Free Citation Generator

Create citations from DOI, PMID, ISBN or public URL metadata, or enter details manually. Format your first 3 sources free; review every reference.

Citation style3 of 3 free citations remaining

Add a website

Start with a link or identifier. We’ll find the details for you to review.

Public webpages only. We read the page’s own metadata and leave missing fields blank.

Saved in this browser. Edits, style changes, copies and exports don’t use another free citation.

Cite from real papers in AnswerThis

Find papers and develop your writing with linked sources. Review the evidence behind each claim. Opens in a new tab; references saved here stay in this browser. Copy or export before continuing.

Cite from real papers in AnswerThis

How to cite your sources

Choose the exact style and source type required by your instructor, institution, or publisher. Review names, dates, titles, and identifiers against the original source before using a generated citation.

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.

How to create a citation

  1. Select the required citation style and source type.
  2. Look up a DOI, PMID, ISBN, YouTube link or public webpage URL, or enter the bibliographic details manually.
  3. Review names, title, publication date, container, pages, and identifier.
  4. Copy the finished citation and place it where your style guide requires.

What is a citation?

A citation credits the source of an idea, quotation or finding so readers can find it themselves. An in-text citation is a short marker beside the passage in your writing; a full reference gives the source details at the end. Some styles use footnotes instead. This generator formats those details—it does not find evidence for your claims or check whether a source supports them.

What to check

  • Choosing a style name without checking its edition or variant
  • Copying output before verifying imported metadata

Webpage example · APA 7

In-text citation

(Bologna, 2019)

Full reference

Bologna, C. (2019, October 31). Why some people with anxiety love watching horror movies. HuffPost. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/anxiety-love-watching-horror-movies_l_5d277587e4b02a5a5d57b59e

Checked against the official APA webpage example and pinned CSL file. Use the page’s publication date, not a footer copyright year. The webpage title is italicized; the site name is not. Leave a missing date blank rather than guessing.

Check the official style guide

Choose a system, then the source type

Author–date styles such as APA link an author and year in the prose to a reference entry. MLA uses author and passage location. Numbered systems link a marker to an ordered list, while note styles place source details in footnotes or endnotes. Check the exact edition and variant: Chicago author–date and Chicago notes are different workflows, and Harvard here means Cite Them Right 12. The style links below expose the selected catalog file and its specific checks.

Choose Book for the edition read, Journal article for a published article and Website for a page. PDF is a file format, so first identify the work inside it. Images need creators and original collection records; videos need credited channels or people and upload dates; datasets need the release and repository. Correct source classification is what makes the fields meaningful before the processor applies punctuation or italics.

Read the example as a field-to-reference map

The webpage example identifies Bologna as author, 2019 as the publication year and HuffPost as the site. The full title and item URL identify the particular page; the short marker points back to that entry. The reference is built from separate fields, not from a guessed sentence. Compare the same fields in your source before copying, and add a quotation locator in the manuscript when your style requires one.

For manual entry, retain personal creators in publication order and enter a corporate creator as a group name in braces. Leave an unknown date blank rather than borrowing a footer year. DOI, PMID and ISBN lookup can reduce typing, but incomplete provider metadata still needs correction. Review the record against the original publication, then inspect the formatted reference in the context of the full bibliography.

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.

Choose a style or source

Frequently asked questions

How many citations are free?

The first 3 sources are free per browser, shared across all citation pages. Copying a saved reference does not create another source. Switching styles does not reset the shared allowance.

What can the lookup field find?

It supports DOI, PMID and ISBN records and metadata from public HTML webpages. Blocked pages and missing fields need manual entry. PDFs are not uploaded or read.

How do I choose an edition?

Use the exact style and edition required by your instructor or publisher. APA 7 and MLA 9 are separate selections from the available older editions. Harvard means the named Cite Them Right variant, CSE means citation-sequence and NLM means grant proposal. Consult the style-specific page before assuming two similarly named options are interchangeable.

What is the difference between a citation and a reference?

The short marker or note belongs beside the passage that uses a source; the full reference identifies the work. Keep them consistent, add quotation locators and review repeated citations in the manuscript.

How do I handle corporate authors and missing dates?

Enter a corporate author in braces to keep the organization as one creator. Verify that it actually wrote the work rather than merely hosting it. Leave an unknown publication date blank and let the style handle missing information. Do not substitute the lookup date, file timestamp or website copyright year for a publication date.

Can I use manual entry and export BibTeX or RIS?

Yes. Select the source type and enter verified bibliographic details manually when lookup is incomplete or unavailable. Copy or export BibTeX or RIS, inspect imported fields and save a backup. Browser storage can be cleared; opening AnswerThis does not transfer references.

Are generated citations guaranteed correct?

No. Formatting follows pinned CSL styles, but output is only as complete as the metadata and may not cover local or authority-specific rules.