APA 6th edition Citation Generator
Create APA 6 citations from metadata or manual details. First 3 sources free. Use only when older rules are required; review author and DOI rules.
Add a website
Start with a link or identifier. We’ll find the details for you to review.
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How to cite in APA 6th edition
Use this page only when an instructor or publisher still requires the superseded 6th edition; its DOI and author rules differ from APA 7.
Citation software formats the information supplied to it; it cannot confirm that every field is complete or that a source is suitable for your work. Compare the output with the original source and the current instructions you must follow.
Use the selected source and style together
This page deliberately selects the older APA 6 CSL file. Use it only when your assignment or publisher explicitly names the sixth edition. The book example retains the publication place, a visible difference from the APA 7 book pattern. An older edition is a separate set of formatting instructions, not a cosmetic label that can be applied to an APA 7 bibliography after it has been generated. Match the author and year in the short marker to the full reference entry. Add the passage locator required by your guide. Review works sharing an author and year together so their short citations remain distinguishable.
For the shared lookup and formatting walkthrough, see the citation generator guide. Keep this page’s edition and source-specific checks beside your output as you review it.
What to check
- Using APA 7’s rule for listing up to 20 authors
- Silently choosing APA 6 when the assignment asks for current APA
Illustrative formatted example
In-text citation
(Kahneman, 2011)
Full reference
Kahneman, D. (2011). Thinking, Fast and Slow. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
Plain-text output from the pinned CSL file for Daniel Kahneman’s Thinking, Fast and Slow (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2011; ISBN 9780374275631). Italics and superscript styling are not shown here. Add quotation locators separately and check your edition.
Source fields for APA 6
APA 6 references still depend on identifying the source correctly. Books need their actual edition, publisher and publication details; articles need their journal, volume and pages; webpages need a real page date when available. Supply the complete creator list before formatting. In particular, do not preprocess authors using APA 7’s rule for listing up to twenty names and expect the sixth-edition processor to reconstruct the missing names.
Review APA 6 in your manuscript
When revising an older manuscript, check its existing references consistently instead of mixing editions within the same list. Compare the DOI presentation and author truncation with the explicitly required APA 6 instructions. The pinned book example is useful for checking that the legacy style was selected, but it does not cover every source category or quotation rule.
Metadata and formatting
DOIs use Crossref, with DataCite when Crossref has no record; PMIDs use NCBI PubMed and ISBNs use Open Library. Public URLs use page metadata; YouTube oEmbed supplies title and channel, but no upload date. Pinned CSL styles format the records. No AI generates citation details, and PDFs are not uploaded or read here.
Frequently asked questions
Why is APA 6 still available?
Some archived requirements still name it. APA 7 is the current edition, so confirm before deliberately choosing APA 6.
How do I use the APA 6 reference in my writing?
Match the author and year in the short marker to the full reference entry. Add the passage locator required by your guide. Review works sharing an author and year together so their short citations remain distinguishable. Compare the final manuscript and reference list after edits; a correct isolated entry cannot establish that it is attached to the intended claim.
Can I enter APA 6 source details manually?
Yes. Select the actual source type and enter verified creators, title, date and publication details. For a book, check the edition and publisher; for an article, check the journal, volume and pages; for a website, use the specific page’s metadata. Manual entry changes the source record, not the rules of the selected style.
How should I enter a corporate author in APA 6?
Enter an organization as a group author in braces, for example {World Health Organization}, so its words are not parsed as a person’s given name and surname. Keep individual authors in publication order. Check how the group’s name appears in the reference and the accompanying citation or note. Do not replace a credited individual with the website owner.
What if my APA 6 source has no publication date?
Leave an unknown date blank and let the pinned style handle missing information. Do not invent a year from a footer, file timestamp or the day you looked up the source. Check the publication before accepting a provider date, and keep access information separate. Review missing-date and title treatment against the exact edition or variant required for your document.
What does the APA 6 example demonstrate?
Plain-text output from the pinned CSL file for Daniel Kahneman’s Thinking, Fast and Slow (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2011; ISBN 9780374275631). Italics and superscript styling are not shown here. Add quotation locators separately and check your edition. The example is tied to the named source and pinned file; it does not demonstrate every source type or publisher override.
Is APA 6 free, and can I export BibTeX or RIS?
The first 3 sources are free per browser, shared across citation pages. Copy the formatted reference or export your saved bibliography as BibTeX or RIS. These files retain structured records for compatible tools; a destination can apply a different style. Check imported fields and keep a downloaded copy, since browser storage can be cleared and opening AnswerThis does not transfer this bibliography.