How to Cite Sources in APA 7, MLA 9 & Chicago Style
Whether you’re writing a research paper, a college essay, or a business report, your citations are a non‑negotiable part of academic integrity. But each style guide — APA, MLA, Chicago — has its own rules for authors, dates, titles, and punctuation. A website citation in MLA looks completely different from one in APA, and getting it wrong can lose marks. In this article we break down the differences, share a quick comparison table, and point out the most common mistakes teachers catch, so you can generate flawless citations with a free online tool.
APA vs MLA vs Chicago at a glance
| Feature | APA 7 | MLA 9 | Chicago (author‑date) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Common fields | Author, (year). Title. Source. DOI | Author. "Title." Container, year, URL. | Author. Year. "Title." Journal vol, no. |
| In‑text | (Smith, 2023) | (Smith 45) | (Smith 2023, 45) |
| Et al. rule | 3+ authors → first + "et al." | 3+ authors → first + "et al." | 4+ authors → first + "et al." |
| Emphasis | Date is king | Page numbers | Flexible, footnotes too |
Step‑by‑step: generate a citation
- Open the Citation Generator tool.
- Choose your citation style (APA 7, MLA 9, or Chicago author‑date) and the source type (Website, Book, or Journal Article).
- Fill in the fields. For a website, you’ll need at least the page title, site name, and URL. Authors are parsed by commas — “Smith, J.”, “Doe, A.”.
- Click Generate Citation. The formatted citation appears with correct punctuation and italics (shown as HTML <i>). Copy the plain‑text version to your paper.
- Compare with the example shown below the form — it updates based on your style and source type selections.
Common citation mistakes to avoid
- Missing access date: Chicago often asks for the date you viewed a website. APA and MLA generally don’t require it for stable sources, but ask your instructor.
- “Et al.” usage: APA uses “et al.” for 3+ authors; MLA 9 also for 3+; Chicago uses it for 4+. Using “et al.” with only two authors is a mistake.
- Forgetting italics: Book titles and journal names are italicised in all three styles. Our generator highlights them with <i> tags.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to cite a website even if I just read the article?
Yes, any idea, statistic, or quote that isn’t your own original thought must be cited, even if you paraphrased it. Failing to cite is plagiarism.
Can I use this for a reference list in Word or Google Docs?
Absolutely. Generate the citation, copy it as plain text, and paste it directly into your bibliography. Format the font and spacing according to your style guide.
What if a source has no author?
Start with the title. For APA, use the title in place of the author; for MLA, use a shortened version of the title in quotes. Our tool supports leaving the author field empty.
Does the generator save my citations?
No, it’s a one‑off tool. For a full reference management system, consider Zotero or Mendeley. But for a quick one‑page bibliography, it’s perfect.
Is it free and private?
Yes — the tool runs entirely in your browser, free, with no sign‑up and nothing uploaded to a server.
Try the Citation Generator