Which Citation Style Should I Use? 24 Styles (2026)

Use the citation style and edition required by your instructor, department, journal or publisher; when none is specified, start with your discipline’s usual system. APA is common in psychology and education, MLA in literary studies, Chicago notes in history, IEEE in engineering and computing, and AMA in medical publishing. Choose the system first, then format verified source details and check them against the publication. AnswerThis’s citation generator helps retrieve and format source records in your selected style, with options to review details, switch styles and export references as BibTeX or RIS.

TL;DR

• Choose the required citation style before using a citation generator; discipline conventions are a fallback.

• APA 7 uses author–date citations; MLA 9 usually pairs the author with a passage locator.

• A website citation identifies the specific page, not just the website homepage.

• AnswerThis citation pages are free to try for the first 3 sources per browser.

• BibTeX and RIS carry bibliographic records; inspect imported fields before using the resulting references.

  
  

The AnswerThis citation generator formats source details for review and export. The IEEE, ACS and Vancouver sections below explain numbered references, their differences and the checks needed before submission.

Which citation style should I use?

A department can require a style different from its discipline’s common choice. Use one citation system consistently throughout your document.

This table covers 24 selected styles and variants, not 24 universal standards or the entire generator catalog. Some rows are older editions retained for specific requirements; others are journal or proceedings styles rather than discipline-wide rules.

APA 7

• Discipline or document context: Psychology, education and many social sciences

• What to check before choosing: Author–date system; institutional requirements

APA 6

• Discipline or document context: Assignments explicitly requiring the older APA edition

• What to check before choosing: Not the current APA edition

MLA 9

• Discipline or document context: Literature, languages and related humanities

• What to check before choosing: Author and passage locator; works-cited core elements

MLA 8

• Discipline or document context: Assignments explicitly requiring the older MLA edition

• What to check before choosing: Do not choose it merely because an old example uses it

Chicago author–date

• Discipline or document context: Social sciences and some scientific publications

• What to check before choosing: Required edition and reference-list rules

Chicago notes and bibliography

• Discipline or document context: History, arts and humanities

• What to check before choosing: Full notes, shortened notes and bibliography differ

Turabian author–date

• Discipline or document context: Student research using Turabian instructions

• What to check before choosing: Turabian’s manual is not identical to the latest Chicago manual

Harvard, Cite Them Right variant

• Discipline or document context: Cross-disciplinary university work

• What to check before choosing: Harvard has institutional variants; name the required one

IEEE

• Discipline or document context: Electrical engineering, electronics and computing

• What to check before choosing: Numbered references and the venue’s instructions

Vancouver

• Discipline or document context: Biomedical journals using numbered references

• What to check before choosing: The journal’s specific implementation

AMA 11

• Discipline or document context: Medical and health-science publishing

• What to check before choosing: Numbering, journal abbreviations and quotation locators

NLM grant-proposal variant

• Discipline or document context: Documents explicitly requesting this variant

• What to check before choosing: Not interchangeable with every Vancouver implementation

ACS

• Discipline or document context: Chemistry publications

• What to check before choosing: The journal’s requested citation system

ASA

• Discipline or document context: Sociology

• What to check before choosing: Edition required by the institution or journal

APSA

• Discipline or document context: Political science

• What to check before choosing: Manual version and journal instructions

CSE citation-sequence

• Discipline or document context: Biology and other scientific publications

• What to check before choosing: CSE also has citation-name and name-year systems

OSCOLA

• Discipline or document context: UK legal scholarship

• What to check before choosing: Required edition, legal-authority fields and pinpoints

Nature

• Discipline or document context: Submissions to Nature or a venue requesting its style

• What to check before choosing: The specific journal’s author instructions

Bluebook law-review style

• Discipline or document context: US legal scholarship

• What to check before choosing: Academic versus practitioner rules and required edition

ABNT author–date

• Discipline or document context: Brazilian academic work

• What to check before choosing: Applicable standards and institutional adaptations

AAA

• Discipline or document context: Anthropology using AAA-related instructions

• What to check before choosing: Journal instructions and Chicago author–date relationship

AGLC

• Discipline or document context: Australian legal scholarship

• What to check before choosing: Edition, authority type and pinpoint details

ACM SIG proceedings

• Discipline or document context: Computing proceedings requesting this style

• What to check before choosing: The actual conference’s template and reference instructions

Academy of Management Review

• Discipline or document context: Management scholarship submitted to that journal

• What to check before choosing: Its current submission instructions

A source type is not a citation style. A website, book or video can be cited in APA, MLA or another system. First identify the work you used; then apply the requested style.

