Free Citation Generator
Once you select a citation style, your results will show up here.
- Free to try
- No complicated setup
- No formatting guesswork
- Your input remains private
- Verified Citations
No complicated setup. No formatting guesswork. Add your source details and create a citation you can copy, save, or export. Compare free and premium features below.
Free APA Citation Generator: Reference + In-Text Citation
Every APA reference has to carry the same details in the same order: who wrote it, when it was published, what it's called, and where it can be found. Getting one part wrong — a missing italic, a comma in the wrong place, a reversed author name — is enough to cost points on an assignment that otherwise took hours to write.
This APA generator handles that formatting for you. Paste in a link, a DOI, or the title of a source, and it builds a reference entry and a matching in-text citation using current APA style rules. There is no limit on how many citations you create, and nothing to install or sign up for.
An APA citation generator takes the raw details of a source — its author, date, title, and publisher — and arranges them into the exact structure the APA style guide requires, so the writer doesn't have to memorize the rules.
How It Works
Instead of arranging every detail by hand — author order, italics, punctuation — you enter the source information once and the generator formats it according to APA rules. It also builds the matching parenthetical or narrative in-text citation, so both pieces stay consistent.
Why It Helps
A long reference list is where small errors add up fastest. Automating the format keeps every entry consistent, cuts down on the back-and-forth of checking a style guide, and leaves a reference page that reads as if a single careful writer built it from start to finish.
Build APA Citations for Any Source
Whatever you are citing, this APA style citation generator adapts the reference structure to match it.
Website Citation
Cite webpages, blog posts, and online articles with author, page title, site name, and URL in the right order.
Book Citation
Format print books, ebooks, and textbook chapters, including editors, editions, and publisher details.
Journal Article Citation
Generate references for scholarly and database articles, complete with volume, issue, and DOI formatting.
YouTube and Video Citation
Cite YouTube videos, recorded lectures, and webinars using the uploader name and posting date.
Newspaper Citation
Reference print and online news articles with the correct publication name and retrieval details.
Report Citation
Cite research reports, white papers, and government publications, including issuing organization.
How This APA Citation Generator Works
Choose the source type
Select website, book, journal article, or another format so the generator applies the right structure.
Paste the identifier
Drop in a URL, DOI, ArXiv ID, PubMed ID, or type the title if you don't have a link handy.
Review the pulled details
Check the author, date, and title the tool found, and correct anything that needs adjusting.
Generate the citation
Get a full reference entry along with the matching in-text citation, formatted and ready to use.
Copy it into your paper
Add the reference to your bibliography and drop the in-text citation wherever you use the source.
How to Cite Two or More Authors in APA
The way authors appear in an APA citation changes depending on how many there are. Here is exactly how each case is formatted.
One author
Use the surname followed by the year. Parenthetical: (Reyes, 2021). Narrative: Reyes (2021) argued that...
Two authors in APA citation
Name both authors every single time you cite the source, in the same order as the original. Use an ampersand in a parenthetical citation, (Garcia & Owens, 2023), and the word "and" in a narrative citation: Garcia and Owens (2023) found...
Three or more authors
Cite only the first author's surname followed by "et al.", starting with the very first time you reference the source: (Alvarez et al., 2022).
Reference list entries
List up to 20 authors by surname and initials, separated by commas, with an ampersand before the final name. For 21 or more authors, list the first 19, add an ellipsis, then the last author's name.
Reference List Entry
Garcia, M., & Owens, T. (2023). Reading habits among first-year college students. Journal of Higher Education Research, 41(2), 118–134. https://doi.org/10.1234/jher.2023.0412
In-text (narrative): Garcia and Owens (2023) reported...
Placed exactly where the publication year would go
Citing a Source With No Publication Date
The abbreviation n.d. stands for "no date." APA style uses it in place of a year whenever a source doesn't list when it was published or last updated, which happens often with web pages, social media posts, and some organizational content.
It goes in the same spot a year normally would, both in the reference list entry and in the in-text citation.
If the page content is likely to change over time, add a retrieval date: "Retrieved [date], from https://..." right after the URL.
Example APA Citations
Nguyen, L., & Park, S. (2022). Attention and memory in remote learning environments. Journal of Educational Psychology, 35(1), 55–72. https://doi.org/10.1017/jep.2022.0055
In-text citation: (Nguyen & Park, 2022)
Bennett, R. (2025, March 4). How citation tools are changing student research habits. ResearchPal Blog. https://researchpal.co/blog/research-habits
In-text citation: (Bennett, 2025)
Why This Is the Best APA Citation Generator for Coursework
Consistent Formatting
Every entry follows the same author, date, title, source order, without you tracking the rules manually.
In-Text and Full Reference
Generates both together, so your citations and reference list always match.
Every Field Is Editable
Fix an incomplete source detail before you copy the citation into your paper.
Built for Every Source Type
Websites, books, journal articles, reports, and more, all from one tool.
Free Unlimited APA Citation Generator
No caps on how many citations you generate and no cost to use the core tool.
Built for Long Bibliographies
Save entries as you research and export the full list once your paper is ready.
Free and Premium Features
| Feature | Free Version | Premium Version |
|---|---|---|
| Generate APA citations | ✓ | ✓ |
| Generate MLA citations | ✓ | ✓ |
| Generate Chicago citations | ✓ | ✓ |
| Copy citations | ✓ | ✓ |
| Save bibliography lists | Limited | Unlimited |
| Export to Word or Google Docs | Limited | ✓ |
| Bulk citation import | ✕ | ✓ |
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Other Free Citation Generators
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Frequently Asked Questions
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