How to use the citation generator
- Choose your style. Your teacher, course handbook or journal says which one to use.
- Choose what you're citing, then fill in the boxes. Leave out anything the source doesn't have.
- Copy the citation into your work. Italics are kept when you paste into Word or Google Docs.
- Building a reference list? Press "Add to my list" for each source. The list is sorted A to Z for you.
Examples
The same journal article in each style (the authors and journal are made up):
In the real citation, the journal name (and in APA the volume number) is in italics.
What each style looks like
| Style | Book | Web page |
|---|---|---|
| APA 7 | Author, A. A. (Year). Title of book (2nd ed.). Publisher. | Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of page. Site Name. URL |
| MLA 9 | Last, First. Title of Book. 2nd ed., Publisher, Year. | Last, First. “Title of Page.” Site Name, Day Month Year, URL. Accessed Day Month Year. |
| Harvard | Last, A. (Year) Title of book. 2nd edn. Publisher. | Last, A. (Year) Title of page. Available at: URL (Accessed: Day Month Year). |
What it doesn't do
- It doesn't look anything up online. It formats what you type, so check the details against the source.
- It doesn't change capital letters in titles. Type them the way your style wants: sentence case for APA and Harvard, title case for MLA.
- Harvard has many versions. This follows a common version used by many UK universities. If your university's guide differs, follow the guide.
- It doesn't make in-text citations, such as (Lee & Okafor, 2025). Those use the author names and year from the reference.
Frequently asked questions
What if there's no author?
If an organisation wrote it, put the organisation's name in the organisation box. If there's truly no author, leave both empty: APA and Harvard then start with the title, and MLA starts with the title too.
What if there's no date?
Leave the date empty. APA writes (n.d.) and Harvard writes (no date). MLA leaves the date out and, for web pages, includes the date you viewed it.
What is a DOI?
A Digital Object Identifier: a permanent link for a journal article or book, starting with 10. You'll usually find it on the article's first page or web page. If a source has a DOI, use it instead of the web address.
How do I count the words in my essay?
Paste your text into our word counter. Check your course rules on whether the reference list counts towards the word limit.