What is a citation?

A citation is a reference that credits a source and lets readers identify it. Academic documents commonly use a short in-text marker or a note alongside the passage, plus a full reference or bibliography entry. The full entry supplies the relevant author, title, publication details and locator, such as a DOI or URL.

A citation does not establish that a source is reliable or that it supports your claim. Read the original and distinguish its findings from your interpretation.

Which citation generator supports AMA 11, CSE, OSCOLA or ABNT?

AnswerThis offers named selections for AMA 11, CSE 9 citation-sequence, OSCOLA 4 and ABNT author–date. Its AMA 11 citation generator is useful when you need medical references from a DOI, PMID, ISBN, public URL or manually checked details. The limitations matter: a generic source editor is not a complete editor for cases, statutes or treaties, and a named style selection does not guarantee compliance with newer editions or local adaptations.

The live public selector lists 2,681 styles, including journal-specific options. The homepage separately describes 2,000+ styles in the app’s document workflow; identical source, edition and field coverage across the two interfaces is not established.

The citation pages are free to try: the first 3 sources per browser, shared across citation pages. Style changes, edits, copies and exports of saved records do not consume another source. The reference converter currently has a separate first-10-reference allowance shared across converter pages; neither allowance means unlimited use.

What are the current editions of each style?

In 2026, the current major manuals include APA 7, MLA 9, Chicago 18 and AMA 11. A generator preset is a separate question: it can deliberately implement an older edition or a particular variant. Confirm both before relying on the output.

APA

• Current manual or governing guidance: Publication Manual, 7th edition; released in 2019

• Generator or selection caution: APA 6 is a legacy selection

MLA

• Current manual or governing guidance: MLA Handbook, 9th edition, 2021

• Generator or selection caution: MLA 8 is a legacy selection

Chicago, both systems

• Current manual or governing guidance: Chicago Manual of Style, 18th edition, 2024

• Generator or selection caution: Check the selected file’s edition; the system label alone is insufficient

Turabian

• Current manual or governing guidance: A Manual for Writers, 9th edition, 2018

• Generator or selection caution: The publisher says this edition reflects Chicago 17

Harvard, Cite Them Right

• Current manual or governing guidance: Cite Them Right, 13th edition, 2025

• Generator or selection caution: The prominent AnswerThis preset is labeled Cite Them Right 12

AMA

• Current manual or governing guidance: AMA Manual of Style, 11th edition, 2020

• Generator or selection caution: Check additional journal instructions

CSE

• Current manual or governing guidance: The CSE Manual, 9th edition, 2024

• Generator or selection caution: The named preset is citation-sequence, not every CSE system

OSCOLA

• Current manual or governing guidance: 5th edition, published in 2026

• Generator or selection caution: The dedicated AnswerThis page is explicitly OSCOLA 4

Bluebook

• Current manual or governing guidance: The Bluebook, 22nd edition, 2025

• Generator or selection caution: Confirm the selected style file’s edition and law-review context

ABNT

• Current manual or governing guidance: NBR 6023:2025 for references; NBR 10520:2023 for citations

• Generator or selection caution: Confirm the author–date preset against applicable standards and local rules

AGLC

• Current manual or governing guidance: Australian Guide to Legal Citation, 4th edition, 2018

• Generator or selection caution: Check your court, course or publisher’s instructions

ASA

• Current manual or governing guidance: ASA Style Guide, 7th edition, 2022

• Generator or selection caution: The prominent AnswerThis preset is labeled ASA 6; do not assume it implements ASA 7

APSA

• Current manual or governing guidance: Style Manual for Political Science, 2018 revised edition with July 2020 revisions

• Generator or selection caution: The prominent generator label says APSA 4; compare it with the required manual and revisions

Vancouver and NLM

• Current manual or governing guidance: NLM’s Citing Medicine, 2nd edition, is a reference resource

• Generator or selection caution: Follow journal or grant instructions; NLM grant-proposal is a specific variant

IEEE

• Current manual or governing guidance: Publisher-maintained reference and author guidance

• Generator or selection caution: Check the venue’s current instructions rather than assuming a universal edition number

