Citation Generator

About the Citation Generator

Citation formatting rules — where commas go, what's italicized, how to handle a missing author — are exactly the kind of detail that's easy to get subtly wrong. This tool builds a correctly formatted citation and matching in-text reference for APA, MLA, or Chicago style from your source details.

Who it's for: Students building a works-cited page or bibliography who already have their source details in hand.

Tip: Fill in whatever fields you actually have — if something's missing (like a publish date), the tool flags it rather than guessing, so you know exactly what to track down.

How to use it

1. Fill in the required details: Citation Style, Source Type and Title. The more specific you are, the more usable the result — a narrow topic beats a broad subject.
2. Add the optional details if you have them (author(s), publisher / website name, publication date, url and date you accessed it (optional, for websites)). You can leave these blank and the tool will make sensible choices for you.
3. Click Generate and wait a few seconds for the result to appear below the form.
4. Read it through and correct anything that doesn't fit your class, your assignment, or the facts.
5. Copy it, download it as PDF, Word, or PowerPoint, or share it with a link.

What you can customize

• Citation Style — choose from APA 7th Edition, MLA 9th Edition, Chicago (Notes-Bibliography) or Chicago (Author-Date).
• Source Type — choose from Website, Book, Journal Article, News Article, YouTube Video or Other.
• Title — e.g. The Great Gatsby, or article/page title.
• Author(s) (optional) — e.g. F. Scott Fitzgerald.
• Publisher / Website Name (optional) — e.g. Scribner, or National Geographic.
• Publication Date (optional) — e.g. 1925, or March 5, 2023.
• URL (optional) — e.g. https://.
• Date You Accessed It (optional, for websites) (optional) — e.g. July 15, 2026.

Frequently asked questions

How does the Citation Generator work?

You fill in citation style, source type and title, then click Generate. Your inputs are sent to an AI language model with instructions written for this specific task, and the result appears on the page in a few seconds.

Is Citation Generator free to use?

Yes. Every visitor gets a number of free generations each day without creating an account, and signing in raises that daily limit. The site is supported by advertising.

How accurate is the output?

Treat it as a strong first draft, not a finished product. AI models can state things that are wrong, miss your curriculum's specific requirements, or pitch the difficulty slightly off. Read the result, check facts and answers, and edit it before you use it with students or hand it in.

Can I export or share the generated result?

Yes. You can copy the text, download it as a PDF, Word (.docx), or PowerPoint (.pptx) file, or copy a share link that opens the same result for anyone you send it to.

What happens to the text I enter?

Your inputs and the generated result are stored so that the share link, export, and history features work, and they are sent to our AI provider to produce the result. Do not enter students' full names or other personal information — use initials or a description instead.