Citation Formatter
Format citations in APA, MLA, and Chicago styles. Enter the author, title, year, publisher, and URL to generate properly formatted citations in all three styles. All processing happens in your browser — your data is never sent to any server.
How Citation Formatting Works
Academic and professional writing requires properly formatted citations to give credit to sources and allow readers to locate the original material. The three most widely used citation styles are APA (American Psychological Association), MLA (Modern Language Association), and Chicago (Chicago Manual of Style). Each style has specific rules for the order, punctuation, and formatting of elements like author name, title, year, publisher, and URL.
This tool takes your source information and formats it according to each style's rules. It handles the differences in author name formatting (last name first vs. first name first), title formatting (italics vs. quotes), date placement, and URL presentation. While this tool covers the most common book and web source format, always consult the official style manual for specialized source types.
Citation Style Formats
APA (7th Edition):
Author Last, First Initial. (Year). Title. Publisher. URL
MLA (9th Edition):
Author Last, First. Title. Publisher, Year. URL
Chicago (17th Edition):
Author Last, First. Title. Place: Publisher, Year. URL
When to Use Each Style
APA style is standard in social sciences, psychology, education, and business. MLA style is used primarily in humanities, literature, and language arts. Chicago style is common in history, arts, and some social sciences. Most academic institutions and journals specify which style to use. If no style is specified, check with your instructor or editor before choosing one.
Example Citations
For: Smith, John — "The Art of Writing" — 2023 — Oxford Press — https://example.com
- APA: Smith, J. (2023). The Art of Writing. Oxford Press. https://example.com
- MLA: Smith, John. The Art of Writing. Oxford Press, 2023. https://example.com
- Chicago: Smith, John. The Art of Writing. Oxford Press, 2023. https://example.com
Privacy Note
All citation formatting runs entirely in your browser using JavaScript. No data is transmitted to any external server, making this tool safe for any source material you need to cite.