AI Citation Generator
Generate accurate citations in any format — free, unlimited, no sign-up
Enter your source details — author, title, year, publisher — pick a format (APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard), and get a properly-formatted citation in seconds. No sign-up, no word limits, supports books, articles, websites, journals, and more.
Example Output
Source type: Journal article
Author: Daniel Kahneman
Title: Maps of Bounded Rationality: Psychology for Behavioral Economics
Year: 2003
Publisher/Source: American Economic Review, Vol. 93, No. 5, pp. 1449–1475
Format: APA 7th edition
APA 7:
Kahneman, D. (2003). Maps of bounded rationality: Psychology for behavioral economics. American Economic Review, 93(5), 1449–1475.
In-text citation: (Kahneman, 2003)
Narrative: Kahneman (2003) argues that…
MLA 9 (same source for comparison):
Kahneman, Daniel. "Maps of Bounded Rationality: Psychology for Behavioral Economics." American Economic Review, vol. 93, no. 5, 2003, pp. 1449–1475.
What is an AI citation generator?
An AI citation generator takes the details of a source — author, title, year, publisher — and produces a properly-formatted citation in your chosen academic style (APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, IEEE, and others). It is useful when you have a long bibliography and need consistent formatting fast, when you're switching styles between submissions, or when you're juggling multiple source types (books, journal articles, websites, podcasts) that each have slightly different rules.
Good citation tools do more than just spit out a bibliography entry — they also generate the in-text citation in both parenthetical and narrative forms, handle missing fields gracefully (no author, no date, no page numbers), and apply the correct fallback conventions for each style guide. This tool does all of that and supports the seven most common academic styles.
How to use the citation generator
Generating a citation takes about 20 seconds:
- Pick the source type: book, journal article, website, blog post, podcast, video, interview, etc.
- Fill in what you know — author, title, year, publisher or source, page numbers if applicable.
- Pick the citation format: APA 7, MLA 9, Chicago, Harvard, IEEE, or another supported style.
- Click Generate. The output includes the bibliography entry, the parenthetical in-text citation, and the narrative form.
When to use an AI citation generator
A citation generator earns its keep in several common situations:
- You're writing a research paper with 20+ sources and need consistent formatting across all of them.
- You're switching from one style guide to another (e.g., MLA for English class, APA for psychology) and need the same source in two formats.
- You're citing a source type you haven't used before (a podcast, a tweet, a YouTube video) and don't remember the rules.
- You're working with a source missing the standard fields — no listed author, no publication year — and need the correct fallback convention.
- You're double-checking citations you wrote by hand and want a second source of truth before submission.
- You need both the bibliography entry and the in-text citation, not just one.
Why use aiwriter.ai's citation generator
aiwriter.ai's citation generator is free with no sign-up, supports the seven most common academic styles, and returns the in-text citation alongside the bibliography entry — something most online generators skip. It accepts any source type you describe, including the harder ones (podcasts, social media, interviews, government documents) that require unusual formatting rules.
Important: AI-generated citations are accurate to the published style guide but always verify against your institution's specific requirements before submission. Some universities have local variations (capitalization, punctuation, ordering) that differ from the published standard. Use this as a fast first draft, not a substitute for double-checking the final work.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this AI citation generator really free?
Yes — completely free, no sign-up, no credit card, no usage caps. Generate as many citations as you need, in as many formats as you need.
Which citation formats does it support?
APA (6th and 7th editions), MLA (8th and 9th editions), Chicago (Author-Date and Notes-Bibliography), Harvard, IEEE, AMA, and Vancouver. If your style guide isn't listed, name it in the source description and the AI will attempt the format.
How is this different from EasyBib or Citation Machine?
EasyBib and Citation Machine are excellent for known sources with ISBN/DOI lookup, but they require account sign-up and gate some formats. This tool is free with no account, accepts any source you describe, and returns both the citation and the in-text reference (which most generators omit).
Will the citations be 100% accurate to the style guide?
The AI follows the published style-guide rules, but always verify against your institution's specific requirements before submission — some universities have local variations (capitalization, punctuation, ordering) that diverge from the published standard. Use this as a starting draft, not a final answer.
Can it cite websites, podcasts, YouTube videos, and tweets?
Yes. Pick the source type from the dropdown — books, journal articles, websites, blog posts, podcasts, videos, social media posts, interviews, and more. Each format has slightly different rules and the AI applies them automatically.
Will it generate the in-text citation, not just the bibliography entry?
Yes. Every output includes the bibliography entry, the parenthetical in-text citation, and the narrative form (e.g., 'Kahneman (2003) argues…'). Most online generators only give you the bibliography entry.
Can I generate citations for sources without a known author or date?
Yes. Enter what you have — the AI will use the correct fallback conventions ('n.d.' for no date, the title for no author, etc.) per the style guide you picked.