What Is an APA Citation Generator?
An APA citation generator is a free online tool that turns the details of a source into an APA reference list entry and a matching in-text citation. The tool puts each detail in APA order and applies the punctuation, the italics, and the sentence-case capitalization that APA Style asks for. Some writers call it an APA citation maker or an APA reference generator.
College and university students use it for essays, lab reports, literature reviews, and theses. Researchers use a citation generator to check a reference list before they submit an article to a journal that follows APA Style.
What Is APA Style?
APA Style is the writing and citation style of the American Psychological Association (APA), set out in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. APA Style began in 1929 as a 7-page article in the journal Psychological Bulletin, and the manual is now in its 7th edition (2020). Writers in the social sciences, behavioral sciences, and health sciences use it, from psychology and education to nursing, along with business and communication.
APA Style has one citation system, the author-date system, so the year of a source always sits next to its author’s name, in the text and in the list.
Parts of an APA Citation
An APA reference has 4 elements: the author, the date, the title, and the source. The in-text citation repeats the first 2 elements and adds a page number for a quotation. The color-coded journal article below marks each element.
Reference list entry
(2018). Sleep quality and memory in first-year college students. Journal of Student Health, 12(2), 45–67. https://doi.org/10.5555/jsh.2018.0042
In-text citation
2018, p. 51)
The source element changes with the type of work. For a journal article it holds the journal name, volume, issue, page range, and Digital Object Identifier (DOI). For a book it holds the publisher, and for a webpage it holds the site name and the URL. A work outside the usual formats takes a description in square brackets after its title, such as [Video] or [Data set].
APA vs. MLA, Chicago, and Harvard
APA, Harvard, and Chicago author-date cite a source by author and year, while MLA cites it by author and page only. APA and Harvard write “p.” before the page and shorten first names to initials in the list. The table compares how each style cites page 51 of a 2018 journal article by Maria Lopez.
| Style | In-text citation | Name of the list | Author in the list |
|---|---|---|---|
| APA 7 | (Lopez, 2018, p. 51) | References | Lopez, M. |
| MLA 9 | (Lopez 51) | Works Cited | Lopez, Maria |
| Chicago author-date | (Lopez 2018, 51) | References | Lopez, Maria |
| Harvard | (Lopez, 2018, p. 51) | Reference list | Lopez, M. |
Turabian, the student version of Chicago, uses the same in-text form as Chicago author-date in its own author-date system.
How to Use Our APA Citation Generator
To use the APA citation generator, follow these 6 steps at the top of the page:
- Choose the edition
Keep APA 7 (2020) in the Edition menu, or switch to APA 6 (2010) when your instructor asks for it. APA 6 adds a place of publication field.
- Pick the source type
Website, Book, Journal, and Video have their own tabs. Open More for the other 40 source types, and type in its search box to find one fast.
- Search for the source
Type a book or article title and pick your source from the results, or paste a DOI, International Standard Book Number (ISBN), arXiv ID, PubMed ID (PMID), or YouTube link and press Cite. The form fills from Crossref, DataCite, PubMed, Open Library, or the video page. Paste any other web address and the tool reads the title, author, site name, and date that the page states. A few sites block this, and then only the link is added. Press Or enter the details manually to skip the search.
- Check the title capitals
Use sentence case for titles is ticked by default. Capitalize names and places again where the conversion lowercased them, or untick the box and type the title exactly as APA needs it.
- Add the page you quote
Type the page, the page range, or a locator such as para. 4 or 3:15 in the Page cited field. The in-text citation picks it up after the year.
- Copy the citation or build your list
Press Copy to paste the entry into Microsoft Word or Google Docs with its italics intact. Press Add to reference list to collect entries in alphabetical order, then Copy all.
Source Types the Generator Covers
The generator covers 44 source types in 8 groups:
| Group | Source types |
|---|---|
| Books | Book, e-book, edited book, translated book, book chapter |
| Articles | Journal article, database article, newspaper article, magazine article, review, book review, preprint |
| Web and social media | Website, blog post, social media post, AI-generated content |
| Audio and video | Video or YouTube, film or movie, TV or radio broadcast, podcast episode, song or music recording |
| Art and visual | Artwork, image or photograph, map |
| Research and reports | Thesis or dissertation, report, government report, dataset, standard, conference paper |
| Talks and conversations | Lecture, speech, interview, email, personal communication |
| Legal, archival, and reference | Legal case, legal bill, legislation or statute, regulation, patent, archival document or letter, dictionary entry, encyclopedia entry, Bible or sacred text |
The citation tool builds the citations for one paper at a time and has no BibTeX or RIS export. Reference managers such as Zotero, Mendeley, and EndNote keep long-term source libraries and export those file formats.
