How citation styles differ

All major academic styles answer the same questions—who wrote it, what is it called, where was it published, and when—but they arrange those answers differently. APA (American Psychological Association) is common in psychology, education, and the social sciences. MLA (Modern Language Association) dominates literature and the humanities. Chicago author-date is widely used in history and some social sciences, while notes-bibliography Chicago appears in many history and arts programs. Harvard referencing is an author-date family of styles used internationally; exact punctuation varies by university, but the logic is close to Chicago author-date.

Citing books, journals, websites, and digital media

1. Books: Collect author(s), year, book title, publisher, and DOI or ISBN when available. In APA, italicize the book title in sentence case. In MLA and Chicago, italicize the title in title case and include the publisher.
2. Journal articles: Note author(s), year, article title, journal name, volume, issue, page range, and DOI. Volume is usually italic in APA; issue numbers appear in parentheses without italics.
3. Websites: Record the author or organization, page title, site name, publication or update date, and URL. If no date exists, APA uses (n.d.); MLA and Chicago may omit the date or note access information depending on local guidance.
4. Digital media (videos, podcasts): Include the creator or uploader, year (and full date when required), title, format description when helpful, platform or publisher, and URL. Treat YouTube channels and institutional channels as publishers when no individual author is credited.

Use the CiteLite form above to enter these fields once, then switch styles to see how the same source reformats. Always copy the full reference into your bibliography and place the matching in-text citation where you paraphrase or quote the source.

Frequently asked questions

In-text citations vs. bibliography entries

An in-text citation is the short pointer in your paragraph—(Author, Year) in APA, (Author page) in MLA, or (Author Year, page) in Chicago author-date. The bibliography, reference list, or Works Cited entry is the full record at the end of the paper so readers can locate the source. Every in-text citation should map to exactly one full entry, and every full entry should be cited at least once unless your instructor allows a reading list.

DOI formatting

A Digital Object Identifier (DOI) is a permanent link for scholarly works. Prefer the URL form beginning with https://doi.org/ followed by the DOI string (for example, https://doi.org/10.1000/xyz123). Do not add a period at the end of the DOI URL. When both a DOI and a database URL exist, cite the DOI and omit the database URL in APA, MLA, and Chicago.

Author name conventions

List authors in the order they appear on the source. APA uses surname plus initials (Lopez, M. A.). MLA typically spells out given names (Lopez, Maria A.). Chicago author-date lists the first author inverted and subsequent authors in direct order. Corporate authors (WHO, CDC, a university) are written in full. For three or more authors, MLA commonly shortens in-text citations with et al.; APA uses et al. for three or more authors in-text from the first citation.

Tips for accurate citations

Double-check capitalization, italics, and punctuation after generating a citation. Style manuals change between editions, and departments sometimes impose local rules (for example, requiring access dates for every webpage). CiteLite formats APA 7, MLA 9, and Chicago 17 author-date entries in your browser with no account required. Treat Harvard-style requests as author-date and confirm your university's Harvard guide for commas, ampersands, and page abbreviations. When in doubt, prioritize the official Publication Manual, MLA Handbook, Chicago Manual of Style, or your course rubric over any automated tool—including this one.