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⚙️ Styles | APA 7 & APA 6 |
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📚 Source types | Websites, books, articles |
🔎 Autocite | Search by title, URL, DOI, or ISBN |
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Scribbr's Citation Generator supports both APA 6 and APA 7 (as well as MLA and Harvard). No matter what edition you're using, we’ve got you covered!
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The Scribbr Citation Generator is built using the same citation software (CSL) as Mendeley and Zotero, but with an added layer for improved accuracy.
Create perfectly formatted annotated bibliographies with just a few clicks.
Explanatory tips help you get the details right to ensure accurate citations.
Getting to grips with citation is simple with the help of our highly rated APA citation guides and videos.
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APA Style is widely used by students, researchers, and professionals in the social and behavioral sciences. Scribbr’s free citation generator automatically generates accurate references and in-text citations.
This citation guide outlines the most important citation guidelines from the 7th edition APA Publication Manual (2020).
APA in-text citations include the author’s last name, publication date, and, if relevant, a locator such as a page number or timestamp. For example, (Smith, 2021, p. 170). See it as a shorter version of the entry in the reference list.
You should include in-text citations every time you’re quoting or paraphrasing someone else’s ideas or words. In doing so, you give credit to the original author and avoid plagiarism.
The in-text citation can take two forms: parenthetical and narrative. Both types are generated automatically when citing a source with Scribbr’s APA Citation Generator.
The in-text citation changes slightly when a source has multiple authors or an organization as an author. Pay attention to punctuation and the use of the ampersand (&) symbol.
Author type | Parenthetical citation | Narrative citation |
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One author | (Smith, 2020) | Smith (2020) |
Two authors | (Smith & Jones, 2020) | Smith and Jones (2020) |
Three or more authors | (Smith et al., 2020) | Smith et al. (2020) |
Organization | (Scribbr, 2020) | Scribbr (2020) |
When the author, publication date or locator is unknown, take the steps outlined below.
Missing element | What to do | Parenthetical citation |
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Author | Use the source title.* | (Source Title, 2020) |
Date | Write “n.d.” for “no date.” | (Smith, n.d.) |
Page number | Either use an alternative locator or omit the page number. | (Smith, 2020, Chapter 3) or (Smith, 2020) |
APA Citation Generator
APA references generally include information about the author, publication date, title, and source. Depending on the type of source, you may have to include extra information that helps your reader locate the source.
It is not uncommon for certain information to be unknown or missing, especially with sources found online. In these cases, the reference is slightly adjusted.
Missing element | What to do | Reference format |
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Author | Start the reference entry with the source title. | Title. (Date). Source. |
Date | Write “n.d.” for “no date”. | Author. (n.d.). Title. Source. |
Title | Describe the work in square brackets. | Author. (Date). [Description]. Source. |
On the reference page, you list all the sources that you’ve cited throughout your paper. Place the page, right after the main body and before any appendices.
On the first line of the page, write the section label “References” (in bold and centered). On the second line, start listing your references in alphabetical order.
Apply these formatting guidelines to the APA reference page:
On the reference page, you only include sources that you have cited in the text (with an in-text citation). You should not include references to personal communications that your reader can’t access (e.g. emails, phone conversations or private online material).
APA Citation Generator
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