How to Cite Sources in APA Format
To cite a source in APA format, write one full reference entry for it and one or more short in-text citations that point to that entry. Build the entry first, then copy its name and year into the text, so the two always match. Personal communications are the one exception: they get a citation in the text and no reference entry.
APA Reference Templates by Source Type
APA reference templates show the APA citation format for the 8 most cited source types. The templates follow APA 7.
| Source | Reference list template |
|---|---|
| Journal article | Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of article. Journal Name, volume(issue), pages. https://doi.org/xxxx |
| Book | Author, A. A. (Year). Title of book (2nd ed.). Publisher. |
| Edited book chapter | Author, A. A. (Year). Title of chapter. In E. E. Editor (Ed.), Title of book (pp. pages). Publisher. |
| Webpage | Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of page. Site Name. URL |
| Newspaper article | Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of article. Newspaper Name. URL |
| YouTube video | Channel Name. (Year, Month Day). Title of video [Video]. YouTube. URL |
| Report by an agency | Agency Name. (Year). Title of report. URL |
| Dissertation | Author, A. A. (Year). Title [Doctoral dissertation, University Name]. Database. |
Leave the publisher or site name out of a report or webpage, when it is the same body as the group author. That is why the agency report template has no publisher.
Citing Sources With No Author, No Date, or No Title
APA replaces 3 kinds of missing information with a fixed substitute:
- No author: the title moves into the author position. The in-text citation uses the title in title case, in italics for a standalone work, as in (Study Tips for Exam Week, n.d.), and in quotation marks for an article or chapter, as in (“Library Extends Weekend Hours,” 2024).
- No date: “n.d.” (no date) takes the place of the year in both the reference and the in-text citation.
- No title: a short description in square brackets takes the title position, such as [Photograph of a lecture hall].
Citing a Source Quoted in Another Source
Cite the work you read, and name the original author in your sentence, when you take a quotation or idea from a secondary source. APA writes this as (Rabbitt, 1982, as cited in Lyon et al., 2014), and only Lyon et al. (2014) goes on the References page. Find and cite the original work whenever it is available to you.
APA Citation Examples
Each APA style citation example shows the reference list entry and the in-text citation for the same source. The 12 examples below come from the generator on this page and follow APA 7. To cite ChatGPT or another large language model, follow the ChatGPT and AI example: the APA Style blog set this format in April 2023, with the company as the author and [Large language model] after the name of the tool.
Journal Article Citation Example
Okafor, S., & Lee, A. (2022). Screen time and attention in middle school classrooms. Journal of Educational Research Methods, 9(4), 210–228. https://doi.org/10.5555/jerm.2022.0187
(Okafor & Lee, 2022, p. 214)
Book Citation Example
Lee, A. (2021). Reading research: A guide for psychology students (3rd ed.). Northfield University Press.
(Lee, 2021, p. 88)
Book Chapter Citation Example
Lopez, M. (2020). Measuring stress in adolescents. In J. Doe & S. Okafor (Eds.), Methods in developmental psychology (pp. 45–67). Northfield University Press.
(Lopez, 2020, p. 52)
Webpage Citation Example
Doe, J. (2021, March 2). How to read a research article. University Library. https://library.example.edu/research-articles
(Doe, 2021)
Newspaper Article Citation Example
Reyes, D. (2024, March 8). City council approves new library budget. Northfield Gazette. https://www.northfieldgazette.example/library-budget
(Reyes, 2024)
YouTube Video Citation Example
Northfield Psychology Lab. (2023, April 28). How memory works in 10 minutes [Video]. YouTube. https://video.example.com/memory-in-10-minutes
(Northfield Psychology Lab, 2023)
Government Report Citation Example
Northfield Department of Education. (2023). Student mental health survey results. https://education.example.org/reports/student-mental-health-2023.pdf
(Northfield Department of Education, 2023)
Dissertation Citation Example
Lee, A. (2015). Migration and memory in postwar cities [Doctoral dissertation, Northfield University]. ProQuest.
