Citation Generator
Struggling with citations? Our free citation generator creates perfectly formatted references in APA, MLA, and Chicago styles in seconds. Whether you’re writing a research paper, thesis, or essay — simply enter your source details and get a ready-to-paste citation. No registration required, completely free, and updated for the latest citation style guidelines.
Citation Generator — Free APA, MLA & Chicago Style References
Struggling with citations? Our **free citation generator** creates perfectly formatted references in APA, MLA, and Chicago styles in seconds. Whether you're writing a research paper, thesis, or essay — simply enter your source details and get a ready-to-paste citation. No registration required, completely free, and updated for the latest 2026 citation style guidelines.
Source Details
Enter the information for your citation
Generated Citation
Ready for your bibliography
Citation Style Guide
APA Style (7th Ed)
Brown, B. (2018). *Dare to lead: Brave work, tough conversations, whole hearts*. Random House.
Standard for social sciences, psychology, and education.
MLA Style (9th Ed)
Brown, Brené. *Dare to Lead: Brave Work, Tough Conversations, Whole Hearts*. Random House, 2018.
Standard for humanities, literature, and liberal arts.
Chicago Style
Brown, Brené. *Dare to Lead*. New York: Random House, 2018.
Standard for history and fine arts.
Which Style Should You Use?
| Subject Area | Recommended Style |
|---|---|
| Psychology, Social Sciences | APA |
| Literature, Languages, Humanities | MLA |
| History, Fine Arts | Chicago |
| Business, Economics | APA or Harvard |
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How to Use the Citation Generator
Select your citation style
Choose APA (7th edition), MLA (9th edition), or Chicago (17th edition) — the most commonly required formats in academic institutions worldwide.
Choose your source type
Book, journal article, website, newspaper, magazine, YouTube video, podcast, or other source types.
Enter source details
Fill in the author name, title, publication date, URL, and other relevant fields. Only required fields need to be completed.
Copy your citation
Your perfectly formatted citation appears instantly — copy it directly into your paper's reference list or bibliography.
Citation Style Guide
APA Style (7th Edition)
APA (American Psychological Association) format is used primarily in social sciences, psychology, education, and nursing. It emphasizes the author and publication date.
APA Book Example:
Brown, B. (2018). Dare to lead: Brave work, tough conversations, whole hearts. Random House.
APA Website Example:
World Health Organization. (2023, March 15). Mental health. https://www.who.int/mental_health
MLA Style (9th Edition)
MLA (Modern Language Association) format is standard in humanities disciplines — literature, languages, cultural studies, and liberal arts.
MLA Book Example:
Brown, Brené. Dare to Lead: Brave Work, Tough Conversations, Whole Hearts. Random House, 2018.
MLA Website Example:
“Mental Health.” World Health Organization, 15 Mar. 2023, www.who.int/mental_health.
Chicago Style (17th Edition)
Chicago style is used in history, fine arts, and some social sciences. It offers two systems: Notes-Bibliography (humanities) and Author-Date (sciences).
Chicago Book Example:
Brown, Brené. Dare to Lead: Brave Work, Tough Conversations, Whole Hearts. New York: Random House, 2018.
Which Citation Style Should I Use?
| Subject Area | Recommended Style |
|---|---|
| Psychology, Education, Social Sciences | APA |
| Literature, Languages, Humanities | MLA |
| History, Fine Arts | Chicago |
| Medicine, Biology | Vancouver or AMA |
| Law | Bluebook |
| Business | APA or Chicago |
When in doubt, check your institution’s style guide or ask your professor.
Citation Guide for Pakistani & Indian Universities
Pakistani and Indian university students — stop losing marks on incorrect citations! Our free citation generator creates perfectly formatted references in APA, MLA, and Chicago styles — the formats required by HEC-recognized Pakistani universities and UGC-affiliated Indian institutions. No registration, no fees, instant results.
Citation Requirements in Pakistani Universities
HEC (Higher Education Commission) Pakistan recommends APA 7th edition for most disciplines. Common citation requirements by field:
| Field | Recommended Style | Pakistani Universities |
|---|---|---|
| Social Sciences | APA 7th Edition | LUMS, IBA, QAU, UoP |
| Business/Management | APA or Chicago | IBA, NUST, FAST |
| Engineering & Technology | IEEE | NUST, UET, GIKI |
| Medical/Health Sciences | Vancouver/APA | NUMS, AKU, CMH |
| Arts & Humanities | MLA | Punjab University, BZU |
| Law | Bluebook/OSCOLA | Law colleges |
Common Mistakes Pakistani Students Make:
- • Using Wikipedia as a source (not acceptable in HEC-recognized research)
- • Not including DOI for online journal articles
- • Mixing APA 6th and 7th edition rules
- • Incorrect date format (APA uses Year, Month Day — not Day Month Year)
- • Missing “Retrieved from” for some online sources
Citation in Indian Academic Institutions
UGC (University Grants Commission) does not mandate a single citation style — individual universities and departments specify their requirements.
| Field | Common Style | Example Institutions |
|---|---|---|
| Social Sciences & Psychology | APA | Delhi University, JNU, Hyderabad |
| Engineering & Technology | IEEE | IITs, NITs, VIT, Manipal |
| Medicine & Life Sciences | Vancouver | AIIMS, JIPMER, medical colleges |
| Humanities & Literature | MLA | English departments nationwide |
| Business & Commerce | APA or Harvard | IIMs, Symbiosis, Christ University |
| Law | OSCOLA | NLUs, law schools |
Common Mistakes Indian Students Make:
- • Using .com sources instead of peer-reviewed journals
- • Not using Google Scholar for academic sources
- • Incorrect handling of Indian author names in APA (use surname, initials)
- • Mixing Hindi and English sources without proper formatting
- • Forgetting to cite NCBI/PubMed articles accessed through institutional access
Pakistan & India — Frequently Asked Questions
Which citation style do Pakistani universities use?
Most HEC-recognized Pakistani universities recommend APA 7th edition, especially for social sciences, business, and education. Engineering programs use IEEE format. Always check your department’s specific guidelines or ask your supervisor — requirements vary by university and department.
How do I cite an Urdu or Hindi source in APA?
For Urdu sources in APA format: Author, A. A. (Year). [Title in English translation] [Original title in Urdu/Roman Urdu]. Publisher. For website sources, add the URL. If the source is only available in Urdu script, write the title in both original script and transliteration.
Where can Pakistani students find free academic sources?
HEC Digital Library (hec.gov.pk/dlibrary) — access to thousands of journals free for Pakistani students. Google Scholar — free access to many papers. ResearchGate — researchers share papers freely. JSTOR — some free articles available.
Where can Indian students find free research papers?
INFLIBNET Shodhganga — Indian thesis repository (free). Google Scholar — extensive free access. NDLI (National Digital Library of India) — ndl.gov.in. PubMed — free for medical/life sciences. DOAJ (Directory of Open Access Journals) — fully free journals.
Frequently Asked Questions About Citations
Academic Disclaimer
Citation Generator is an educational aid for general use. Always follow your instructor's guidelines and verify outputs for academic submissions.