ACS

• Current manual or governing guidance: Publisher and journal guidance

• Generator or selection caution: Use the citation system requested by the target journal

Nature

• Current manual or governing guidance: Journal-specific author guidance

• Generator or selection caution: Check the particular journal, not just the family name

AAA

• Current manual or governing guidance: Anthropology publication guidance, associated with Chicago author–date

• Generator or selection caution: Verify the target journal’s current requirements

ACM SIG proceedings

• Current manual or governing guidance: Conference and proceedings instructions

• Generator or selection caution: Select the actual venue’s required template

Academy of Management Review

• Current manual or governing guidance: Journal-specific submission instructions

• Generator or selection caution: Check current author guidance

Oxford’s announcement of OSCOLA 5 confirms the legal-style edition change. Journal-specific styles do not necessarily have numbered manuals; consult their author instructions.

Numbered citation styles: IEEE, ACS and Vancouver

IEEE cites sources with square-bracketed numbers assigned in order of first citation and reused for later mentions. Vancouver also numbers sources by first mention, while ACS formatting depends on the journal’s instructions. AnswerThis’s IEEE, ACS and Vancouver generators are free to try for the first 3 sources per browser, shared across citation pages.

A numbered citation style uses a short number in the text to identify a full reference. The number is an address within the manuscript, not a quality score or a publication date. Check both the marker and the full reference because styles differ in punctuation, author treatment and journal abbreviations.

How to cite in IEEE style

For IEEE citation format, assign a source its number when it first appears and reuse that number whenever you cite the same work. Place the marker in square brackets, such as [1], on the text line inside the punctuation. Arrange the reference list by citation order, not alphabetically.

The IEEE Reference Guide, version dated March 28, 2025, specifies writing cited references out individually rather than compressing a range. Keep the numbering consistent after moving paragraphs or inserting sources. Do not create another bibliography entry merely because you cite a different passage from the same work.

The AnswerThis IEEE citation generator with numbered references uses a pinned CSL style file, meaning a specific saved set of formatting rules. It numbers references using saved-source order, not an automatic reading of your manuscript. Reconcile its numbers with the order of first citation in your final document and reuse existing numbers for repeated sources.

IEEE example from the generator page:

[1] D. Kahneman, Thinking, Fast and Slow. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2011.

[1] D. Kahneman, Thinking, Fast and Slow. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2011.

[1] D. Kahneman, Thinking, Fast and Slow. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2011.

This is the page’s documented output for Daniel Kahneman’s book, not an invented engineering publication or a fresh lookup. The isolated example starts at reference one only because it stands alone. Restore applicable italics in your editor and check the required venue’s instructions before using its punctuation as a template.

How to cite in ACS style

For ACS citation style, begin with the target chemistry journal’s author guidelines. Do not assume that every ACS publication uses identical markers or reference treatment. The ACS Guide to Scholarly Communication is the publisher’s guidance resource, while journal-specific instructions determine the submission requirements.

The AnswerThis ACS citation generator for chemistry papers selects the standard ACS CSL style. Its worked example uses a numbered reference, but that output does not establish that all chemistry journals request the same treatment. Check chemical notation, technical capitalization and the required journal-name abbreviations against the original source and destination guidance.

ACS example from the generator page:

(1) Kahneman, D. Thinking, Fast and Slow; Farrar, Straus and Giroux: New York, 2011.

(1) Kahneman, D. Thinking, Fast and Slow; Farrar, Straus and Giroux: New York, 2011.

(1) Kahneman, D. Thinking, Fast and Slow; Farrar, Straus and Giroux: New York, 2011.

The example uses the same real book as the IEEE entry, so the changes show formatting rather than different underlying evidence. It reproduces the page’s plain-text output, which does not preserve italics or superscript styling. Follow the journal’s requested marker and reference format rather than copying an isolated example without context.

Vancouver referencing

Vancouver referencing is a numbered system used in biomedical writing. The ICMJE references guidance calls for consecutive numbers in order of first mention and Arabic numerals in parentheses. Use the same assigned number when referring to the publication again.

For full reference formatting, ICMJE points authors to the National Library of Medicine’s Citing Medicine. Check journal abbreviations and the target journal’s implementation, since a Vancouver label does not guarantee identical punctuation or electronic-reference treatment everywhere. References first appearing in tables or figure legends also need to follow the manuscript’s citation sequence under ICMJE guidance.

