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APA citation generator

Sit back and relax. Let SciSpace give you instant and accurate APA citations

Browse among 9000+ citation styles

Writing for a different discipline or publication? Have an appropriate citation style for them all.

Here's how SciSpace's APA citation generator works

Creating your references is about as easy as it gets with SciSpace. Just follow these simple steps below:

🔎Select the source material
Journal article, Conference proceeding, Webpage, Book
📚Select the citation format
APA 6th edition or APA 7th edition
📝Edit or add metadata via these methods
1. Copy and paste raw text from any website 2. Use the search bar to find the source by URL, DOI, or ISBN 3. Input field values manually
⚡️Click 'Generate Citation'
Get in-text and reference citations in APA in seconds — without any ads
💥Save and export citation
Download the output in BibTeX format or copy the text for free

Generate accurate APA citations

Paste content or enter the source URL and our AI will scan, capture, and categorize the relevant info to generate in-text and bibliographic in seconds — no more missing details or manually filling boxes and fields.

Proceed with confidence

Submit assignments, papers, or essays confidently, knowing our AI is trained on the latest APA guidelines and manuscripts. You no longer have to sift the internet for APA citation examples.

Refer to different types of sources

Cite websites, books, book chapters, articles, and press releases, in APA style — with just a few clicks. More sources to be supported soon.

Save progress and come back later

Don't wait till the writing process is complete to start working on your bibliography. Generate APA style in-text citations and reference entries as you go and save them, so you don't miss any sources.

Easily export to BibTeX

Using LatTeX for document preparation? No problem, export the APA formatted output directly as BibTeX files and add them to your project without hassle.

Complete your bibliography for free

Our citation generator is free to use. So, you can turn your sources into accurately formatted in-text and bibliographic APA citations without spending anything.

Enjoy a clutter-free experience

No ads or annoying pop-ups to deal with — just a top-of-the-line, AI-powered APA citation generator that takes you through the whole process in fewer steps and less time.

Speed up in-text citation

Let our AI take care of APA in-text citation formatting so you can focus on writing. Our AI scans what you've already written and offers relevant autocompletion suggestions as per the APA style.

Why our citation generator is the easiest and most effective way to cite sources?

Wondering which citation generator should you go for? Here is a list of features that you should look out for, so you can make an informed decision.

FeaturesCitation Generator by
SciSpace		Citation Generator by
Quillbot		Citation Generator by
Scribbr		Citation Generator by
Cite this for me		Citation Generator by
Citation Machine		Citation Generator by
Easybib
Capture information from the InternetFullyPartiallyPartiallyPartiallyPartiallyPartially
AutoformattingYesPartiallyPartiallyPartiallyPartiallyPartially
ExportBibTeX, ClipboardWord, Clipboard, CSL-JSON, BibTeXWord, LaTeX, ClipboardWordWordWord
CostFreeFreeFreeAfter 15 references$8.54/moFree version + paid$9.95/moFree version + paid$9.95/mo
Ad-FreeYesYesYesNoNoNo

Common questions about referencing your sources in APA style

Questions around citing in the APA style are fairly common, especially among students and new researchers. So, we've answered some of the most frequently asked ones below.

