In-text citations
APA 7th uses (Author, Year) for paraphrasing and (Author, Year, p. X) for direct quotes. For three or more authors, use et al. from the first citation.
Updated 2026
Free APA Citation Generator with Source Checks
Use this free APA citation generator to create APA 7 references and in-text citations for articles, books, websites, and videos.
- Free to useNo account required
- Editable fieldsFix missing metadata before copying
- Source labelsSee where citation data came from
Citation style
Try real examples
How this APA citation generator works
Start with the source detail you have, then use this APA citation generator to check the result before copying.
- PasteUse a DOI, ISBN, URL, source title, or manual entry.
- CheckReview source labels, missing field warnings, and citation style output.
- EditUpdate fields when public metadata is incomplete.
- CopyUse the full citation, in-text citation, or add it to your library.
Reference list format
Reference list is double-spaced with hanging indent. Author surnames come first, followed by initials. DOIs are formatted as https://doi.org/... links.
APA review sheet
APA checks for author-date references
APA 7 is strict about author names, dates, sentence case titles, DOI URLs, and how missing information is handled.
Before you copy
Use DOI URLs when a DOI is available.
Check title case for journals and sentence case for article titles.
For missing dates, review whether n.d. is appropriate.
Source examples to review
Match the source type, then check the fields that usually cause mistakes.
Journal article
Cite a psychology DOI
- Check
- Authors, year, article title, journal title, DOI URL
Website
Cite a page with no author
- Check
- Title position, date, site name, URL
Book
Look up an ISBN
- Check
- Authors, year, title, publisher, DOI or URL
Quick APA rules
- APA 7 uses author-date in-text citations.
- References use sentence case for many titles and keep journal titles in title case.
- DOIs should be formatted as URLs when available.
- For missing dates, APA commonly uses n.d. when the date cannot be found.
Common APA mistakes
- Using et al. incorrectly for two-author works
- Writing DOIs as plain text instead of URLs
- Forgetting the hanging indent in reference lists
APA citation generator questions
Does this support APA 7?
Yes. The page uses APA 7 style rules for reference and in-text citation output.
Can I generate APA citations from a DOI?
Yes. Paste a DOI and the generator searches CrossRef before rendering the citation.
What if a website has no author?
The tool warns about missing fields. APA may move the title into the author position, but you should verify the source.
Can I edit APA fields before copying?
Yes. Change the source fields and regenerate so the final citation reflects your edits.