The AnswerThis Vancouver citation generator for medical journals provides a numbered reference and an in-text example such as (1). Review the saved-source sequence against the manuscript before submission. PubMed metadata helps identify a record but does not by itself settle the required abbreviation or establish that the findings support your statement.

Vancouver example from the generator page:

1. Kahneman D. Thinking, Fast and Slow. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux; 2011.

1. Kahneman D. Thinking, Fast and Slow. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux; 2011.

1. Kahneman D. Thinking, Fast and Slow. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux; 2011.

This is documented generator output for the same book, not a claim that the book is a biomedical study. The plain-text example omits visual styling and cannot demonstrate every source type or journal override. Preserve the verified record and compare the final entry with the required instructions.

Numbered vs author-date styles

Numbered systems direct the reader to a numbered entry, while author-date systems identify the author and year in the text. Both still require complete source details. The comparison below summarizes how to choose and check the system, not a guarantee that a general preset meets a journal’s rules.

IEEE

• In-text system: Square-bracketed numbers

• Reference-list organization: Order of first citation

• Main check: Reuse numbers and follow IEEE and venue guidance

ACS

• In-text system: Depends on the journal’s required treatment

• Reference-list organization: Follow the selected system and journal instructions

• Main check: Standard ACS output is not every journal’s format

Vancouver

• In-text system: Numbers, with parentheses under ICMJE guidance

• Reference-list organization: Order of first mention

• Main check: Check journal abbreviations and local adaptations

AMA

• In-text system: Superscript numbers

• Reference-list organization: Citation order

• Main check: Follow AMA and journal instructions

APA

• In-text system: Author and year

• Reference-list organization: Alphabetical

• Main check: Use the required edition and full reference rules

Harvard

• In-text system: Author and year

• Reference-list organization: Usually alphabetical

• Main check: Identify the institutional or publisher variant

An ACS reference is not simply an IEEE entry with different brackets, and Vancouver is not a generic substitute for AMA. Changing the visible number without reformatting the full entry leaves a mixed style. If you switch systems, review both the manuscript markers and reference list together.

What the generators retrieve, and what you still check

All three AnswerThis generators support 12 source types: journal article, book, chapter, website, PDF, image, YouTube video, dataset, thesis, conference paper, software and report. DOIs use Crossref, with DataCite when Crossref has no record, PMIDs use NCBI PubMed, ISBNs use Open Library, and public URLs use the page’s own metadata. No AI generates citation details, and PDFs are not uploaded or read here.

The first 3 sources are free per browser, shared across citation pages, not a separate allowance for each style. Editing, changing styles, copying and exporting a saved source do not use another free citation. Users can copy formatted references or export their saved bibliography as BibTeX or RIS.

Retrieved metadata can be incomplete or identify the wrong edition. Check authors, title, source type, date, journal or publisher details and identifiers before formatting. A successful lookup establishes neither that the work is reliable nor that it supports the claim beside the citation, and IEEE, ACS and ICMJE do not endorse these tools.

How do I cite common sources in APA and MLA?

The MLA Style Center’s core-element guide explains how to assemble an entry from the applicable author, source title, container, contributors, version, number, publisher, date and location. Include only elements that describe the source.

The templates below are copyable field patterns, not citations to invented publications. Replace every placeholder with information from the source. An asterisk in a plain-text template marks text that should be italicized in the final reference; remove the asterisks after applying italics in your document.

How do I cite a website in APA 7?

For a specific webpage, use the author, publication date, page title, site name and URL. If an organization is the credited author, use that organization; do not automatically make the site owner the author. Omit the site name when it is identical to the author. Use n.d. when no publication date is available; when no author is credited, move the page title into the author position.

APA 7 template:

[Author surname], [Initials]. ([Year], [Month] [Day]). *[Title of page in sentence case]*. [Site name]. [Page URL]

[Author surname], [Initials]. ([Year], [Month] [Day]). *[Title of page in sentence case]*. [Site name]. [Page URL]

[Author surname], [Initials]. ([Year], [Month] [Day]). *[Title of page in sentence case]*. [Site name]. [Page URL]

MLA 9 template:

[Author surname], [First name]. "[Title of Page]." *[Website Name]*, [Day] [Month] [Year], [Page URL]

[Author surname], [First name]. "[Title of Page]." *[Website Name]*, [Day] [Month] [Year], [Page URL]

[Author surname], [First name]. "[Title of Page]." *[Website Name]*, [Day] [Month] [Year], [Page URL]

Copyable APA and MLA entries for a verified webpage:

APA 7:
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

MLA 9:
Bologna, Caroline. “Why Some People with Anxiety Love Watching Horror Movies.” HuffPost, 31 Oct. 2019, https://www.huffpost.com/entry/anxiety-love-watching-horror-movies_l_5d277587e4b02a5a5d57b59e.

