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APA 7 citation generator

Create the APA 7 reference and in-text citations for journal articles, books and web pages. Free, no sign-up, in your browser.

What you type is processed in this browser. It is never sent to a server.

References formatted with citeproc-js and Citation Style Language styles: (c) Frank Bennett — citeproc-js implements the Citation Style Language — https://citationstyles.org/ · Credits and licenses

Source type
Authors

The title will move to the author position.

  1. Author 1

    As it appears on the work, for example “García Márquez”.

    Initials are worked out for you.

Publication date

Capitalize only the first word, the first word after a colon and proper nouns.

In title case, as the journal publishes it.

For example 207-217.

Only if the journal uses article numbers instead of pages.

For example 10.1037/ppm0000185. With a DOI, no URL is needed.

Only if there is no DOI.

Changes fixed terms such as “n.d.” / “s. f.”. It does not translate your details.

Result

Fill in the form and press “Create reference and citations”. The result appears here and updates as you edit.

Formatted in your browser with citeproc-js and an adaptation of the CSL “APA 7th edition” style. Credits and licenses

What it creates

  • The full entry for your reference list, with italics and a hanging indent when you copy it.
  • The in-text citation in both forms: parenthetical (Smith, 2020) and narrative, Smith (2020).
  • The direct-quotation form with a page or paragraph: (Smith, 2020, p. 25).
  • “et al.” from the first citation with three or more authors, and abbreviations for group authors.
  • The DOI as an https://doi.org/… link, whatever format you paste it in.

How it works

  1. Choose the source type: journal article, book or web page.
  2. Fill in the details. Missing required fields are flagged.
  3. Press “Create” and copy the reference and citations in one click. Change any detail and the result updates.

Limits

  • We have checked it against examples published by Purdue OWL and against APA 7 rules, but it does not cover every case. Always review the result before you hand it in.
  • For now it supports journal articles, books and web pages. Chapters, reports, theses and other types will come later.
  • It does not change the capitalization of your titles: type them as APA asks. We warn you when they look like Title Case.
  • The in-text citations assume your list has no other work by the same author in the same year and no other author with the same surname. To account for that, use the bibliography: it adjusts citations to your whole list.
  • The Spanish-terms variant is in beta and follows university guides, not the official Spanish manual.
  • It does not look up details by DOI: use the DOI to APA tool for that.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a citation and a reference?

The in-text citation is the short author–date mention in your paper. The reference is the full entry in your reference list that lets readers find the source.

How many authors go in a reference?

APA 7 lists up to 20 authors. With 21 or more, list the first 19, an ellipsis, then the final author.

Is what I type stored or sent anywhere?

No. The reference is created in your browser; the form details are not sent to any server and are gone when you close the page.

Why is the article title mostly lowercase?

APA 7 uses sentence case for article, book and web page titles: capitalize the first word, the first word after a colon and proper nouns. Journal names, by contrast, use title case.

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