APA Citation Generator – APA 7th Edition References for Websites, Books and Journals
APA Citation Generator
Instantly generate perfectly formatted APA 7th Edition citations for websites, books, and academic journals.
Quick answer
Choose the source type (website, book or journal), enter the author’s first and last name, year, title and the remaining details, then press Create Citation. The APA citation generator returns an APA 7th edition reference such as: Khan, S. J. (2025, March 14). How solar panels work. Energy Explained. https://energyexplained.org/solar
APA style is the standard referencing format in psychology, education, nursing, business and most social sciences. Its rules on initials, dates, italics and punctuation are strict, and small slips cost marks.
This APA citation generator follows the 7th edition rules for the three source types students cite most: web pages, books and journal articles. It converts first names to initials, puts the date in brackets, applies italics to the right part and sentence-cases the title’s first letter.
APA 7th Edition Formats Used by the Generator
| Source | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Web page | Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of page. Site Name. URL | Khan, S. J. (2025, March 14). How solar panels work. Energy Explained. https://energyexplained.org/solar |
| Book | Author, A. A. (Year). Title of book. Publisher. DOI/URL | Clear, J. (2018). Atomic habits. Avery. |
| Journal article | Author, A. A. (Year). Title of article. Journal Name, Volume(Issue), pages. DOI | Lopez, M. E. (2023). Sleep and memory in adolescents. Journal of Sleep Research, 32(4), 112-125. https://doi.org/10.1111/jsr.13800 |
If you leave the author blank, APA moves the title into the author position, and the generator does the same. If you leave the year blank, it uses “n.d.” (no date).
How to Use the APA Citation Generator
Have the source open so you can copy the details exactly. The form changes to show the right fields for each source type.
Step 1: Choose the source type: website, book or journal
Pick Website / Webpage, Book or Academic Journal from the Source Type menu. The fields below change to match.
Step 2: Enter the author’s name and the publication date
Type the first name(s) and last name in full; the tool turns first names into initials. Add the year, and for web pages the month and day if the page shows them.
Step 3: Add the title, site name and URL, then Create Citation
Enter the title, the website name (or publisher, or journal name, volume, issue and pages) and the URL or DOI, then press Create Citation.
Step 4: Copy your APA 7th edition reference
The reference appears with a hanging indent and the correct italics. Press Copy to Clipboard and paste it into your reference list.
Tips for Accurate APA References
- Write the title in sentence case: capitalise only the first word, the first word after a colon and proper nouns. The tool capitalises the first letter, so fix any other capitals yourself.
- Use the DOI for journal articles whenever one exists, written as https://doi.org/…
- Leave out “Retrieved from” before URLs; APA 7 does not use it.
- Order your final reference list alphabetically by the first author’s last name and double-space it.
APA In-Text Citations
Each reference needs a matching in-text citation. Use the author’s last name and the year: (Khan, 2025) or Khan (2025) found that…. For direct quotes add the page: (Clear, 2018, p. 27). With two authors use both names joined by “&” in brackets; with three or more, use the first name followed by “et al.”
Why Use an APA Citation Generator
Formatting references by hand means remembering where every full stop, comma and italic goes. An APA citation generator applies those rules the same way every time, so your reference list stays consistent. Use this APA citation generator as you research, copying each reference into your document as soon as you find a source.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which edition does the APA citation generator use?
It follows the APA 7th edition, published in 2020, which most universities now require.
How do I cite a website with no author?
Leave the author fields empty. The generator moves the title to the start, as APA requires: Title. (Year, Month Day). Site Name. URL.
What if there is no publication date?
Leave the year empty and the citation will use “n.d.”, meaning no date.
Can I cite a source with two or more authors?
The form takes one author. For more, generate the reference and add the other authors by hand, for example: Khan, S. J., & Ali, R. (2025).
Does it add the hanging indent?
Yes. The output box shows a hanging indent and keeps italics when you paste into most word processors.
Is the APA citation generator free?
Yes, it is free, needs no account and runs entirely in your browser.