(Lee, 2015)
Social Media Post Citation Example
Northfield University [@NorthfieldU]. (2025, May 1). Our library is open 24 hours during finals week. Bring your student ID. [Post]. X. https://social.example.com/NorthfieldU/status/123
(Northfield University, 2025)
ChatGPT and AI Citation Example
OpenAI. (2025). ChatGPT [Large language model]. https://chatgpt.com
(OpenAI, 2025)
APA leaves your prompt out of the reference: quote the prompt in your text where you describe how you used the tool.
Podcast Episode Citation Example
Ibarra, R. (Host). (2025, May 2). Why we forget (No. 42) [Audio podcast episode]. In Mind Matters. Northfield Public Radio. https://podcasts.example.org/mind-matters/42
(Ibarra, 2025)
Personal Communication Citation Example
(T. Becker, personal communication, May 1, 2024)
APA cites personal communications such as emails, text messages, conversations and private letters in the text only, never in the reference list.
APA In-Text Citations Explained
An APA in-text citation gives the author’s surname and the year of publication, plus a page or other locator for a direct quotation. It goes in the sentence that draws on the source.
Parenthetical vs. Narrative Citations
APA has 2 forms of in-text citation, which carry the same information in different places:
Parenthetical Citation
The author and the year sit together inside parentheses, usually at the end of the clause: (Ellis, 2020).
Narrative Citation
The author's name is part of the sentence, and the year follows it in parentheses: Ellis (2020) reported higher scores.
Choose the narrative form to put the researcher at the front of the sentence, and the parenthetical form to put the finding first. The 2 forms join 2 authors differently: an ampersand (&) inside the parentheses, and the word “and” in the sentence.
Et Al. and Author Rules in APA
APA 7 names 1 or 2 authors in every citation and shortens 3 or more authors to the first author’s surname plus “et al.” from the first citation on, so a work with multiple authors shows 1 name before et al., however many authors it has. A group author, known as a corporate author in some guides, is written out in full, and its abbreviation is defined in the first citation.
| Author | Parenthetical citation | Narrative citation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 author | (Ellis, 2020) | Ellis (2020) |
| 2 authors | (Ellis & Cho, 2020) | Ellis and Cho (2020) |
| 3 or more authors | (Ellis et al., 2020) | Ellis et al. (2020) |
| Group author, first citation | (American Psychological Association [APA], 2020) | American Psychological Association (APA, 2020) |
| Group author, later citations | (APA, 2020) | APA (2020) |
The generator prints the full group name. Add the abbreviation by hand, when it is well known or the group appears at least 3 times in the paper, and never abbreviate the name in the reference list.
Page Numbers, Paragraphs, and Timestamps
Add a locator after the year, when you quote a source word for word or point to one passage. APA uses 4 kinds of locator:
- p. for 1 page and pp. for a range: (Ellis, 2020, pp. 45–46)
- A paragraph number (para.) for a source with no page numbers, such as a webpage: (Ellis, 2020, para. 4)
- A timestamp for audio and video, at the start of the quoted part: (Northfield Psychology Lab, 2023, 3:15)
- A chapter, section, or slide number, when the source has no page or paragraph numbers
Set a quotation of 40 words or more as a block quotation: start it on a new line, indent the whole block 0.5 inch (1.27 cm), double-space it, drop the quotation marks, and put the citation after the final punctuation with no period after it.
Citing Several Works in One Parenthesis
Cite several works in one parenthesis in the same alphabetical order as the reference list, with semicolons between them: (Ellis, 2020; Haddad et al., 2021; Nguyen, 2020). Give 2 works by the same author once, with the years in date order and a comma between them: (Shah, 2016, 2018).
Two works by the same author from the same year take a lowercase letter after the year, such as 2018a and 2018b, in the citation and in the reference list. Type the letter after you copy the citation, since the generator’s Year field takes the 4-digit year only.
Citing the Same Source More Than Once
To cite the same source multiple times in APA, repeat its author-date citation each time, since APA has no “ibid.” and no short form. Keep the year in every parenthetical citation. Leave the year out of a later narrative citation only inside the same paragraph, as in Ellis (2020) found higher scores, and Ellis then compared 2 groups. Give the year again in the first narrative citation of each new paragraph. The source keeps a single entry in the reference list, however often the paper cites it.
How to Format an APA Reference List
An APA reference list is the alphabetical list of every source the paper cites, on a new page at the end of the paper. Readers use it to find each source named in an in-text citation.
APA Reference Page Format
To format an APA reference page, follow these 5 rules:
- Start a new page after the last page of text.
- Write the label References in bold and centered at the top of the page.
