Online Student ToolsCitation tools
Citation Generator
Choose a source type, fill in what you have, and get a formatted citation and in-text reference. Switch styles without losing your entered information.
Source type
Author(s)
Bibliography / reference entry
Fill in the fields to see a citation.
In-text citation
N/A
How to create a citation
Pick your source type (website, book, or journal article), fill in the author, title, and the fields specific to that source, then pick a citation style. The bibliography entry and in-text citation update as you type. For books and journal articles, you can optionally paste an ISBN or DOI and click Look up to auto-fill the details from a free public database instead of typing them by hand. Add each finished citation to the reference list below to build a full bibliography, then alphabetize it and copy the whole list at once.
How this citation generator works
Every citation is built from templates for each style and source type, using only the information you enter, running entirely in your browser. Nothing is looked up automatically unless you use the optional DOI or ISBN lookup, and no bibliographic data is invented. If a field is missing, the citation shows a bracketed placeholder and the warning above the output tells you what to fill in before you use it.
Choosing a citation style
APA is common in the social sciences and education. MLA is common in the humanities and literature. Chicago (notes-bibliography) and Turabian (Chicago's student-focused author-date variant) are used in history and general academic writing. Harvard is common outside the US, especially in the UK and Australia. IEEE is standard in engineering and computer science. AMA is standard in medicine, and NLM (also called Vancouver) is the format used by PubMed and most biomedical journals. ACS and CSE cover chemistry and the natural sciences. ASA and APSA are the standard styles for sociology and political science. Bluebook is used in US legal writing. BibTeX isn't a citation style itself, it's a data format used with LaTeX to generate citations automatically in whichever style your document template specifies. If your assignment doesn't name a required style, check your course syllabus or ask your instructor before choosing one.
Numbered styles vs. author-date styles
IEEE, AMA, ACS, and NLM number their citations by the order each source first appears in your paper, rather than citing the author's name in the text. This tool lets you set that reference number directly so the numbering matches your paper. Every other supported style cites by author and year (or by author alone, for MLA) directly in the text.
Will the generator invent missing information?
No. If you leave a field empty, the citation shows a bracketed placeholder like [publisher] and the tool tells you exactly what's missing, rather than guessing. Fill in every field for a citation you can use as-is.
Which citation styles are supported?
APA 7, MLA 9, Chicago, Harvard, IEEE, AMA 11, ACS, CSE, Turabian 9, ASA 6, APSA, Bluebook, NLM, and BibTeX, for websites, books, and journal articles. Each format was checked against its official or library-published style guide rather than approximated.
Why do some styles ask for a reference number?
IEEE, AMA, ACS, and NLM number citations by the order they first appear in your paper, rather than by author name. Set that number here to match where the source falls in your own paper; it defaults to 1.
Why does a note appear under some citations?
A few styles, like AMA, ACS, CSE, and NLM, technically require officially abbreviated journal titles (from PubMed, CASSI, or a similar index) rather than the full journal name. This tool doesn't have those abbreviation tables built in, so it uses the full name you enter and flags that you may want to look up the standard abbreviation before submitting.
Can I switch styles without re-entering my source?
Yes. Fill in your source once, then click between any of the supported styles to see the same source formatted differently. Nothing you've entered is cleared when you switch.
Can I look up a citation automatically?
For books and journal articles, yes. Enter an ISBN (books) or a DOI (journal articles) and click Look up to pull the title, authors, publisher, and other details from Open Library or CrossRef, two free public databases. This is optional: nothing is sent anywhere unless you click the button, and only the ISBN or DOI itself is sent, never any of your own writing. Always double-check the filled-in fields, since these databases can have incomplete or outdated entries.
Does this replace checking my style guide?
Not entirely. This covers the common case correctly, but citation rules have exceptions for things like corporate authors, multiple editions, or sources with no listed author. When in doubt, check your official style guide or your institution's writing center.
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