Generate bibliographic references in APA 7th edition, MLA 9th edition, Chicago 17th edition, IEEE, Harvard, and ICONTEC format automatically. Just enter your source details and get a citation ready to copy and paste into your academic paper.
Free Online Citation Generator
Select the citation style you need, choose the source type (book, journal article, website, thesis, or conference paper), fill in the fields, and click Generate Reference. The tool automatically formats your citation according to each style’s official rules.
How to Use This Citation Generator
Follow these steps to generate your bibliographic reference correctly:
- Select the citation style: Choose from APA 7th, MLA 9th, Chicago 17th, IEEE, Harvard, or ICONTEC depending on your institution’s requirements.
- Choose the source type: Book, journal article, website, thesis/dissertation, or conference paper.
- Enter the details: Fill in the author fields (last name and first name), title, year, and any additional fields for your source type.
- Generate the reference: Click «Generate Reference» and the tool will automatically format the citation.
- Copy and paste: Use the «Copy» button to take the reference directly into your document.
Citation Styles Supported
APA 7th Edition
The APA (American Psychological Association) format is the most widely used in social sciences, psychology, education, and related fields. The 7th edition (2019) simplified several rules: up to 20 authors are listed in full, the publisher’s city was removed, and DOIs appear as full URLs. Our generator applies all these updated rules. Learn more in our APA format template guide.
MLA 9th Edition
MLA (Modern Language Association) style is standard in the humanities, literature, and liberal arts. The 9th edition uses a flexible container system where core elements (author, title, container, version, number, publisher, date, location) adapt to any source type. Titles of longer works are italicized while shorter works use quotation marks. In-text citations use the author-page format (Smith 45).
Chicago 17th Edition
The Chicago Manual of Style offers two citation systems: Notes-Bibliography (used in humanities) and Author-Date (used in sciences). Our generator produces Bibliography-style entries. Chicago is widely used in history, philosophy, and arts disciplines. It provides detailed source documentation with careful attention to punctuation and formatting.
IEEE
IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) style is the standard in engineering, computer science, and technology. It uses a numbered system with references in brackets [1], [2], etc. Author names use initials before the last name, and article titles go in quotation marks. See our complete IEEE citation format guide for detailed examples.
Harvard Referencing
Harvard referencing is widely used in the UK, Australia, and many international universities. It uses an author-date system similar to APA but with distinctive formatting: single quotation marks for article titles, «edn.» for editions, and «Available at:» for URLs. Harvard is popular in business, social sciences, and natural sciences across Commonwealth countries.
ICONTEC (NTC 5613)
ICONTEC standards, based on NTC 5613, are the standard in Colombia for academic papers. Last names are written in uppercase, the city of publication is included, and for more than 3 authors, «et al.» is used from the first author. It is the most requested format in Colombian universities. Visit our Spanish citation generator for ICONTEC-specific examples.
Source Types Available
The generator supports the 5 most common source types in academic writing: books (with edition and DOI support), journal articles (with volume, issue, and pages), websites (with site name and access date), theses and dissertations (with degree type and university), and conference papers (with event name and city). For each type, the fields automatically adapt based on the selected citation style.
When to Use Each Citation Style
Choosing the right citation style depends on your academic discipline and institution. Here’s a quick guide to help you decide:
| Style | Best for | In-text format | Common in |
|---|---|---|---|
| APA 7th | Social sciences, psychology, education | (Author, Year) | US, Canada, global |
| MLA 9th | Humanities, literature, languages | (Author Page) | US, Canada |
| Chicago 17th | History, philosophy, arts | Footnotes or (Author Year) | US, global |
| IEEE | Engineering, computer science, technology | [1], [2], [3] | Global |
| Harvard | Business, sciences, general use | (Author Year) | UK, Australia, EU |
| ICONTEC | All academic disciplines in Colombia | Footnotes (numeric) | Colombia |
Always check your institution’s specific requirements, as some departments may have additional formatting rules or prefer a particular edition of a style.
Tips for Accurate Citations
- Double-check author names: Ensure last names and first names are entered in the correct fields. For organizations as authors, enter the full name in the last name field.
- Use DOIs when available: A DOI (Digital Object Identifier) provides a permanent link to a source and is preferred over URLs in most styles.
- Include access dates for websites: MLA, ICONTEC, and some versions of Harvard require the date you accessed an online source.
- Be consistent: Use the same citation style throughout your entire document. Never mix APA and MLA in the same paper.
- Verify against the manual: This generator handles common source types, but edge cases (legal documents, social media posts, personal communications) may need manual adjustment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this citation generator free?
Yes, our citation generator is completely free and requires no registration. You can use it as many times as you need with no limits.
Are the generated citations 100% accurate?
The tool follows the official rules of each citation style, but we always recommend verifying the generated reference against the corresponding official manual. Special cases (corporate authors, sources with no date, translations, or legal documents) may require manual adjustments.
Can I cite sources with multiple authors?
Yes. Use the «+ Add author» button to add as many authors as needed. Each style has its own rules for handling multiple authors: APA lists up to 20, MLA uses «et al.» after 2, Chicago after 3, IEEE lists all with «and,» Harvard uses «et al.» after 3, and ICONTEC after 3.
Which citation style should I use?
It depends on your institution and field of study. As a general guide: APA for social sciences and education, MLA for humanities and literature, Chicago for history and arts, IEEE for engineering and technology, Harvard for UK/Australian universities, and ICONTEC for Colombian institutions. Always check your professor’s or institution’s guidelines first.
What’s the difference between APA and MLA?
APA uses an author-date system with parenthetical citations like (Smith, 2026), while MLA uses author-page citations like (Smith 45). APA is common in sciences, MLA in humanities. APA titles are in sentence case, while MLA preserves title case. Our full APA vs MLA comparison covers all the differences in detail.
Can I generate in-text citations too?
This tool generates reference list entries (the full citation at the end of your paper). For in-text citations, APA uses (Author, Year), MLA uses (Author Page), Chicago uses footnotes or (Author Year), IEEE uses [number], and Harvard uses (Author Year). We plan to add an in-text citation feature in a future update.
Does this work on mobile devices?
Yes. The citation generator is fully responsive and works on smartphones, tablets, and desktop computers. The layout automatically adjusts to your screen size.
How is this different from Zotero or Mendeley?
Zotero and Mendeley are reference management software that store and organize your entire library. Our generator is a quick-use tool — no installation, no login, no library to manage. It’s ideal when you need to format one or a few citations quickly. For large research projects with dozens of sources, a reference manager may be more efficient.