- Double-space the whole list, with no extra blank lines between entries. APA format is double-spaced from the title page to the last reference, so the list keeps the double spacing of the text.
- Indent every line after the first by 0.5 inch (1.27 cm), a layout called a hanging indent.
- Put the entries in alphabetical order, as set out in the next rules.
Microsoft Word sets a hanging indent in Paragraph > Indentation > Special > Hanging. Google Docs sets it in Format > Align & indent > Indentation options > Special indent > Hanging. Apply the indent after you paste the list from the generator.
How to Alphabetize APA References
APA orders references letter by letter by the first author’s surname, with 3 rules for ties:
- A shorter surname comes first, when it matches the start of a longer one: Brown before Browning.
- Entries by the same single author run from the earliest year to the latest.
- A single-author entry comes before a co-authored entry that starts with the same name.
A work with no author is alphabetized by the first significant word of its title, skipping A, An, and The. The sample list below follows all 3 rules.
References
Brown, J. (2019). Learning to learn. Northfield University Press.
Browning, A. (2017). Teaching with evidence. Northfield University Press.
Shah, P. (2016). Note taking by hand and by laptop. Journal of Learning Research, 4(1), 3–14. https://doi.org/10.5555/jlr.2016.41
Shah, P. (2018). Retrieval practice in large lectures. Journal of Learning Research, 6(2), 40–52. https://doi.org/10.5555/jlr.2018.62
Shah, P., & Adams, K. (2017). Spaced study schedules. Journal of Learning Research, 5(3), 88–97. https://doi.org/10.5555/jlr.2017.53
Sentence Case, Title Case, and Italics
In APA style, the titles of works take sentence case, and the names of journals, magazines, and newspapers take title case. Sentence case capitalizes the first word, the first word after a colon or dash, and proper nouns. Title case capitalizes every major word and every word of 4 letters or more.
| Element | Capitalization | Italics |
|---|---|---|
| Article or chapter title | Sentence case | No |
| Book, report, webpage, or video title | Sentence case | Yes |
| Journal, magazine, or newspaper name | Title case | Yes |
| Journal volume number | Not applicable | Yes, with the issue number in roman type |
When to Add a DOI or URL
Add a DOI to every work that has one, print or online, and add a URL to an online work that has no DOI. APA sets 3 more rules for links:
- Give the DOI alone, written as a DOI URL, when a work has both a DOI and a URL.
- Leave out database names and URLs for works without a DOI from academic research databases, such as APA PsycInfo, JSTOR, or EBSCOhost. APA names 2 exceptions: databases of original content, such as UpToDate, and works of limited circulation, such as dissertations in ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global.
- Add a retrieval date only for a page designed to change over time that is not archived.
APA Edition Guidelines: APA 7 vs. APA 6
The APA 7th edition (2020) changed 8 rules of the APA 6th edition (2010) that alter how a reference or in-text citation looks. Some instructors still ask for APA 6, so the generator formats both editions.
What Changed in APA 7
The 8 citation rules that changed are these:
| Rule | APA 6 (2010) | APA 7 (2020) |
|---|---|---|
| Publisher location in references | Required: the city and state, as in Boston, MA: Publisher | Not needed: include the publisher’s name only |
| Authors in a reference | Up to 7; 8 or more list the first 6, an ellipsis, and the last | Up to 20; 21 or more list the first 19, an ellipsis, and the last |
| In-text citation, 3 to 5 authors | Every name in the first citation, et al. after that | First author + et al. from the first citation |
| DOI | doi:10.xxxx | https://doi.org/10.xxxx |
| URL | Retrieved from URL | URL alone |
| E-books | DOI or Retrieved from URL in place of the publisher | Publisher, then the DOI or URL; no format, platform, or device |
| Webpage | Title in roman type, no site name | Title in italics, followed by the site name |
| Online video | [Video file] | [Video], with the platform as publisher |
APA 7 changed paper format as well: separate guidelines for a student paper and a professional paper, a student title page with no running head, a wider choice of fonts, and the singular “they” in the writing guidance.
The Same Sources in APA 6 and APA 7
The 3 sources below show the edition changes on real output from the generator.
APA 6 vs. APA 7 Book Citation Example
APA 6 (2010)
Kim, G. (2020). Statistics for the behavioral sciences (5th ed.). Boston, MA: Northfield University Press.
(Kim, 2020)
APA 7 (2020)
Kim, G. (2020). Statistics for the behavioral sciences (5th ed.). Northfield University Press.
