Which citation style should you use?
Use the style your instructor, department or journal tells you to use. If nobody does, these are the usual defaults:
| Style | Typical fields | In-text form |
|---|---|---|
| APA 7 | Psychology, education, nursing, social sciences | (Author, 2021) |
| MLA 9 | Literature, languages, humanities | (Author 45) |
| Chicago (author-date) | History, arts, some social sciences | (Author 2021, 45) |
| Harvard | Business, many UK and Australian universities | (Author 2021) |
| IEEE | Engineering, computing | [1] |
Harvard has no single official rulebook, which is why universities publish their own versions. The generator follows the widely used Cite Them Right layout, so check whether your university differs.
Reference list or bibliography?
A reference list contains only the sources you cited in the text. A bibliography may also include sources you read but did not cite. APA and IEEE ask for a reference list; MLA calls its list "Works Cited". Read the guide on bibliography vs reference list if you are unsure which one your assignment wants.
How to cite a web page
Gather the author (or organisation), the publication date, the page title, the site name and the URL. Put them in the form and choose your style. If there is no author, the title moves to the author position; if there is no date, APA uses "n.d.". Include an access date only where your style asks for one, which MLA treats as optional and Harvard commonly expects.
What the generator cannot do
It formats what you type; it does not look up the source for you, so a misspelt author or a wrong year will appear in the citation. Real sources are messy: edited volumes, translated works, conference papers and social media posts may need a manual adjustment. The output is designed to follow the published style rules, but styles change between editions and instructors have their own preferences, so verify each entry against the style guide. Also use the Plagiarism Checker and correct paraphrasing: a citation does not turn a copied passage into your own writing.
Citing AI tools
Rules for citing generative AI are still being settled by each style body and each school. Follow your instructor's policy and the current guidance from the style's official site, and read our guide on how to cite ChatGPT.