Free In-Text Citation Generator (APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard)

Parenthetical citation

Narrative citation

Built in your browser from the rules below. Nothing you type is sent or saved. Your instructor or journal's own rules win where they differ.

In-text citation rules at a glance

The same source cited in the four styles students are asked for most often. "15" is a page number. APA and Chicago require a page for a direct quotation and encourage one when you paraphrase a specific passage. Cite Them Right Harvard asks for the page whenever you quote or paraphrase a specific part of a paginated source. MLA gives the page whenever the source has page numbers.

Case	APA 7	MLA 9	Chicago author-date (18th)	Harvard (Cite Them Right)
One author	(Smith, 2020)	(Smith 15)	(Smith 2020, 15)	(Smith, 2020, p. 15)
Two authors	(Smith & Jones, 2020)	(Smith and Jones 15)	(Smith and Jones 2020)	(Smith and Jones, 2020)
Three authors	(Smith et al., 2020)	(Smith et al. 15)	(Smith et al. 2020)	(Smith, Jones and Lee, 2020)
Four or more	(Smith et al., 2020)	(Smith et al. 15)	(Smith et al. 2020)	(Smith et al., 2020)
Group author	(World Health Organization [WHO], 2021), then (WHO, 2021)	(World Health Organization 4)	(World Health Organization 2021)	(World Health Organization, 2021)
No date	(Smith, n.d.)	(Smith 15)	(Smith, n.d.)	(Smith, no date)
Page range	(Smith, 2020, pp. 15–17)	(Smith 15-17)	(Smith 2020, 15–17)	(Smith, 2020, pp. 15–17)

Parenthetical or narrative?

Both forms point to the same entry in your reference list. Use a parenthetical citation when the idea matters more than who said it: "Short sleep impairs recall (Smith, 2020)." Use a narrative citation when the author is part of your point: "Smith (2020) found that short sleep impairs recall." Varying the two keeps a literature review readable.

Cases the generator does not cover

Two works by the same author in the same year. Add a lowercase letter after the year in both the citation and the reference list: (Smith, 2020a, 2020b). Chicago and Harvard do the same.
Several sources in one set of parentheses. APA orders them alphabetically, separated by semicolons: (Jones, 2018; Smith, 2020). MLA and Chicago also separate them with semicolons.
A source you read about in another source. APA 7 names both: (Smith, 2010, as cited in Jones, 2020). Only Jones goes in the reference list. Cite the original whenever you can get it.
Personal communications such as interviews or emails. APA 7 cites them in text only: (J. Smith, personal communication, March 2, 2024).
Two first authors with the same surname. APA 7 adds initials to tell them apart: (J. Smith, 2020; R. Smith, 2019).

Adding in-text citations in Microsoft Word

Word can insert citations for you. On the References tab, choose your style from the Style list, then select Insert Citation and add the source details. Word builds the bibliography from the same sources. Check that the style edition Word offers matches your assignment, and check the output against the rules above. If you prefer typing citations yourself, the hanging indent guide covers formatting the reference list.

Before you submit

Every in-text citation needs a matching reference list entry (APA personal communications are the exception), and every reference needs at least one citation. Paste your draft into the Citation-Reference Cross-Checker to find orphan citations, or check that the references themselves exist with the free Reference Checker. To build the full reference entries, use the Citation Generator.

Style guides

APA in-text citation guide and citing multiple authors in APA
MLA in-text citation guide
Chicago citation guide and notes-bibliography vs author-date
Harvard in-text citation guide
Literature review matrix template for organizing sources before you write

Frequently asked questions

How do you write an in-text citation with two authors?

Name both authors every time. APA 7 uses an ampersand inside parentheses, (Smith & Jones, 2020), and "and" in running text, Smith and Jones (2020). MLA 9 writes (Smith and Jones 15). Chicago author-date writes (Smith and Jones 2020, 15). Harvard (Cite Them Right) writes (Smith and Jones, 2020).

When do I use "et al." in an in-text citation?

APA 7 and MLA 9 use the first author plus "et al." for three or more authors, from the first citation. Chicago 18th edition also uses "et al." for three or more authors in author-date citations; the 17th edition listed all three authors of a three-author work. Harvard (Cite Them Right) lists up to three authors and uses "et al." for four or more.

How do I cite a source with no author?

Use the title, or a shortened form of it, in place of the author. APA 7 italicizes titles of works that stand alone, including books, reports and web pages, and puts article and chapter titles in quotation marks, for example ("Sleep and Memory," 2019). MLA 9 and Chicago put article, chapter and web page titles in quotation marks and italicize books and reports; MLA also italicizes website names, while Chicago sets most website names in plain type. Cite Them Right Harvard puts the title in italics.

What if the source has no date?

APA 7 and Chicago use "n.d.", for example (Smith, n.d.). Cite Them Right Harvard uses "no date". MLA 9 in-text citations do not include the year at all, so a missing date does not change the citation.

What is the difference between a parenthetical and a narrative citation?

A parenthetical citation puts the author and date in parentheses, usually at the end of the sentence: (Smith, 2020). A narrative citation makes the author part of the sentence: Smith (2020) found that... Both point to the same entry in your reference list.

Does this generator store what I type?

No. The citations are built in your browser from the rules on this page. Nothing you type is sent to GenText or saved.