Updated 2026

Free APA Citation Generator

Create APA 7 references and in-text citations for articles, books, websites, and videos with editable metadata.

PsychologyEducationNursingBusinessSocial Work
Try real examples

How it works

How this APA generator works

APA output is generated from source data found through CrossRef, Google Books, URL extraction, or manual entry.

APA is common in psychology, education, nursing, business, and social science writing.

  1. 1Paste a DOI, ISBN, URL, or source title.
  2. 2Review the metadata source label and any missing field warnings.
  3. 3Edit source fields if the free lookup missed something.
  4. 4Copy the full citation or in-text citation.

Citation rules

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.

Reference list

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

  1. Use DOI URLs when a DOI is available.

  2. Check title case for journals and sentence case for article titles.

  3. 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

Style notes

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.

Avoid errors

Common APA mistakes

1

Using et al. incorrectly for two-author works

2

Writing DOIs as plain text instead of URLs

3

Forgetting the hanging indent in reference lists

Learn more

Official APA style guide

This generator applies APA 7th Edition rules. For full formatting requirements and examples, consult the official style manual.

Visit official guide

Why trust this

Data sources

The APA citation output is built from real metadata sources, not invented data. Each result labels where the information came from:

CrossRefGoogle BooksURL metadataManual entry

Questions

Frequently asked 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.

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