- What is a citation generator?
- A citation generator is an online tool that formats source references into academic styles such as APA, MLA, Chicago, and Harvard. You enter source details like author, title, year, and publisher, then review the generated citation against your required style guide.
- Is this citation generator free?
- Yes. You can generate citations and bibliographies without signup.
- Which citation styles are supported?
- APA 7th, MLA 9th, Chicago author-date, and Harvard. If your class requires Chicago notes-bibliography or a specific local Harvard variant, review and adjust the final output.
- How do I use DOI auto-fill?
- In the Auto-Fill box, select 'DOI' and paste the DOI (e.g., 10.1038/nature12373). Click the search button and the tool fetches title, authors, journal, volume, issue, pages, and year from CrossRef. You can still edit any field before finalizing the citation.
- How do I use ISBN auto-fill?
- In the Auto-Fill box, select 'ISBN' and paste any 10- or 13-digit ISBN (with or without hyphens). Click the search button and the tool fetches book title, authors, publisher, and year from OpenLibrary (openlibrary.org). Always verify the returned data — OpenLibrary occasionally has gaps for older or niche books.
- Can I cite YouTube videos and podcasts?
- Yes. Select 'YouTube Video' or 'Podcast' as the source type. The tool formats multimedia references with fields such as channel name, video URL, host, show name, episode number, and publish date.
- How do I cite a source with many authors?
- Click 'Add Author' as many times as needed. The tool applies style-specific rules: APA 7th allows up to 20 authors before using 'et al.', MLA 9th uses 'et al.' after 2 authors, Chicago author-date lists up to 3 before 'et al.', and Harvard lists up to 3 before 'et al.'
- Can I build a bibliography with multiple sources?
- Yes. Click 'Add to Bibliography' after each citation to build a reference list. The bibliography section shows all added citations with style badges. You can remove individual entries, copy the full bibliography to clipboard, or download it as plain text (.txt) or BibTeX (.bib) for LaTeX / Overleaf.
- What is BibTeX and when should I use it?
- BibTeX (.bib) is a file format for bibliographies used with LaTeX, the academic typesetting system common in math, physics, computer science, and engineering. If you're writing your paper in LaTeX or Overleaf, export as BibTeX and reference citations in your source with \cite{key}. For Word / Google Docs, use plain text export instead.
- Is APA 7th or APA 6th correct?
- APA 7th edition (published October 2019) is the current standard. This tool generates APA 7th. If your instructor or journal specifically requires APA 6th (unusual as of 2026), you'll need to adjust things manually — key 6th-to-7th changes include author count (6 → 20), publisher location (required → removed), and DOI format (doi: → https://doi.org/...).
- Is my data private?
- Yes. All citation formatting happens locally in your browser. The only external calls are to CrossRef (for DOI lookups) and OpenLibrary (for ISBN lookups) — made directly from your browser, not proxied through our servers. We don't log, store, or see your citations or searches.
- Can I use this for my PhD thesis or journal submission?
- You can use it to build draft references and bibliographies, including BibTeX export for LaTeX. Always verify final citations against your institution's or journal's style guide before submission.
- How do I cite a website with no author?
- Leave the author field empty — the tool will handle it correctly per each style: APA uses the site name as the author position, MLA starts with the article title in quotes, Chicago uses the organization, and Harvard uses the site name. For news articles, the newspaper name often substitutes.
