Citation Generator
Generate APA or MLA citations for websites, books, journals, YouTube videos, newspapers, and government documents. Copy preserves italics when pasting into Word or Google Docs.
Recommended in APA when no publish date; required in MLA
(n.d.).
Copying preserves italics when pasting into Word or Google Docs.
A citation is only useful if it contains enough information for someone else to find the same source.
The two most common formats — APA (used mainly in social sciences and psychology) and MLA (common in humanities) — have specific rules about what goes where, what gets italicised, and what order the fields appear in. This tool formats the fields correctly so you can focus on finding good sources rather than memorising punctuation rules.
Questions
Which style should I use?
Check with your institution or publisher. APA 7th is standard for psychology, education, and the social sciences. MLA 9th is common for English, literature, and the humanities. If in doubt, ask.
Do I always need a DOI?
In APA, include a DOI whenever one exists, even for print sources. In MLA, include a DOI or URL for any source you accessed online. A DOI is more stable than a URL and is preferred when both exist.
Why does the output show italics?
Titles of larger works (books, journals, websites) are italicised in both APA and MLA. The Copy button writes rich text to your clipboard, so italics are preserved when you paste into Word or Google Docs. Pasting into a plain text field gives clean plain text instead.
What if my source type is not listed?
Use the closest match. A podcast is similar to a YouTube video. A chapter in an edited book follows book format with an added editor field. Most style guides publish free online manuals covering edge cases.
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