Citation Generator — APA, MLA & Chicago

Generate accurate APA, MLA, and Chicago citations for websites, books, and journals. Free, no sign-up.

Citation Style

Source Type

Author(s)

Title

Year

Site Name

URL

Formatted Citation

How to Generate Citations

Formatting citations correctly is one of the easiest ways to lose points on a paper, and manual formatting almost always has typos. This generator follows the latest official style guides for APA, MLA, and Chicago to produce accurate, ready-to-use citations in one click.

Pick the citation style you need: APA, MLA, or Chicago (Notes & Bibliography).
Select the type of source you are citing: website, book, or journal article.
Fill in the required fields for that source: author names, title, year, URL, etc. All fields match the official style guide requirements.
Click to copy the formatted citation directly to your clipboard. It is already formatted with hanging indents as required.
Paste the citation directly into your references or works cited page — no further formatting needed.

How Citation Rules Are Implemented

The generator follows the 7th edition of APA, 9th edition of MLA, and 17th edition of Chicago (Notes & Bibliography) — the versions currently required by most North American universities. All field order, punctuation, capitalization, and formatting rules are strictly followed.

Hanging indents are already included in the copied text, so when you paste it into a word processor, it will match the required formatting automatically. You do not need to adjust indentation manually.

How MLA Website Citations Work

MLA 9th edition cites a web page as: Author. "Title of Page." Website Name, Date, URL. The author is written Last, First; the page title goes in quotation marks; and the site name is italicized.

If the author or date is missing, MLA rules say to skip that element rather than write 'n.d.' or 'n.a.'. The generator applies these rules automatically so your citation stays accurate.

How Chicago Website Citations Work

Chicago bibliography format cites a web page as: Author Last, First. "Page Title." Website Name, Month Day, Year. URL. The author is inverted and elements are separated by periods.

Chicago allows either notes-bibliography or author-date style; this generator produces the bibliography form, the version most commonly required in history and humanities courses.

How APA YouTube Citations Work

APA 7th edition cites a YouTube video as: Uploader. (Year, Month Day). Title of video [Video]. YouTube. URL. The uploader (channel name) is treated as the author, and the video title is italicized.

Use the channel or account name as the author rather than a person's name, unless you know the actual creator. The date should be the day the video was published.

FAQ

Which versions of the style guides do you use?

APA 7th edition (2020), MLA 9th edition (2021), and Chicago 17th edition (Notes & Bibliography, 2017) — these are the versions required by 99% of North American universities for student papers.

Do I have to create an account?

No. The citation generator is completely free, no sign-up required, and all your inputs never leave your browser.

Does it handle multiple authors?

Yes. For sources with up to 20 authors, the generator automatically follows the et al. rules for each style. For APA, 3+ authors become et al. after the first citation; for MLA, 3+ authors become et al. in all citations.

Does it include in-text citations?

The current version generates full reference list citations. In-text citation generation will be added in a future update based on user feedback.

Can I cite a social media post or other non-standard source?

Currently only websites, books, and journal articles are supported. If you need support for other source types (social media, videos, interviews, etc.), let us know and we will add them.

How do you cite a website in MLA format?

Author Last, First. "Page Title." Website Name, publication date, URL. This generator produces exactly that, applying MLA 9th edition punctuation and italics.

What if the website has no author?

In MLA, skip the author and start with the page title. This generator handles missing fields by omitting them per MLA rules.

What if the website has no date?

MLA 9th edition omits the date if it's not available, unlike APA which uses 'n.d.'. The generator applies this automatically.

What's the difference between MLA and APA for website citations?

MLA writes the author's full first name and puts the page title in quotation marks; APA uses initials and italicizes the title. MLA also adds an access date when a page might change. If you're writing for a literature or humanities class, MLA is usually the one they ask for.

How do you cite a website in Chicago style?

Chicago bibliography format: Author Last, First. "Page Title." Website Name, date. URL. This generator applies the 17th edition rules automatically.

What's the difference between Chicago and MLA website citations?

Chicago inverts the author name and separates elements with periods, while MLA uses commas and puts the page title in quotes. Both italicize the site name.

Does Chicago need a URL?

Chicago 17th edition recommends including the URL (or DOI) for online sources. This generator includes it in the citation.

How do you cite a YouTube video in APA?

Uploader. (Year, Month Day). Title of video [Video]. YouTube. URL. This generator produces exactly that format per APA 7th edition.

Who is the author of a YouTube video citation?

Use the uploader — the channel or account name — as the author. If the video credits an individual creator, use that person's name instead.

What date do I use for a YouTube citation?

Use the publication date shown on the video (year, month, and day). If only the year is available, that is acceptable.

How do I cite a TED Talk in APA?

Treat it like any YouTube video. Use the TED channel as the author, then the talk's title, the date it was published, and the URL. The format is: TED. (Year, Month Day). Title of talk [Video]. YouTube. URL.