APA 7:
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

MLA 9:
Bologna, Caroline. “Why Some People with Anxiety Love Watching Horror Movies.” HuffPost, 31 Oct. 2019, https://www.huffpost.com/entry/anxiety-love-watching-horror-movies_l_5d277587e4b02a5a5d57b59e.

APA 7:
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

MLA 9:
Bologna, Caroline. “Why Some People with Anxiety Love Watching Horror Movies.” HuffPost, 31 Oct. 2019, https://www.huffpost.com/entry/anxiety-love-watching-horror-movies_l_5d277587e4b02a5a5d57b59e.

Italicize the page title in APA and HuffPost in MLA. The MLA entry is a formatting adaptation of the same page record.

To build and check your own reference:

1. Open the exact page you used and record its credited author.

2. Identify its publication date; do not substitute the footer copyright year.

3. Record the page title and website name separately.

4. Format the APA 7 entry, omitting the duplicate site name when appropriate.

5. Compare the finished entry with the page and add the matching in-text citation.

The website citation generator retrieves public page metadata for review and also accepts manual details. Blocked or incomplete pages require manual checking. APA retrieval dates belong to relevant changing, unarchived content, not automatically to every website citation.

How do I cite a book in APA and MLA?

Cite the edition you actually read. APA 7 omits the publisher’s location, and an edition other than the first follows the title. Add an available DOI; a print book without a DOI does not need a made-up URL.

APA 7: [Surname], [Initials]. ([Year]). *[Book title]* ([Edition, if not first]). [Publisher]. [DOI or applicable URL]
MLA 9: [Surname], [First name]. *[Book Title]*. [Edition, if relevant], [Publisher], [Year]

APA 7: [Surname], [Initials]. ([Year]). *[Book title]* ([Edition, if not first]). [Publisher]. [DOI or applicable URL]
MLA 9: [Surname], [First name]. *[Book Title]*. [Edition, if relevant], [Publisher], [Year]

APA 7: [Surname], [Initials]. ([Year]). *[Book title]* ([Edition, if not first]). [Publisher]. [DOI or applicable URL]
MLA 9: [Surname], [First name]. *[Book Title]*. [Edition, if relevant], [Publisher], [Year]

A copyable APA book example:

Jackson, L. M. (2019). The psychology of prejudice: From attitudes to social action (2nd ed.). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/0000168-000

Jackson, L. M. (2019). The psychology of prejudice: From attitudes to social action (2nd ed.). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/0000168-000

Jackson, L. M. (2019). The psychology of prejudice: From attitudes to social action (2nd ed.). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/0000168-000

Italicize the book title, but not the edition information, after pasting.

A real MLA book example from the MLA Style Center is:

Mantel, Hilary. Wolf Hall. Picador, 2010.

Mantel, Hilary. Wolf Hall. Picador, 2010.

Mantel, Hilary. Wolf Hall. Picador, 2010.

Italicize Wolf Hall in the finished entry. Use the book source type or the Book Citation Generator for ISBN lookup, then compare the returned edition, author and publisher with the title and copyright pages.

How do I cite a journal article in APA and MLA?

Keep the article title separate from the journal title. Check author order, year, volume, issue, pages or article number, and DOI. A DOI is an identifier, not evidence that the findings are valid.

APA 7: [Surname], [Initials]. ([Year]). [Article title in sentence case]. *[Journal Name], [Volume]*([Issue]), [Pages or article number]. [DOI URL]
MLA 9: [Surname], [First name]. "[Article Title]." *[Journal Name]*, vol. [Volume], no. [Issue], [Year], pp. [Page range]. [DOI URL]

APA 7: [Surname], [Initials]. ([Year]). [Article title in sentence case]. *[Journal Name], [Volume]*([Issue]), [Pages or article number]. [DOI URL]
MLA 9: [Surname], [First name]. "[Article Title]." *[Journal Name]*, vol. [Volume], no. [Issue], [Year], pp. [Page range]. [DOI URL]

