Citation generator — APA, MLA, and Chicago references
Students and researchers search for a citation generator millions of times each semester. This free formatter builds APA 7, MLA 9, and Chicago style references for websites, books, journal articles, and YouTube videos. Enter author names, title, site or journal name, publication date, and URL—then copy the string into your bibliography or footnote list. Always verify against your instructor's style sheet; automated tools can miss italics, DOIs, or corporate authors.
How to cite a website in APA
APA website citations generally follow: Author, A. A. (Year). Title of page. Site Name. URL. When no individual author exists, use the organization as author (e.g., Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). Omit retrieval dates unless the page is designed to change over time. For page titles in sentence case, capitalize proper nouns only. Our APA website output mirrors that pattern so you can paste and tweak punctuation.
How to cite a website in MLA
MLA emphasizes the container (website) and uses quotation marks around page titles: Author Last, First. "Title." Site Name, Day Month Year, URL. If the author is unknown, start with the title. Access dates are optional in MLA 9 unless your instructor requires them for unstable URLs.
Chicago website notes
Chicago bibliography entries often place the date after the site name: Author. "Title." Site Name. Month Day, Year. URL. Notes-bibliography papers may use shortened notes after the first full citation—this generator focuses on bibliography-style lines.
APA vs MLA: which should I use?
Choose the style your assignment specifies—never mix them in one paper. APA dominates psychology, nursing, education, and many STEM fields; in-text citations use author-year (Smith, 2024). MLA is standard in high-school English and humanities; in-text citations use author-page (Smith 42). Chicago offers notes-bibliography (history) and author-date (sciences) systems. If you are unsure, ask your instructor before submitting.
Books, journals, and YouTube
Books need author, title, publisher, and year. Journal articles need article title, journal name, volume, issue, pages, and DOI when available—this tool provides simplified journal lines; add DOI manually for publisher accuracy. YouTube citations should credit the channel or uploader, video title, platform, upload date, and URL. APA labels video in brackets; MLA notes "uploaded by."
In-text citations vs bibliography
A bibliography entry (what this tool formats) is only half of APA/MLA work. In-text citations point readers to the full reference: APA uses (Author, Year); MLA uses (Author page). Keep author names consistent between in-text and works-cited lists. For organizations as authors, use a shortened name in text after the first citation.
DOI and database articles
Journal articles from JSTOR, PubMed, or university libraries should include a DOI when available—APA places it as a https://doi.org/... link at the end. Our journal mode outputs a simplified line; paste the DOI from the publisher page for submission-ready papers. Database names (ProQuest, EBSCO) appear in MLA optional elements when required by instructors.
AI tools and citation integrity
Chatbots sometimes invent sources. Verify every URL loads, that authors exist, and that dates match the live page. Use primary sources—government data, peer-reviewed PDFs, or reputable news outlets. Your institution may require disclosure when AI assisted drafting; citations must still reflect real works you read.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Using a paywalled URL when an open permalink exists.
- Citing the homepage instead of the specific article.
- Forgetting italics on book and journal titles (add in Word/Google Docs after copying).
- Listing "Retrieved from" in APA 7 when it is no longer required for static pages.
For writing quality checks, try the readability checker or word counter on Toolsle.