  • 1. What is APA citation?
    APA style citation is a style of referencing source material in the APA style created by the American Psychological Association. It's widely used in social sciences fields, including psychology, sociology, education, and business. Over the years, it has also been adopted by several other disciplines, including natural sciences (chemistry, physics), arts and humanities (literature), business studies (marketing, finance), etc. The APA format citation is one of the most commonly used styles in academia and is used when citing sources within research papers.
  • 2. An APA citation example
    In-text citation example in APA:
    (Camus, 1942, p. 203) [1]
  • 3. How to reference a website in APA style citations?
    Here's what an APA website citation would look like:
    Author/Group/Organization Name. (Date). Title of page: Subtitle. Website Name. URL
    Here's an example of how to cite a website in APA style:
    Reference entry:
    Rogers, R.. (2023, January 21). How to Spot AI-Generated Art, According to Artists Wired. https://www.wired.com/story/how-to-spot-generative-ai-art-according-to-artists/
    APA in-text citation for a website example:
    Parenthetical:
    		(Rogers, 2023)
    Narrative:
    		Rogers (2023)
  • 4. How to cite a book in APA style?
    When you're citing a book in APA formatting style, use this structure: Author name. (Year). Book title. Publisher name.
    A Reference entry example in APA style:
    Housel, M.. (2020). The Psychology of Money. Harriman House.
    APA in-text citation for a book example:
    (Housel, 2020)
  • 5. How to cite an article in APA format?
    To cite a journal article in APA format, you will need the author's last name, initials, year of publication, the title of the article, the journal title, the page number, and the DOI.
    APA reference entry for a journal article:
    M. Bates, D., & Mächler, M.. (2016). Fitting Linear Mixed-Effects Models Using lme4. 67(1), 1–48. https://doi.org/10.18637/jss.v067.i01
    APA in-text citation:
    (M. Bates & Mächler, 2016)
  • 6. How to use et al. in APA citation style?
    Et al. means “and others” and is used to cite multiple authors for a particular source. In APA format, it is used when three or more authors are present.If you are following APA format edition 7, in in-text citations, you will have to mention both authors if there are two authors, such as (Thompson & Smith, 2021). For sources with three or more authors, cite the first author followed by “et al.” as (Thompson et al., 2021). Do not use “et al.” in the reference list. According to the latest APA referencing guidelines, you can include up to twenty authors. When more than twenty are listed, the first 19 should be followed by an ellipsis.
  • 7. What is the difference between citation and attribution?
    Citation is used to credit the developers of works with restricted rights or "all rights reserved" and help protect against plagiarism. They usually include the author's name, source title, and publishing date.
    APA Reference List entry example:
    Smith, J. (2017). Exploring the Impact of Social Media on Society. Oxford University Press.
    APA in-text citation example:
    Parenthetical:
    		(Smith, 2017)
    Narrative:
    		Smith (2017)
    Attribution is used when using resources or text released with an open-copyright license and gives credit to the original creator. It typically includes the work's title, creator's name, and license type, with links to each.
    Attribution example:
    This chapter is an adaptation of Natural Disasters and the Changing Face of the Planet (in LA Valley College SharePoint, internal access only) by J. Claire Price and Larry Hicks, and is used under a CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.
  • 8. How to cite multiple authors in APA format?
    It can be confusing and verbose to include every author's name for one source. Thus, APA guidelines dictate you use “et al.” after the first author's name. In APA format, it is used when three or more authors are present.If you are following APA format edition 7, in in-text citations, you will have to mention both authors if there are two authors, such as (Thompson & Smith, 2021). For sources with three or more authors, in APA format, you should cite the first author followed by “et al.” as (Thompson et al., 2021). Do not use 'et al.' in the reference list. According to the latest APA referencing guidelines, you can include up to twenty authors. When more than twenty are listed, the first 19 should be followed by an ellipsis.
  • 9. What's the difference between works cited, reference list, and bibliography in APA style?
    The Works Cited page arranges sources alphabetically by author's last name at the end of a manuscript on a separate page. You'll have to use it if you're following MLA format (Modern Language Association) style.
    Work cited entry example:
    Johns, Scott. “Making the Impossible Possible.” People Magazine, April 2021, pp. 56-61.
    The Reference List is an alphabetized list of sources used when following the APA citation (American Psychological Association) style. While it may sound similar to Works Cited,the order and the framing of the text will be different. Plus, the page should be titled References.
    APA Reference list entry example:
    Gardner, J. (2011). The Price of Empire: The Decline of Spain in the 17th Century. London, UK: Cambridge University Press.
    A Bibliography differs from Works Cited or Reference Lists, as it includes all sources used for research, even the ones not mentioned in the paper.It is usually used in Chicago and Turabian citation styles and contains a long reference with a corresponding footnote.
    Bibliography entry example:
    Cunningham, Emily. A World Unravelled: The American Revolution. Manchester, UK: Manchester University Press, 2019.
  • 10. How do you cite in APA with no author?
    There might be times when you're referencing a source with an unknown author. In these cases, you replace the author’s name with the source title. For example, (Attention is all you need, 2017).
  • 11. How to cite a PDF in APA format?
    There are no specific APA referencing guidelines on how to cite a PDF. Depending on the type of material a PDF is (book, chapter, article), use the appropriate format to cite the document.
  • 12. Is SciSpace's APA citation generator completely free?
    Absolutely! It's totally free, and better yet, it's super accurate compared to other citation style generators — particularly for APA referencing.
  • 13. Do you follow the latest APA citation style guidelines?
    Yes, the format complies with the APA referencing guidelines. Our AI model is trained on the latest data. If there are any changes to the guidelines, we'll change our algorithm accordingly.
  • 14. What are the other citation generators offered by SciSpace?
    Besides APA style, we also offer citation generators for Chicago, Harvard, IEEE, MLA, and 9000+ other citation styles. All of them use the latest data and technology to ensure your citations are accurate and up-to-date.

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