(Kim, 2020)
APA 6 vs. APA 7 Journal Article Citation Example
APA 6 (2010)
Haddad, O., Lind, S., & Chen, W. (2021). Peer tutoring and exam anxiety. Teaching of Psychology Review, 18(3), 201–215. doi:10.5555/tpr.2021.0093
(Haddad, Lind, & Chen, 2021, p. 207)
APA 7 (2020)
Haddad, O., Lind, S., & Chen, W. (2021). Peer tutoring and exam anxiety. Teaching of Psychology Review, 18(3), 201–215. https://doi.org/10.5555/tpr.2021.0093
(Haddad et al., 2021, p. 207)
APA 6 vs. APA 7 Webpage Citation Example
APA 6 (2010)
Morales, L. (2022, October 4). Choosing a research topic. Retrieved from https://writing.example.edu/research-topic
(Morales, 2022)
APA 7 (2020)
Morales, L. (2022, October 4). Choosing a research topic. Northfield Writing Center. https://writing.example.edu/research-topic
(Morales, 2022)
Which APA Edition Should You Use?
Use APA 7, unless your instructor, program, or journal names APA 6. APA 7 is the current edition of the Publication Manual, and the Concise Guide to APA Style (7th edition) is its shorter student version with the same rules. Rebuild citations copied from an old APA 6 paper in APA 7 before you submit new work: pick the source type, fill in the same details, and keep the Edition menu on APA 7.
Common APA Citation Mistakes to Avoid
There are 7 common APA citation mistakes, from full first names in the reference list to a personal communication on the References page. Each mistake below shows a wrong version and the corrected version.
-
1Writing full first names in the reference list
WrongNguyen, Thu. (2020). Study habits of commuter students. Journal of College Life, 5(3), 12–20. https://doi.org/10.5555/jcl.2020.003
RightNguyen, T. (2020). Study habits of commuter students. Journal of College Life, 5(3), 12–20. https://doi.org/10.5555/jcl.2020.003
-
2Using “and” inside the parentheses
Wrong(Osei and Grant, 2019)
Right(Osei & Grant, 2019)
-
3Writing “et al.” in a reference entry
WrongPetrov, I., et al. (2022). Group work in online courses. Journal of Online Learning, 7(2), 55–70.
RightPetrov, I., Silva, A., Mensah, K., & Berg, M. (2022). Group work in online courses. Journal of Online Learning, 7(2), 55–70.
-
4Adding “pp.” to a journal page range
WrongNguyen, T. (2020). Study habits of commuter students. Journal of College Life, 5(3), pp. 12–20. https://doi.org/10.5555/jcl.2020.003
RightNguyen, T. (2020). Study habits of commuter students. Journal of College Life, 5(3), 12–20. https://doi.org/10.5555/jcl.2020.003
-
5Ending a DOI with a period
WrongNguyen, T. (2020). Study habits of commuter students. Journal of College Life, 5(3), 12–20. https://doi.org/10.5555/jcl.2020.003.
RightNguyen, T. (2020). Study habits of commuter students. Journal of College Life, 5(3), 12–20. https://doi.org/10.5555/jcl.2020.003
-
6Putting the full date in an in-text citation
Wrong(Morales, 2023, June 9)
Right(Morales, 2023)
-
7Listing a personal communication on the References page
WrongWhite, D. (2025, February 12). Conversation.
Right(D. White, personal communication, February 12, 2025) in the text, with no reference entry
Why Use Our APA Citation Generator?
Our APA citation generator is a free citation generator with 3 benefits for academic writing: output checked against APA Style’s own examples, sentence case without retyping, and no invented details.
Checked Against APA Style Examples
The formatter passes 213 checks built from the reference examples APA Style publishes, for both the 7th and the 6th edition, from journal articles and books to TikTok videos and ChatGPT.
Sentence Case Without Retyping
Titles typed in title case come out in sentence case. Acronyms such as NASA and words with inner capitals such as iPhone keep their capitals, and the tool reminds you to recapitalize names and places.
No Invented Details
A missing author, date, or page stays empty rather than guessed, and a search fills the form only from a real Crossref, DataCite, PubMed, or Open Library record.
An APA citation generator saves time on every paper and returns an APA format citation, with its reference entry and its in-text citation, in APA 7 or APA 6 from the same source details. Check each citation against the source before you submit, since a database record can carry a misspelled name or a missing page.