APA 7: [Surname], [Initials]. ([Year]). [Article title in sentence case]. *[Journal Name], [Volume]*([Issue]), [Pages or article number]. [DOI URL]
MLA 9: [Surname], [First name]. "[Article Title]." *[Journal Name]*, vol. [Volume], no. [Issue], [Year], pp. [Page range]. [DOI URL]

A copyable APA article example documented on the article generator:

Grady, J. S., Her, M., Moreno, G., Perez, C., & Yelinek, J. (2019). Emotions in storybooks: A comparison of storybooks that represent ethnic and racial groups in the United States. Psychology of Popular Media Culture, 8(3), 207–217. https://doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000185

Grady, J. S., Her, M., Moreno, G., Perez, C., & Yelinek, J. (2019). Emotions in storybooks: A comparison of storybooks that represent ethnic and racial groups in the United States. Psychology of Popular Media Culture, 8(3), 207–217. https://doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000185

Grady, J. S., Her, M., Moreno, G., Perez, C., & Yelinek, J. (2019). Emotions in storybooks: A comparison of storybooks that represent ethnic and racial groups in the United States. Psychology of Popular Media Culture, 8(3), 207–217. https://doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000185

A real MLA journal example from the MLA Style Center is:

Goldman, Anne. “Questions of Transport: Reading Primo Levi Reading Dante.” The Georgia Review, vol. 64, no. 1, spring 2010, pp. 69–88. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/41403188.

Goldman, Anne. “Questions of Transport: Reading Primo Levi Reading Dante.” The Georgia Review, vol. 64, no. 1, spring 2010, pp. 69–88. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/41403188.

Goldman, Anne. “Questions of Transport: Reading Primo Levi Reading Dante.” The Georgia Review, vol. 64, no. 1, spring 2010, pp. 69–88. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/41403188.

Italicize The Georgia Review and JSTOR in the MLA entry; in the APA example, italicize Psychology of Popular Media Culture and the volume number. The Grady article’s APA in-text form is (Grady et al., 2019). The Journal Article Citation Generator accepts DOI or PMID lookup and manual details. If a publication uses an article number, do not force it into a fictitious page range. Add all authors according to the style’s rules; these one-author templates are not permission to omit coauthors.

How do I cite a YouTube video?

In APA 7, use the uploader as author, the upload date, italicized video title, [Video], YouTube and the URL. When the uploader’s real name and different channel name are known, place the channel name in brackets after the personal name.

APA 7, channel as author:
[Channel name]. ([Year], [Month] [Day]). *[Video title]* [Video]. YouTube. [Video URL]

APA 7, personal uploader plus different channel name:
Surname, A. A. [Channel Name]. (Year, Month Day). *Title of video* [Video]. YouTube. URL

MLA 9, channel upload:
"[Video Title]." *YouTube*, uploaded by [Channel name], [Day] [Month] [Year], [Video URL]

APA 7, channel as author:
[Channel name]. ([Year], [Month] [Day]). *[Video title]* [Video]. YouTube. [Video URL]

APA 7, personal uploader plus different channel name:
Surname, A. A. [Channel Name]. (Year, Month Day). *Title of video* [Video]. YouTube. URL

MLA 9, channel upload:
"[Video Title]." *YouTube*, uploaded by [Channel name], [Day] [Month] [Year], [Video URL]

APA 7, channel as author:
[Channel name]. ([Year], [Month] [Day]). *[Video title]* [Video]. YouTube. [Video URL]

APA 7, personal uploader plus different channel name:
Surname, A. A. [Channel Name]. (Year, Month Day). *Title of video* [Video]. YouTube. URL

MLA 9, channel upload:
"[Video Title]." *YouTube*, uploaded by [Channel name], [Day] [Month] [Year], [Video URL]

The second APA line is a format pattern, not a named source; retain the brackets around the verified channel name. In MLA, include a relevant identified creator before the title when appropriate, and do not duplicate identical creator and uploader credits.

Real video example: APA’s common reference examples guide documents this channel, title, date and URL. The MLA entry below applies the uploaded-video pattern to that same record.

APA 7:
Above The Noise. (2017, October 18). Can procrastination be a good thing? [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQMwmBNNOnQ

MLA 9:
“Can Procrastination Be a Good Thing?” YouTube, uploaded by Above The Noise, 18 Oct. 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQMwmBNNOnQ.

