Citation Generator
Create APA 7, MLA 9, and Chicago citations for websites, books, and journal articles with automatic author formatting and DOI support. 100% client-side.
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What is Citation Generator?
A Citation Generator that builds APA 7, MLA 9, and Chicago 17 bibliographic citations for websites, books, and journal articles. Enter authors in natural order and the tool inverts names, generates initials, applies et al. rules, and formats dates, page ranges, and DOI links per style. Everything runs entirely in your browser.
Key Benefits
- Correctly formatted citations in three major styles at once
- No more manual name inversion or initial punctuation
- Live preview updates as you type
- One-click copy into your bibliography or works cited list
- No data leaves the browser — 100% client-side
Common Use Cases
- •Writing research papers and theses that require a bibliography
- •Creating Works Cited pages for humanities essays (MLA)
- •Citing journal articles with volume, issue, pages, and DOI
- •Formatting book references with publisher and edition details
How to Use the Citation Generator
- Pick the source type: Choose Website, Book, or Journal article — the form adapts with the right fields.
- Enter the details: Type authors one per line ("Jane Doe"), the title, and the publication details like year, publisher, or volume/issue/pages.
- Review the citations: APA 7, MLA 9, and Chicago citations appear live as you type, with author inversion and et al. handled automatically.
- Copy the style you need: Click Copy next to any citation and paste it straight into your bibliography or works cited list.
Key Features
- APA 7, MLA 9, and Chicago 17 citations generated side by side
- Website, book, and journal article source types with tailored fields
- Type authors naturally ("Jane Doe") — inversion, initials, and et al. handled automatically
- DOI formatted as https://doi.org/... links where each style requires
- One-click copy for each citation style
- 100% client-side — your sources never leave the browser
Frequently Asked Questions
What citation styles does this tool support?
It generates the three most widely used styles: APA 7th edition, MLA 9th edition, and Chicago 17th edition (notes-bibliography style references). All three update live as you fill in the form.
How do I enter authors with the right format?
Type one author per line in natural order, e.g. "Jane Doe". The tool automatically inverts names for each style (Doe, J. in APA), generates initials, applies ", &" in APA, "and" in MLA/Chicago, and switches MLA to "et al." for three or more authors.
What is the difference between APA, MLA, and Chicago?
APA is common in social sciences and uses author-date, MLA is standard in humanities and uses author-page, and Chicago is used in history and publishing with flexible note-based referencing. Your instructor or journal usually specifies which one to use.
Does the tool italicize titles?
Citations are produced as plain text, so italics cannot be embedded. Follow your style rules: italicize book and journal titles, and keep article titles in plain text with quotes, when you paste into your document.