APA Citation Generator
A free citation machine that creates accurate APA citations in seconds. Cite websites, books, journal articles and videos in APA 7th edition — no sign-up, no limits.
Paste the website URL to cite automatically
Your reference
How to use this APA citation machine
Choose your source type
Select whether you are citing a website, book, journal article, or online video. Each source type shows only the fields APA style actually needs.
Enter a URL, ISBN, or DOI — or fill in the form
Paste a web address and the citation generator pulls the title, site name, author, and date automatically. For books, search by ISBN; for journal articles, search by DOI.
Copy your citation
Click Generate citation and copy the perfectly formatted reference — italics included — straight into your paper's reference list, along with the matching in-text citation.
APA citation examples
Here is what correct APA 7th edition citations look like for the most common source types. Our generator follows these exact formats, including punctuation, capitalization, and italics.
WebsiteNeed the full rules? Read our step-by-step guides on citing a website, citing a book, or citing a journal article in APA format.
Why students choose our citation generator
Instant & accurate
Citations follow the official APA Publication Manual (7th edition) rules for punctuation, italics, and author formatting.
Free, no sign-up
No account, no trial, no citation limit. Generate as many references as you need for your essay, thesis, or dissertation.
Autocite by URL, ISBN & DOI
Paste a link and we fill in the details for you — the fastest way to build a reference list.
Multiple styles
Switch between APA 7, APA 6, MLA 9, Chicago 17th edition, and Harvard referencing with one click.
In-text citations included
Every reference comes with its matching parenthetical in-text citation, like (Smith & Jones, 2023).
Copy with formatting
One click copies your citation with italics preserved, ready to paste into Word or Google Docs.
What is an APA citation?
An APA citation credits the sources you used in your work, following the style rules of the American Psychological Association. APA style is the standard in psychology, education, nursing, business, and most social sciences. It has two parts that work together:
1. The in-text citation
A brief marker in the body of your paper showing where information came from. APA uses the author–date system: the author's last name and the year of publication, e.g. (Kahneman, 2011) — or with a page number for direct quotes: (Kahneman, 2011, p. 24).
2. The reference list entry
The full publication details, listed alphabetically on a "References" page at the end of your paper. Each entry uses a hanging indent and contains four elements: author, date, title, and source. The generator above builds both parts for you automatically.
Why citing matters
Correct citations protect you from plagiarism, let readers verify your sources, and show you have researched the topic properly. Most universities deduct marks for incorrect referencing — so a reliable citation machine saves both time and grades. For a full explanation of the rules, see our APA in-text citation guide and APA reference page guide.
More citation styles
APA not required? We also generate citations in every other major academic style:
APA format quick rules (7th edition)
Citations are only half of APA style — your paper itself follows formatting rules too. Here is a cheat sheet of the rules students look up most often:
| Element | APA 7 rule |
|---|---|
| Font | Times New Roman 12, Calibri 11, Arial 11, Lucida Sans Unicode 10, or Georgia 11 |
| Spacing | Double-spaced throughout, including the reference list |
| Margins | 1 inch (2.54 cm) on all sides |
| In-text citation | (Author, Year) — add p. or para. for direct quotes |
| 3+ authors | First author + "et al." from the very first citation |
| Reference page | Titled "References", alphabetical, hanging indent 0.5" |
| Titles in references | Sentence case; italicize books, journals & standalone works |
| DOI / URL | Full link (https://doi.org/…), no "Retrieved from", no final period |
Full details with examples are in our reference page guide and in-text citation guide.
The same source in every citation style
Not sure how styles differ? Here is one journal article formatted by our generator in each supported style — switch styles with one click and the formatting, punctuation, and italics change automatically:
APA 7Same data, four different formats — which is exactly why a citation machine saves so much time. Read our APA vs MLA comparison to understand the differences in depth.
Who uses APA style?
APA is the most widely required citation style at universities worldwide. If you study psychology, education, nursing, social work, business, economics, criminology, or communication, chances are your papers must follow APA rules. Many scientific journals in these fields also require APA-formatted manuscripts, so mastering it early pays off far beyond your first essay.
Because APA's author–date system shows readers how recent your evidence is at a glance, it suits fields where currency of research matters. That's also why instructors check citations carefully — a clean, consistent reference list signals careful work. Our generator applies the current 7th edition rules automatically, and every reference comes with its matching in-text citation so the two always agree.
Tips for a perfect reference list
Collect your sources as you research rather than at the end — paste each URL, ISBN, or DOI into the generator and copy the result into a working document. Alphabetize once at the end (our reference page guide explains the ordering rules), apply a hanging indent in Word or Google Docs, and give everything one final read against your assignment brief. Five minutes of checking protects marks that took weeks to earn.
Free APA citation guides
How to Cite a Website in APA
Formats and examples for web pages, with and without authors or dates.
How to Cite a Book in APA
Print books, e-books, edited books, chapters, and editions.
How to Cite a Journal Article in APA
DOIs, volume and issue numbers, and multiple authors explained.
APA In-Text Citations
Parenthetical vs narrative citations, page numbers, and et al. rules.
APA Reference Page Format
Hanging indents, alphabetizing, spacing, and a full sample page.
APA vs MLA
Key differences between the two most common citation styles.