Mobile App Citation Generator
Cite a mobile app from the App Store or Google Play. Enter the developer, the app's name, the year, the store and the link, and get the reference and in-text citation in APA 7, MLA 9, Chicago 18 and 10,834 other styles. Add the version number by hand where the style asks for it. Free, no sign-up.
How to Use the App Citation Generator
- 1. Find the developer and the year. On the app's store page, the developer's name is under the title and the copyright line near the bottom gives a year. Use the company's name without Inc. or Ltd., which APA leaves out.
- 2. Fill in the details. The generator opens on Manual Entry with the source type set to Software. Type the app's name, the developer in Author(s), the year, the store (App Store or Google Play) in Publisher / Site, and the store page link in URL. Type Mobile app in Format / medium.
- 3. Pick a style. Choose APA, MLA, Chicago or any of the 10,834 styles, then copy the reference and in-text citation.
- 4. Add the version if the style wants it. The form has no version box, so type it in yourself: APA puts (Version 19.3) after the title and before [Mobile app].
Citing an App in APA 7
APA gives mobile apps their own format. The developer is the author, the app's name is italicized, the version goes in parentheses, a bracketed description says what it is, and the store is the source.
APA 7th edition
Reference list:
Epocrates. (2019). Epocrates (Version 19.3) [Mobile app]. App Store. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/epocrates/id281935788
In-text (parenthetical):
(Epocrates, 2019)
In-text (narrative):
Epocrates (2019)
The version number here is illustrative; use the one the app shows under Settings or About. The pattern is APA's own mobile-app example.
Citing an App in MLA 9 and Chicago 18
Neither the MLA Handbook nor the Chicago Manual has a mobile-app example, so both styles are applied by analogy with software. Check that your instructor accepts the form.
| MLA 9 | Chicago 18 | |
|---|---|---|
| Pattern | Developer. App Name. Version, publisher, year, URL. | Developer, App Name, version (publisher, year), URL. |
| Same developer and publisher | Leave out the author; start with the title. | Keep the developer as the author of the note. |
| In text | (Epocrates) | Footnote; shortened note afterwards. |
| Bibliography | Works Cited entry | Software is usually cited in a note only. |
The generator prints Mobile app after the title in MLA and Chicago. If the developer and the publisher are the same, delete the repeated first element so the entry begins with the app's name.
Common Mistakes
- Listing the store as the author. The author is the developer; the App Store or Google Play is where you found the app.
- Using the date you downloaded it. Use the year of the app's current release as shown on the store page, not your download date.
- Dropping the version. Apps update often and the version matters. Add it where the style asks for it.
- Citing the company's website for an app. Link to the store page for the app, not the company's home page, unless the app is not in a store.
- Forgetting the label. In APA the bracket [Mobile app] is part of the reference.
Which Tool Do You Need?
| You have | Use |
|---|---|
| A mobile app from the App Store or Google Play | This page |
| A computer program or a code repository | GitHub Citation Generator |
| A video game | Video Game Citation Generator |
| A website | Website Citation Generator |
Frequently Asked Questions
- How do I cite an app in APA 7?
- Give the developer, the year, the app's name in italics, the version in parentheses, [Mobile app], the store and the link: Epocrates. (2019). Epocrates (Version 19.3) [Mobile app]. App Store. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/epocrates/id281935788. In text: (Epocrates, 2019).
- How do I cite an app in MLA 9?
- MLA has no app example. Cite it as software: developer, the app's name in italics, the version, the publisher, the year and the link. When the developer is also the publisher, begin with the title. In text, use the title or the author.
- Where do I find the developer and the year of an app?
- On the store page. The developer's name is shown under the app's title, and the copyright line or the Version History section gives the year. If the page shows several years, use the year of the version you used.
- Do I need the version number?
- APA asks for it when it is known, in parentheses after the title. MLA and Chicago also name the version when it matters. Apps update often, so the version tells the reader exactly what you used.
- How do I cite an app I downloaded outside a store?
- Name the developer as the author, the developer's site as the source and link to the page where the app is described. Leave out the store.
- Which citation styles does the app generator support?
- APA 7, MLA 9 and Chicago 18 at the top of the list, and any of the other 10,834 styles. Switch the style and the same details are reformatted.