Free Citation Generator

Choose your citation style, select the source type, then paste a URL or fill in the source details manually. The generator creates both the in-text citation and the full bibliography entry, so you can copy the exact part you need.

Auto-cite can extract metadata such as title, author, date, site name, DOI, and journal details from web pages and DOI records. You can also switch between APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, and IEEE without re-entering your source.

APA 7th uses author-date in-text citations, such as (Smith, 2025). A website usually follows this pattern: Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title. Site Name. URL.

Journal articles use: Author, A. A. (Year). Title. Journal, Volume(Issue), pages. DOI. Books use: Author, A. A. (Year). Title (Edition). Publisher. Common APA mistakes include missing dates, incorrect capitalization, misplaced periods, and forgetting the DOI when one is available.

MLA 9th is common in humanities, literature, and language courses. Its core container format is: Author. "Title." Container, other contributors, version, number, publisher, date, location.

The biggest difference from APA is the in-text citation. MLA often uses author-page format, like (Smith 42), while APA emphasizes year. For websites without page numbers, MLA usually uses the author or title in the parenthetical citation.

Chicago has two major systems: Notes-Bibliography and Author-Date. History and many humanities courses often use footnotes or endnotes, while some social sciences use author-date references.

Chicago bibliography entries usually include author, title, publication information, date, and location. Because instructors vary in which Chicago system they prefer, always check the assignment brief.

Harvard referencing is common in Australian and UK universities. It uses an author-date system similar to APA, but the punctuation and ordering differ by university guide.

In-text citations usually look like (Smith 2025), and bibliography entries include author, year, title, publisher or site, and URL or DOI where relevant.