Need a bibliography fast? Enter your source details below and get a correctly formatted APA, MLA, or Chicago citation — plus in-text citations — free, with no signup.

Free Citation Generator — APA, MLA, Chicago (No Signup)
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Citation Generator: APA, MLA, and Chicago in Seconds

Build perfect bibliography entries for books, websites, and journal articles — plus matching in-text citations. No ads, no account, no paywall.

Your formatted citation

In-text citation
100% private

Your source details never leave this page — everything is formatted right in your browser.

No signup

No accounts, no nag screens, no “create a free account to copy” tricks.

Free forever

Generate as many citations as your paper needs. No limits, no premium tier.

How to generate a citation

  1. 1Pick a style and source type

    Choose APA 7th, MLA 9th, or Chicago 17th, then Book, Website, or Journal Article.

  2. 2Fill in the source details

    Enter the author, title, year, and the fields for your source type. Only the starred fields are required.

  3. 3Generate and copy

    Hit Generate Citation, then copy the bibliography entry and the matching in-text citation straight into your paper.

Why use this citation generator

Three major styles in one place

APA 7th, MLA 9th, and Chicago 17th bibliography formats — switch styles without retyping anything.

In-text citations included

Every entry comes with its matching in-text citation, formatted for the style you picked.

Books, websites, and journals

The three source types students cite most, each with the fields that style actually requires.

Multi-author handling

Add a second author or tick the et al. box and the formatting adjusts automatically.

No account walls

Other generators block copying until you sign up. Here the copy buttons just work.

Private by design

Nothing you type is sent anywhere — safe for unpublished drafts and theses.

Citation generator FAQs

Which citation styles does this support?
APA 7th edition, MLA 9th edition, and Chicago 17th edition bibliography style — the three formats used by the vast majority of US colleges and high schools.
How do I cite a source with no author?
Leave the author fields blank. APA and MLA will start the entry with the title, and Chicago will too. For APA, also tick the logic: if there is no author, the title moves to the author position.
What if my source has three or more authors?
Fill in the first author, then tick the “3 or more authors — use et al.” box. The generator formats it correctly for each style (for example, “Smith et al.” in APA).
Does this generate in-text citations too?
Yes. Every bibliography entry comes with a matching in-text citation — (Smith, 2020) for APA, (Smith) for MLA, and (Smith 2020) for Chicago author-date — with its own copy button.
Should I double-check the output?
Always give your reference list a final read against your instructor’s rubric. Style guides have edge cases (translations, corporate authors, missing dates) that any generator can only approximate.
Is my paper or source data stored anywhere?
No. All formatting happens locally in your browser. Nothing is uploaded, logged, or saved.

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