Citation Generator
Build perfect APA 7th and MLA 9th citations in seconds
One author per line, as First Last — e.g. Marie Curie
What is a citation, and why format it?
A citation is the full address of a source you used — author, year, title and publisher — written in a strict format so any reader can find the original. Universities deduct marks for wrong formatting even when the content is perfect, which is why APA (social sciences) and MLA (humanities) handbooks exist: they remove all guesswork about commas, italics and order.
What this tool does
- 📚 Formats books, websites and journal articles
- 🎓 Switches between APA 7th and MLA 9th with one click
- 👥 Handles multiple authors per the official rules, including particles like van and de
- 📋 One-click copy straight into your bibliography
When to use it
- Finishing the reference list of an essay or thesis at 2am
- Citing a website without guessing the format
- Checking how many authors to list before et al. kicks in
Privacy: everything is formatted locally in your browser — your source list never touches our servers.
Last updated · 2026-09-01
How formatting works
Your input is parsed into structured fields (authors split per line, names divided into surname plus initials with particle awareness) and rendered by small pure formatting functions for each style and source type. All of it runs locally — there is no citation database to query and nothing to upload.
Why cite here?
Two real style guides, not templates
APA 7th and MLA 9th implemented rule by rule — author initials, ampersands, et al. cutoffs and n.d. for missing years — instead of one generic shape with the label swapped.
Authors done right
Paste plain First Last names and get correct Last, F. M. forms, particles like van Beethoven kept together, and the official many-author cutoffs applied automatically.
Copy-ready in one click
The reference renders live as you type and copies cleanly into Word or Google Docs — no signup wall between you and your bibliography.
Frequently asked questions
Which editions do you follow?⌄
APA 7th edition and MLA 9th edition — the versions virtually every university requires today. Author lists follow the official rules (APA lists up to 20 authors, MLA shortens 3+ authors to et al.).
Do I need to install anything or create an account?⌄
Neither. The page works the moment it loads, with no login and no uploads — your sources never leave your browser.
Should I still double-check the result?⌄
Yes, always give it one read: capitalize proper nouns in titles yourself (book and article titles keep your capitalization), and confirm edition-specific details like DOIs with your style guide.
Frequently asked questions
Which editions do you follow?
APA 7th edition and MLA 9th edition — the versions virtually every university requires today. Author lists follow the official rules (APA lists up to 20 authors, MLA shortens 3+ authors to et al.).
Do I need to install anything or create an account?
Neither. The page works the moment it loads, with no login and no uploads — your sources never leave your browser.
Should I still double-check the result?
Yes, always give it one read: capitalize proper nouns in titles yourself (book and article titles keep your capitalization), and confirm edition-specific details like DOIs with your style guide.