Map Citation Generator

How to Use the Map Citation Generator

1. 1. Enter the title. Use the title printed on the map, in sentence case; MLA and Chicago convert it to headline case. A map with no title, such as a Google Maps route, gets a short description instead.
2. 2. Add the mapmaker and the publisher. A person or group who made the map goes in Author(s); the company or agency that issued it goes in Publisher / Site.
3. 3. Add the year and, for an online map, the URL. Type Map in Format / medium, or the kind of map, such as Topographic map. APA shows it in square brackets.
4. 4. Pick a style and copy. Choose APA, MLA, Chicago or any of the 10,834 styles, then check the result against the notes below.

Three Kinds of Map, Three Citations

The first question is where you saw the map. A map you hold is cited like a book. A map reproduced inside another work is cited through that work. A map you used on a website is cited by its page, with a retrieval date when the page changes.

APA 7 puts the title in italics and adds [Map]. When a map has no title, such as one generated by Google Maps, the creator is the author and a description in square brackets takes the title's place, followed by Retrieved and the date because the map can change. MLA 9 treats a free-standing map as a stand-alone work, so its title is italicized, as in the MLA Style Center's own Michigan example. A map reproduced inside a book is cited as part of the book. Chicago 18 cites maps in notes and, where you list your sources, in the bibliography. It has no map sample in its Quick Guide, so follow the book pattern and add the scale or the word map at the end when your instructor wants it. Chicago 18 no longer requires a place of publication.

Map Citation Examples

The MLA Style Center's Michigan road map, a free-standing print map with no named author. The APA and Chicago lines apply their patterns to it.

A functional digital map: the MLA Handbook example for the Agas Map of Early Modern London, hosted by the University of Victoria. The map carries no date, so APA uses n.d. and a retrieval date.

What the Generator Gives You

With the Michigan details entered and Map in the format box, the generator returns Michigan. (2000). [Map]. Rand McNally. in APA: it places the bracket after the year rather than directly after the title, so move it. In MLA and Chicago it prints Map as a plain sentence after the title. Group names are recognized by words such as National, Service and Association; a name like Rand McNally with none of them can be read as a person and inverted to McNally, R., so check the author in the result.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I cite a map in APA 7?

Give the mapmaker, the year, the title in italics with [Map], and the publisher: Mapmaker. (Year). Title of map [Map]. Publisher. URL. If the map has no named author, the title moves to the author position and the rest follows. In text, use the author and year, or the title and year.

How do I cite a Google Map?

Google Maps shows no title, so APA names Google as the author and describes the map in square brackets, then adds the retrieval date and URL: Google. (n.d.). [Google Maps directions for driving from Boston to New York]. Retrieved October 17, 2026, from the URL. MLA gives a description and the italic site name, as in its Google Earth example. Add the date you viewed it.

How do I cite a map in MLA 9?

For a free-standing map, give the title in italics, the publisher and the year: Michigan. Rand, 2000. Add Map at the end if your prose does not call it a map. A map reproduced in a book is cited through the book, or as a part with its title in quotation marks. In text, use the title: (Michigan).

How do I cite a map in Chicago style?

Cite a map in a note with its title, the publisher and the year, then the word map: Michigan (Rand McNally, 2000), map. The bibliography entry reverses the sequence: Michigan. Rand McNally, 2000. Map. Chicago 18 has no map example in its Quick Guide, so confirm any extra details, such as scale, with your instructor.

What if the map has no date?

APA uses n.d. in place of the year. MLA leaves the date out, and Chicago uses n.d. For a web map that changes, give the date you viewed it, because the version you saw may not stay online.

Do I cite a map or the atlas it is in?

If your reader should find the map, cite the map and name the atlas as its container, with the page. If the map only supports a point in a book's argument, cite the book. For a map you reproduce as a figure in your own paper, see the Figure Citation Generator.

Which citation styles does the map generator support?

All 10,834 styles in the library, including APA 7, MLA 9 and Chicago 18. The source type is preset to Map and you can change it in the form.