Citation Generator
Generate citations in APA, MLA, Chicago and IEEE formats
No matches
*italics* become plain text when copied — paste into Word and italicize manually.
Citation Generator — Complete Guide & Instructions
MakeCard Citation Generator formats references in the four styles that cover almost every assignment: APA (7th), MLA (9th), Chicago and IEEE. Fill the source details — author, year, title, journal/book/website, publisher and optional URL — and the correctly punctuated citation appears live below, ordered and styled per the rules of the chosen format. Copy it straight into your bibliography; the tool even flags which parts should be italicised when you paste into Word.
How to Use Citation Generator
- 1 Choose the Format — APA (7th), MLA (9th), Chicago or IEEE.
- 2 Enter the Author in “Last, First M.” form and the publication Year.
- 3 Fill the Title of Work, the Journal/Book/Website container and the Publisher.
- 4 Add the URL if the source is online.
- 5 Check the live preview, then press Copy — italicise the *marked* container name manually in Word.
Key Features & Capabilities
- Four formats: APA 7th edition, MLA 9th, Chicago, IEEE.
- Live preview — the citation re-formats as you type or switch styles.
- Correct element ordering and punctuation per style guide.
- Optional URL appended in each style’s convention.
- Italics marked with * in the preview so you can style them in Word.
- One-click copy of the finished reference.
Supported Formats & Specifications
| Parameter | Specification |
|---|---|
| Styles | APA (7th), MLA (9th), Chicago, IEEE |
| Fields | Author, year, title, container, publisher, URL (optional) |
| Output | Formatted, punctuated citation string |
| Formatting note | *italics* become plain text on copy — style manually in Word |
| Processing | Instant, in-browser |
Practical Everyday Use Cases
- Building the Works Cited or References page of an essay or thesis.
- Converting one source across formats when a journal changes style requirements.
- Generating IEEE references for engineering papers.
- Quick citations for blog posts and reports that still need proper attribution.
- Teaching students how punctuation order differs between APA and MLA.
Pro Tips for Best Results
- Write the author as “Last, First M.” — APA and MLA both expect that ordering and the tool renders it verbatim.
- The *…* markers show italics — apply real italics in Word after pasting; the container (journal/book/site) is the italicised part.
- Use “n.d.”-style blanks carefully — leaving year empty produces a no-date citation as styles allow.
- Different source types (chapter, film, tweet) have extra rules — this covers the common book/journal/site shape; adjust the edge cases manually.
Common Problems & Solutions
Plain-text copy cannot carry formatting — the tool marks italic spans with asterisks; style them manually in Word or Docs.
Verify the author form (Last, First M.) and that you selected the right edition — APA 7 vs 6 changes punctuation and URL presentation.
Privacy & Security
100% Client-Side Execution
Source details are formatted locally in your browser — nothing you type is uploaded or recorded.
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about using Citation Generator
Enter the author, year, page title, site name in the container field and the URL — the APA preset outputs: Author. (Year). Title. Site. URL.
APA puts the year right after the author — Author. (Year). Title. — while MLA uses: Author. “Title.” Container, Publisher, Year. The tool formats both correctly from the same inputs.
IEEE renders as: A. Author, “Title,” Container, Publisher, Year — select the IEEE option and the ordering switches automatically.
Yes — leave the year empty and the citation falls back to the style’s no-date convention.
The preview marks italics with asterisks; clipboard text is plain, so apply italics after pasting into Word or Google Docs.
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