APA 7:
Above The Noise. (2017, October 18). Can procrastination be a good thing? [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQMwmBNNOnQ

MLA 9:
“Can Procrastination Be a Good Thing?” YouTube, uploaded by Above The Noise, 18 Oct. 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQMwmBNNOnQ.

APA 7:
Above The Noise. (2017, October 18). Can procrastination be a good thing? [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQMwmBNNOnQ

MLA 9:
“Can Procrastination Be a Good Thing?” YouTube, uploaded by Above The Noise, 18 Oct. 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQMwmBNNOnQ.

Italicize the video title in APA and YouTube in MLA. This is a formatting example, not an endorsement of the video’s findings.

The YouTube Citation Generator looks up the title and channel, but you must add the upload date yourself. It does not watch or transcribe the video.

How do I cite an image?

Credit the image creator and use the original collection or repository record. A website that displays an image is not necessarily its creator. For an untitled APA image, use a factual bracketed description instead of inventing a title.

APA 7:
[Creator surname], [Initials]. ([Year]). *[Image title]* [Photograph]. [Collection or site name]. [Record URL]

APA 7, untitled-image format pattern:
Surname, A. A. (Year). [Factual description of image]. Site Name. URL

MLA 9:
[Creator surname], [First name]. *[Image Title]*. [Year of creation], [Collection or Institution]. *[Hosting Site]*, [Record URL]

APA 7:
[Creator surname], [Initials]. ([Year]). *[Image title]* [Photograph]. [Collection or site name]. [Record URL]

APA 7, untitled-image format pattern:
Surname, A. A. (Year). [Factual description of image]. Site Name. URL

MLA 9:
[Creator surname], [First name]. *[Image Title]*. [Year of creation], [Collection or Institution]. *[Hosting Site]*, [Record URL]

APA 7:
[Creator surname], [Initials]. ([Year]). *[Image title]* [Photograph]. [Collection or site name]. [Record URL]

APA 7, untitled-image format pattern:
Surname, A. A. (Year). [Factual description of image]. Site Name. URL

MLA 9:
[Creator surname], [First name]. *[Image Title]*. [Year of creation], [Collection or Institution]. *[Hosting Site]*, [Record URL]

Retain square brackets around the untitled-image description and replace Photograph with the actual medium. Include collection and institution details only when they describe the image you used. The Image Citation Generator formats supplied details or inspected page metadata; it does not identify an unknown image. Creator, title and creation date need manual confirmation.

Real visual-source example: APA’s common-reference guide identifies its Data sharing infographic with no publication date. Cite the infographic itself, even though it is delivered as a PDF.

APA 7:
American Psychological Association. (n.d.). Data sharing [Infographic]. https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/data-sharing-infographic.pdf

MLA 9:
Data Sharing. American Psychological Association, https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/data-sharing-infographic.pdf.

APA 7:
American Psychological Association. (n.d.). Data sharing [Infographic]. https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/data-sharing-infographic.pdf

MLA 9:
Data Sharing. American Psychological Association, https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/data-sharing-infographic.pdf.

APA 7:
American Psychological Association. (n.d.). Data sharing [Infographic]. https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/data-sharing-infographic.pdf

MLA 9:
Data Sharing. American Psychological Association, https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/data-sharing-infographic.pdf.

Italicize Data sharing in APA and Data Sharing in MLA. APA omits a repeated publisher identical to the author; the MLA pattern avoids repeating the same corporate creator and publisher. Do not supply a guessed year.

When reproducing an image, check the separate permission and figure-note questions in the FAQ below.

In-text citations, multiple authors and direct quotes

What is an in-text citation?

An in-text citation is the short marker beside material taken from a source, pointing to its full reference. APA normally uses (Surname, Year); MLA normally uses (Surname Page) when the source has pages. A narrative citation names the author in the sentence; a parenthetical citation puts the relevant details in parentheses.

Numeric systems use numbered markers, but their typography differs: IEEE commonly uses brackets, while AMA uses superscripts. Do not treat bracketed numbers and superscript numbers as interchangeable without checking the required style.

How do I cite multiple authors in APA?

APA 7 names both authors every time for a two-author work: ([Surname] & [Surname], [Year]) in parentheses, or [Surname] and [Surname] ([Year]) in a sentence. For three or more authors, use the first surname and et al. from the first citation, unless the shortened forms would be ambiguous.

