Citation Questions, Answered
The rules behind the APA and MLA citation generator, in plain words, with the edge cases teachers actually mark down.
What's the difference between APA and MLA?
APA (used in sciences and social sciences) cites author and date: (Smith, 2024). MLA (used in the humanities) cites author and page: (Smith 24). The reference formats differ too, in author order, capitalization and italics. Ask your teacher which one your class uses; the generator switches with one click.
How do I cite a website with no author?
Start the citation with the title instead, in both styles. The generator does this automatically when you leave the author fields empty, and the in-text citation then uses the title too: quoted for web pages and articles, italicized for books.
What if there's no date?
In APA, write n.d. (no date) where the year would go; the generator fills that in for you. In MLA, simply leave the date out.
How do in-text citations work with several authors?
APA: one author (Smith, 2024); two (Smith & Jones, 2024); three or more (Smith et al., 2024). MLA: one (Smith 24); two (Smith and Jones 24); three or more (Smith et al. 24). Forms switch automatically as you add authors.
How do I alphabetize a works cited list?
Sort by the first word of each entry, usually the first author's last name or the title, and skip a leading "The", "A" or "An" when a title starts the entry. The Elements of Style files under E. The bibliography builder applies this rule every time you add a citation.
What is a hanging indent?
The first line of a citation sits flush left and every following line is indented half an inch. Both APA reference lists and MLA works cited pages require it. The copy-formatted buttons preserve the indent, so pasting into Word or Google Docs keeps the layout.
Why doesn't it auto-fill from a URL?
Auto-fill means fetching the page through a server, and this tool runs entirely in your browser. Teachers generally want you to verify source details yourself anyway, so manual entry doubles as proofreading.
Is it really free? Do I need an account?
Yes, and no account, ever. Your bibliography is saved in your own browser (localStorage), so it survives a refresh. Clearing browser data clears the list.