How to use it
- Pick the style and the type of source.
- Fill in the fields you have. The citation updates as you type; empty fields are left out.
- Copy the citation with italics or as plain text and paste it into your reference list.
What each style produces
| Style | Book | Journal article |
|---|---|---|
| APA 7 | Author, A. A. (Year). Title (2nd ed.). Publisher. | Author, A. A. (Year). Title. Journal, vol(issue), pages. https://doi.org/… |
| MLA 9 | Author, First. Title. 2nd ed., Publisher, Year. | Author, First. “Title.” Journal, vol. 1, no. 2, Year, pp. 3-4. |
| Chicago 17 author-date | Author, First. Year. Title. 2nd ed. Place: Publisher. | Author, First. Year. “Title.” Journal vol (issue): pages. |
Websites follow the same pattern: APA puts the date in brackets and the page title in italics, MLA puts the website name in italics and the date after it (months are abbreviated, and an access date is optional), and Chicago puts the year after the author and the site name in plain type.
Worked example
A book by Daniel Kahneman, 2011, Thinking, fast and slow, published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux:
- APA: Kahneman, D. (2011). Thinking, fast and slow. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
- MLA: Kahneman, Daniel. Thinking, Fast and Slow. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2011.
- Chicago: Kahneman, Daniel. 2011. Thinking, Fast and Slow. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Tips and limits
- Without a year the tool writes n.d. (APA, Chicago). Without an author, APA and MLA start with the title; Chicago uses the website name for a web page.
- Page ranges are printed as you typed them with the dash style of each manual; Chicago may shorten ranges (439–58) – edit them by hand if your guide asks for it.
- Journals, hanging indents and alphabetical order of the reference list are for you to apply in your document.