The reference-list rules are different. APA 7 includes up to 20 authors. For 21 or more, list the first 19, an ellipsis and the final author. Preserve the complete source record rather than shortening its stored author list to match an in-text marker.

MLA 9 names two authors in a two-author citation and uses the first surname plus et al. for three or more. Keep any applicable locator.

How do I cite a direct quote?

Give a locator that lets readers find the exact passage. APA uses a page locator such as ([Surname], [Year], p. [Page]); MLA uses ([Surname] [Page]). If the author is already named in the sentence, avoid repeating information the style does not require.

For an APA webpage without page numbers, use a paragraph number, section heading or a suitable combination. For a video, use the passage timestamp. Do not assign page numbers from a printed webpage or confuse a book’s total length with the page quoted.

APA sets quotations of 40 words or more as an indented block without quotation marks. MLA uses block format for prose longer than four lines; poetry has separate rules. Both still need a source citation.

Exporting references to BibTeX and RIS

BibTeX and RIS are structured record formats, not citation styles. A bibliography processor or reference manager applies the display style after import. Changing APA to MLA changes formatting; converting BibTeX to RIS changes the record’s interchange format.

BibTeX

• Useful next step: A compatible LaTeX workflow or reference manager

• Check after export: Entry type, citation keys, names, capitalization and identifiers

RIS

• Useful next step: Import into a reference manager that supports RIS

• Check after export: Source type, author count, journal or publisher details and identifiers

Formatted APA or MLA text

• Useful next step: Insert a reviewed entry into a document

• Check after export: Layout, italics and consistency with the in-text citation

How do I convert a DOI to BibTeX?

1. Copy the DOI from the publication, not an unrelated publisher URL.

2. Choose DOI as the input and BibTeX as the output in the converter.

3. Look up the metadata and inspect each returned record.

4. Check its entry type, creator order, year, title and DOI against the publication.

5. Download the bibliography, import or compile a small sample, and inspect the final reference.

The DOI, PMID, BibTeX and RIS reference converter supports identifier lookup and bibliography-file conversion. Its DOI-to-BibTeX tool retrieves metadata and formats it; it does not reconstruct missing facts from a paper’s full text.

For the verified Jackson book record, the following is a core-field illustration, not a promise about the exact key or field order of a future export:

@book{jackson2019,
  author = {Jackson, L. M.},
  title = {The psychology of prejudice: From attitudes to social action},
  year = {2019},
  edition = {2},
  publisher = {American Psychological Association},
  doi = {10.1037/0000168-000}
}

@book{jackson2019,
  author = {Jackson, L. M.},
  title = {The psychology of prejudice: From attitudes to social action},
  year = {2019},
  edition = {2},
  publisher = {American Psychological Association},
  doi = {10.1037/0000168-000}
}

@book{jackson2019,
  author = {Jackson, L. M.},
  title = {The psychology of prejudice: From attitudes to social action},
  year = {2019},
  edition = {2},
  publisher = {American Psychological Association},
  doi = {10.1037/0000168-000}
}

FAQs

Should I use a discipline’s usual style or my journal’s required edition?

Follow the journal, instructor or department’s explicit requirements first. Discipline conventions are a fallback. Confirm the edition or variant too: a familiar style name does not mean a generator implements the latest manual.

Can I switch from IEEE to Vancouver by changing the citation brackets?

No. Reformat both the in-text markers and full references, then check citation order, author treatment and journal abbreviations. Reuse each source’s assigned number and follow the destination journal’s instructions.

Are BibTeX and RIS different citation styles?

No. They store bibliographic records for import into compatible tools; APA, MLA and other styles control their displayed formatting. Check imported fields and do not assume exports transfer PDFs, folders or manuscript citation links.

Does citing an image give me permission to reproduce it?

No. A reference credits the source, while reproduction rights depend on the license, permission or applicable legal exception. Check the rights statement and any required figure-note attribution separately.

How does AnswerThis help format and reuse references across styles?

AnswerThis retrieves source metadata or accepts manually checked details, then formats records in your chosen style. You can edit, switch styles, copy or export saved references without another source charge. Verify metadata, the required edition and manuscript numbering before submission.

Format checked references, then save a reusable copy

Browser-stored references do not automatically move into the app when you sign up. Export a copy before leaving the public generator or converter, then continue working with your sources in AnswerThis if needed.