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Free Citation Generator

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Paste a DOI, ArXiv ID, PubMed ID, title, or URL of the source you want to cite.
Your Citation

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

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 Citation Generator for APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard and BibTeX

Need to cite a website, book, journal article, video, report, or research paper? Our free citation generator helps you create properly formatted citations in seconds, without making citation rules feel harder than the assignment itself.

Choose your style, enter your source details, and generate citations for APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, or BibTeX. You can create full references, in-text citations, bibliography entries, and BibTeX records from one simple workspace.

Generate My Citation FreeView Citation Styles
Create citations fasterSupports major citation stylesBuild in-text citationsSave time on formattingEdit source details manuallyCopy, save, or export
The basics

What Is a Citation Generator?

"A citation generator turns source information into a formatted academic citation — so you don't have to arrange every author name, date, title, publisher, page number, URL, or DOI by hand."

How It Works

Instead of arranging every detail by hand, you enter the source details and the tool formats them according to the citation style you choose.

Why It Helps

A good citation generator does not just save time. It helps you stay organized, reduce formatting mistakes, and give proper credit to the sources you use.

Pick your format

Which Citation Styles Can You Generate?

Different schools, universities, journals, and instructors ask for different citation styles.

APA

APA Citation Generator

Use the APA citation generator when your paper follows APA style, especially for education, psychology, business, health sciences, and social sciences.

APA citation generatorAPA format citation generatorFree unlimited APA citation generator
HAR

Harvard Citation Generator

Use the Harvard citation generator when your university or department asks for Harvard referencing, common in UK and international academic writing.

Harvard citation generatorHarvard style citation generator
MLA

MLA Citation Generator

Use the MLA citation generator when your assignment needs MLA format, often used in English, literature, arts, and humanities.

MLA citation generatorMLA format citation generatorFree MLA citation generator
CHI

Chicago Citation Generator

Use the Chicago citation generator when your paper follows The Chicago Manual of Style, common in history, literature, and arts.

Chicago citation generatorChicago style citation generator
BIB

BibTeX Citation Generator

Use the BibTeX citation generator when you are writing in LaTeX or working with tools such as Overleaf.

Generate BibTeX citationBibTeX citation generator
MTA

Metadata Lookup

Use the metadata view to see the structured details behind a source — type, title, year, authors, and identifiers — before you format it.

Research paper metadataReference details lookup
Five simple steps

How to Use Our Free Citation Generator

  1. 1

    Choose Your Citation Style

    Select APA, Harvard, MLA, Chicago, BibTeX, or Metadata.

  2. 2

    Select the Identifier Type

    Choose URL, DOI, ArXiv ID, PubMed ID, or Title.

  3. 3

    Paste the Source Details

    Enter the link, identifier, or title you want to cite.

  4. 4

    Review the Citation

    Check that the author, title, date, and URL look correct.

  5. 5

    Copy It

    Copy the full citation — and the in-text citation, when available — into your reference list.

By source

Generate Citations by Source Type

Website

Website Citation Generator

Cite webpages, blogs, online articles, and digital resources.

Book

Book Citation Generator

Create citations for print books, ebooks, and textbook chapters.

Journal Article

Journal Article Citation Generator

Generate citations for scholarly journal articles and DOI-based sources.

Video

YouTube and Video Citation Generator

Cite YouTube videos, lectures, webinars, and interviews.

Newspaper

Newspaper Citation Generator

Create citations for online and print newspaper articles.

Report

Report Citation Generator

Cite research reports, white papers, and government reports.

See it in action

Example Citations

Journal Article · APA

Smith, J., & Lee, M. (2022). Understanding AI research. Journal of Technology, 15(3), 100–115. https://doi.org/xx.xxxx

In-text citation: (Smith & Lee, 2022)

Website · MLA

ResearchPal. "How AI Tools Help Students Write Better." ResearchPal Blog, 2025, researchpal.co.

In-text citation: (ResearchPal)

The payoff

Why Use Our Free Citation Generator?

Style-Based Formatting

For APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, and BibTeX.

Source-Type Fields

For websites, books, journals, videos, reports, and more.

Manual Editing

For incomplete or messy source data.

In-Text & Full Reference

Generated together, every time.

BibTeX Output

Built for LaTeX users and Overleaf projects.

Bibliography Support

For longer, multi-source projects.

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Free and Premium Features

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Generate APA citations
Generate MLA citations
Generate Chicago citations
Copy citations
Save bibliography listsLimitedUnlimited
Export to Word or Google DocsLimited
Bulk citation import

MLA Reference Creator – Trusted and Free MLA Citation Tool


The MLA citation style, developed by the Modern Language Association, is one of the most commonly used referencing systems in academic writing — especially in the humanities, literature, and language studies. Our free MLA citation generator helps students and researchers create accurate citations instantly, saving valuable time and ensuring their work meets academic standards.

Here’s everything you need to know about MLA citations and how to format them.




What Is an MLA Citation?


An MLA citation gives credit to the original source of information used in your work. MLA uses a parenthetical citation system, meaning short in-text references point to full details in the Works Cited list at the end of your paper.

Example:

● In-text: (Johnson 45)
● Works Cited entry: Johnson, Mark. The Future of AI in Education. Cambridge University Press, 2021.




Why Use MLA Style?


MLA is especially popular in the arts and humanities because it is:

  • Simple – Focuses on author and page number.
  • Reader-friendly – Avoids long in-text references.
  • Widely accepted – Standard in literature, languages, and history departments worldwide.


How to Format MLA Citations


MLA requires two main parts:


  1. In-text citations – Short references inside your essay.
    • Example: (Smith 2022, p. 12)
  2. Works Cited list – Full details of all sources at the end.


Common Examples


  • Book:
    Smith, John. Artificial Intelligence and Society. Routledge, 2020.
  • Journal Article:
    Taylor, Susan, and Michael Lee. “AI in Higher Education.” Journal of Learning Studies, vol. 15, no. 3, 2021, pp. 122–140.
  • Website:
    ResearchPal. “How AI Tools Help Students Write Better.” ResearchPal Blog, 2025, https://researchpal.co.


Why Use an MLA Citation Generator?


Formatting MLA citations manually can be tricky, especially with italics, quotation marks, and page numbers. A free MLA citation generator ensures:


  • Instant generation of accurate MLA citations
  • Correct formatting for both in-text and Works Cited entries
  • Easy switching between MLA and other styles (APA, Harvard, Chicago, BibTeX)

👉 With ResearchPal’s generator, you simply paste a title, DOI, or URL — and get a full formatted MLA citation in seconds.



Final Thoughts


Correct citations are vital for academic success. With our MLA citation generator, you can quickly and accurately create references that follow MLA standards — giving you more time to focus on your writing.

👉 Try the tool above to generate your first MLA citation today.



Related Reading

Ready to Generate Your Citation?

Paste a link, DOI, ArXiv ID, PubMed ID, or title and get a formatted citation in seconds — free, with no sign-up required to try.

Generate My Citation Free
Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. You can paste a URL, DOI, ArXiv ID, PubMed ID, or title and generate a citation without paying.

APA, MLA, Chicago, and Harvard references, plus BibTeX entries and a metadata view — switch between them using the style buttons above the input.

A website URL, a DOI, an ArXiv ID, a PubMed ID, or a title — choose the matching type from the dropdown before you paste it in.

Yes. When an in-text citation is available for your source, it appears below the full citation with its own copy button.

Yes — always compare the generated citation against your instructor's or journal's style guide, especially for page numbers, access dates, and edge cases the generator may not catch.