APA references are easy to get wrong: author order, italics, dates, and the hanging indent. Plagiarisma’s free APA citation generator builds a reference and a matching in-text citation from the details you enter for a book, journal article, or website. It follows APA 7th edition patterns so you can paste the result into a student paper or article. Always check the output against your source and your institution’s rules before you submit.
APA Citation Generator APA Citation Generator

Quick sign-in with social networks:

Sign In with Twitter













 


How to Generate an APA Citation in 3 Simple Steps

1. Choose the source type: book, journal article, or website

2. Enter the author, date, title, and publication details

3. Copy the reference list entry and the in-text citation, then check them against the source

Who Can Benefit from This APA Format Generator

• Students — Build APA references for essays, research papers, and literature reviews

• Researchers — Draft journal and book citations before a final style pass

• Writers and editors — Keep website and article references consistent

• Teachers — Show a clean APA 7 example next to a class assignment

• Anyone citing the web — Format an online source without guessing the punctuation

Why Choose Plagiarisma

• Reference list entry and in-text citation in one pass

• Covers books, journal articles, and websites

• Free for standard citations, no registration required

• Useful next to the plagiarism checker, paraphraser, and grammar checker

• Built around APA 7th edition patterns

• Available on the web, as a Windows app, and via browser extensions

How to Use a Generated Citation Without Citing the Wrong Source

A generator formats what you type. It does not look up the page, and it cannot fix a missing author or a wrong year. The citation is only as accurate as the details you enter.

1. Copy the details from the source, not from memory

Open the book, article, or page and take the author, year, title, and publisher or site name from there.

• Use the author name as it appears on the work.

• For a website, include the site name and the URL you actually used.

• For a journal article, include the volume and issue when the source shows them.

2. Check italics, capitalization, and the in-text form

APA 7 italicizes the book or journal title, not the article title. Sentence case applies to article and book titles in the reference list. The in-text citation should match the first element of the reference.

• Confirm the year in the in-text citation matches the reference.

• Add a page or paragraph number when you quote.

• Use “n.d.” only when the source truly has no date.

3. Do not invent a source to fill a gap

If you cannot find the author or date, look again or cite a source you can verify. A neat reference to a page you did not read is still a false citation.

4. Match your school’s APA rules

Some departments add a title page, a running head, or a preferred DOI format. Generate the reference here, then apply any local rule your assignment states.

The goal is a reference a reader can follow back to the work, not a line that only looks like APA.

Generate an APA Citation Now

Enter your source details above and copy the reference in seconds.


Is the APA citation generator free?

Yes. A standard citation is free and does not require registration. Enter the source details to get a reference and an in-text citation.

Which APA edition does it use?

It follows APA 7th edition patterns for books, journal articles, and websites. Check the output against your source and any local rules from your institution.

Does it create both the reference and the in-text citation?

Yes. You get a reference list entry and a matching in-text citation. Add a page or paragraph number yourself when you quote.

Will it look up the source for me?

No. It formats the details you enter. Copy the author, year, title, and publication data from the work so the citation points to the right source.