In-Text Citation Generator
Type the author surnames, the year and an optional page number, and get both the parenthetical and the narrative in-text citation in APA 7, MLA 9, Chicago author-date or Harvard. No source lookup is needed, so it works for any source you already have the details of. Free, no sign-up.
Separate multiple authors with commas
Generated Citations
Parenthetical citation
(Smith, 2024)
Use at the end of a sentence, before the period.
Narrative citation
Smith (2024)
Use when the author is part of the sentence.
In-Text Citation Formats by Style
APA 7th Edition
Parenthetical: (Author, Year, p. Page). Narrative: Author (Year). Use “&” for two authors in parenthetical form, “and” in narrative form. Three or more authors always use et al.
MLA 9th Edition
Parenthetical: (Author Page). No comma between author and page. No “p.” before page numbers. Narrative: Author states that ... (Page). Three or more authors use et al.
Chicago Author-Date
Parenthetical: (Author Year, Page). Narrative: Author (Year, Page). Use “and” for two authors. Three or more authors use et al.
Harvard
Parenthetical: (Author, Year, p. Page). Narrative: Author (Year, p. Page). Similar to APA but uses “and” instead of “&” for two authors. Four or more authors use et al.
How to Use the In-Text Citation Generator
- 1. Enter the surnames. Type the authors' surnames separated by commas, in the order they appear on the source: Smith, Johnson, Williams. Initials are not needed.
- 2. Add the year and, if you quote, the page. Use the year of the edition you read. MLA does not print the year, but the form still needs one before it shows a result, so leave the default in place.
- 3. Pick the style. APA 7, MLA 9, Chicago author-date or Harvard.
- 4. Copy the form you need. Use the parenthetical form at the end of a sentence, before the period, and the narrative form when the author's name is part of the sentence.
In-Text Citation Formats by Style
The same source, Smith, Johnson and Williams (2024), cited on page 15, comes out like this:
| Authors | APA 7 | MLA 9 | Chicago author-date | Harvard |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| One (Smith) | (Smith, 2024, p. 15) | (Smith 15) | (Smith 2024, 15) | (Smith, 2024, p. 15) |
| Two (Smith, Johnson) | (Smith & Johnson, 2024, p. 15) | (Smith and Johnson 15) | (Smith and Johnson 2024, 15) | (Smith and Johnson, 2024, p. 15) |
| Three (Smith, Johnson, Williams) | (Smith et al., 2024, p. 15) | (Smith et al. 15) | (Smith et al. 2024, 15) | (Smith, Johnson and Williams, 2024, p. 15) |
| Four or more | (Smith et al., 2024, p. 15) | (Smith et al. 15) | (Smith et al. 2024, 15) | (Smith et al., 2024, p. 15) |
The narrative forms put the name in the sentence: Smith and Johnson (2024) in APA, Smith and Johnson (2024, 15) in Chicago and Harvard, and a signal phrase with the page in brackets in MLA. APA and MLA agree that three or more authors become et al.; Harvard varies from one university to the next, so the generator lists up to three authors and shortens from four. Check your own department's rule.
When the Generator Is Not Enough
The generator builds the common case. These variations are written by hand, and each style handles them differently.
| Case | APA 7 | MLA 9 | Chicago author-date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Two sources at once | (Jones, 2018; Smith, 2020) | (Jones 45; Smith 12) | (Jones 2018; Smith 2020) |
| No author | A short title in the author position: ("Climate Change," 2021) | A short title in the author position: ("Climate Change" 12) | A short title of up to four words in the author position, then the year |
| Organization as author | (World Health Organization, 2020) | (World Health Organization 12) | (World Health Organization 2020) |
| Two authors with the same surname | (A. Smith, 2019; B. Smith, 2020), with initials | Add the first name or initial | Add the initial |
| A page range | (Smith, 2024, pp. 15–17) | (Smith 15–17) | (Smith 2024, 15–17) |
The generator always writes p. in APA and Harvard. For a range, change it to pp. yourself. A source you only know from another source is cited as (Smith, 2024, as cited in Jones, 2025) in APA, (qtd. in Jones 12) in MLA.
Common Mistakes
- Putting the period before the parenthesis. In a sentence the period follows the citation: …as the study showed (Smith, 2024).
- A comma in MLA. MLA has no comma between the author and the page: (Smith 15), not (Smith, 15). It also has no p.
- Listing every author in APA. From three authors on, the in-text citation uses et al. The full list goes in the reference list.
- Citing the year of the wrong edition. Use the year of the version you read.
- Forgetting a page for a quotation. A direct quote needs a page, paragraph or section in all four styles.
Which Tool Do You Need?
| You need | Use |
|---|---|
| A parenthetical or narrative citation from names, year and page | This page |
| A full reference or works-cited entry, with its in-text citation, from a URL, DOI or ISBN | The citation generator |
| Chicago footnotes and a bibliography | Chicago Footnote Generator |
| To find the right et al. cutoff | Et Al. Calculator |
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the difference between parenthetical and narrative citations?
- A parenthetical citation puts the author and year in brackets at the end of the sentence: (Smith, 2024). A narrative citation makes the author part of the sentence and puts the year in brackets: Smith (2024) found that… Both point to the same entry in your reference list.
- How do I write an in-text citation in APA 7?
- Use the author's surname and the year, with a comma between them: (Smith, 2024). Add p. and the page number for a quotation: (Smith, 2024, p. 15). Two authors are joined by & inside brackets, and three or more become the first author and et al.
- How do I write an in-text citation in MLA 9?
- Use the author's surname and the page, with no comma and no p.: (Smith 15). There is no year in the brackets. For two authors write (Smith and Johnson 15), and for three or more (Smith et al. 15).
- How do I cite multiple sources in one parenthetical?
- Separate them with semicolons. In APA put them in alphabetical order by the first author: (Jones, 2018; Smith, 2020). In MLA write each author and page: (Jones 45; Smith 12). The generator makes one source at a time, so combine its outputs by hand.
- Do I need page numbers in in-text citations?
- For direct quotations, yes, in all four styles. For a paraphrase, APA and Harvard encourage a page or section but do not require one; MLA expects a page whenever the source has one. A source without pages can be cited by chapter, section or paragraph.
- How do I handle sources with no author?
- Use the title in the author position, shortened to the first few words. Put an article title in quotation marks and italicize the title of a book or report. If an organization produced the source, use its name as the author.
- Does it work for styles other than these four?
- This generator covers APA 7, MLA 9, Chicago author-date and Harvard. The main citation generator formats a full reference and its in-text citation in any of the 10,834 styles.