APA Citation Generator
Generate accurate APA 7th edition references instantly. Supports journal articles, books, book chapters, websites, YouTube videos, newspapers, and magazines.
Source type
Do not italicise. Sentence case only.
Will be italicised in the output.
Enter the DOI starting with 10. or as a full https:// URL.
Will be italicised in the output. Include subtitle after a colon.
Only enter if not the first edition.
Enter the editors of the book (not your chapter).
Will be formatted as pp. 45–67.
Do not italicise. Sentence case only.
Will be italicised in the output.
Will be formatted as p. A1 or pp. B4–B5 automatically.
Do not italicise. Sentence case only.
Will be italicised in the output.
APA 7th Edition Reference
In-text Citation (Parenthetical)
Italics are preserved when pasting into Word or Google Docs. Always verify your citation against your institution's style guide.
Select a source type, fill in the fields, copy the citation.
The form shows only the fields relevant to your source type. No guessing which fields apply.
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Pick your source type from the tabs at the top: Journal Article, Book, Book Chapter, Website, YouTube, Newspaper, or Magazine. The form fields update instantly.
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Enter the author names (last name, then first initials), the year, and the source-specific details. For journal articles, include the DOI if one exists. APA 7th strongly prefers DOIs over URLs.
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3
Click Generate APA Citation. You get the full reference with correct italics, en-dashes in page ranges, and a properly formatted DOI link, plus the in-text parenthetical citation below it.
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Click Copy. Italics on journal names and book titles are preserved when you paste into Word or Google Docs. No manual reformatting needed.
The APA 7th edition rules people get wrong most often
These are the changes from the 6th edition and the rules that catch people out. This tool applies all of them automatically.
Authors
List up to 20 authors before using an ellipsis. The old 6th edition limit was 6. The generator handles this automatically.
DOIs
Always use the full hyperlink format: https://doi.org/10.xxxx. Not "doi:" or "DOI:". The generator formats these correctly every time.
Books
Publisher location is no longer required in APA 7th. If you are used to the 6th edition, stop including "New York: " before the publisher name.
In-text citation vs reference list entry: what is the difference?
APA uses two components for every source. This generator produces both.
In-text citation
(Smith et al., 2021)
Goes inline in your essay wherever you refer to the source. Author last name, year, and page number (for direct quotes).
Reference list entry
Smith, J. A., & Jones, B. (2021). Title of book. Publisher.
Goes at the end of the paper in the References section. Full bibliographic details for every source cited.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is APA 7th edition and how does it differ from 6th?
APA 7th edition (2020) introduced several changes from the 6th: the publisher's location is no longer required for books, up to 20 authors are listed before using an ellipsis (previously 6), the running head is no longer required for student papers, and DOIs are formatted as hyperlinks (https://doi.org/...). This generator follows the 7th edition rules throughout.
How do I cite a source with multiple authors in APA?
In APA 7th edition, list up to 20 authors in the reference entry, separated by commas with an ampersand (&) before the last name. For 21 or more authors, list the first 19, add an ellipsis (…), then the final author's name. In-text citations use the first author's name followed by "et al." when there are three or more authors.
Do I need a DOI for every journal article citation?
Include a DOI whenever one is available; APA 7th strongly prefers DOIs over URLs because they are stable. If no DOI exists, include the journal's homepage URL or omit the URL entirely for articles retrieved from print. The generator automatically formats DOIs as https://doi.org/ hyperlinks as required by APA 7th.
Should I verify the generated citation before submitting?
Always verify any generated citation against your institution's style guide or the official APA Publication Manual. The generator applies standard APA 7th rules, but some universities have additional formatting requirements, and the accuracy of the output depends on the details you enter.