Review Citation Generator
Cite a review of a book, a film, a play or an album that was published in a newspaper, magazine or journal. Enter the reviewer, the review's headline, the publication and the date, and get the reference in APA 7, MLA 9, Chicago 18 and 10,834 other styles — then add the reviewed work. Free, no sign-up.
How to Use the Review Citation Generator
- 1. Note both works. A review has two titles: its own headline and the work it reviews. Write down the reviewer's name, the headline, the publication and its date, and the title and author of the reviewed work.
- 2. Choose how to enter the headline. The form's Review type has one title box and repeats whatever you type inside the bracket. For the cleanest result, pick the Newspaper article, Magazine article or Journal article type, and enter the headline as the title.
- 3. Enter the rest. Put the reviewer in Author(s), the publication in Journal / Publication, the date, the pages or the URL. Add volume and issue for a journal.
- 4. Pick a style. Choose APA, MLA, Chicago or any of the 10,834 styles.
- 5. Add the reviewed work by hand. The sections below show where it goes in each style.
Where the Reviewed Work Goes
The reviewed work is an extra element that follows the review's title. The three styles agree on the idea and differ on the punctuation.
| Style | Format of the extra element | Position |
|---|---|---|
| APA 7 | [Review of the book Title, by A. Author] | In square brackets, after the review's title |
| MLA 9 | Review of Title, by Author. | A new sentence after the review's title |
| Chicago 18 | review of Title, by Author, | In the note, after the title; in the bibliography as Review of … |
APA 7 names the kind of work in the bracket — book, film, play — and uses the initials of the reviewed author. When the review has no headline of its own, the bracket takes the place of the title. MLA 9 cites the review itself, not the work. A review of a performance is cited by the review's details, not the performance's, as the MLA Style Center puts it. Chicago 18 gives the review and then review of, the title of the work and its author.
Review Citation Examples
Alexandra Jacobs's review of Madonna: A Rebel Life by Mary Gabriel, in the New York Times on October 8, 2023, the Chicago Quick Guide's sample. The APA and MLA lines apply their patterns to it; add the page or the link you used.
A book review in a newspaper
APA 7:
Jacobs, A. (2023, October 8). The muchness of Madonna [Review of the book Madonna: A rebel life, by M. Gabriel]. The New York Times.
APA in-text:
(Jacobs, 2023)
MLA 9:
Jacobs, Alexandra. “The Muchness of Madonna.” Review of Madonna: A Rebel Life, by Mary Gabriel. The New York Times, 8 Oct. 2023.
MLA in-text:
(Jacobs)
Chicago 18 note:
Alexandra Jacobs, “The Muchness of Madonna,” review of Madonna: A Rebel Life, by Mary Gabriel, New York Times, October 8, 2023.
Chicago 18 shortened note:
Jacobs, “Muchness of Madonna.”
Chicago 18 bibliography:
Jacobs, Alexandra. “The Muchness of Madonna.” Review of Madonna: A Rebel Life, by Mary Gabriel. New York Times, October 8, 2023.
A review of a performance, from the MLA Style Center: the entry cites the review, and the venue and the performance date stay out of it.
A performance review online
MLA 9:
Harss, Marina. “Shantala Shivalingappa—Akasha—New York.” Dance Tabs, 12 Oct. 2019, dancetabs.com/2019/10/shantala-shivalingappa-akasha-new-york/.
What the Generator Gives You
Enter the Jacobs review as a newspaper article and the generator returns the reviewer, the date, the headline and the paper in each style. It does not know about the reviewed work, so insert [Review of the book …] in APA and Review of …, by … in MLA and Chicago yourself. It keeps The in the paper's name, which Chicago drops. With the Review type chosen, a headline typed once appears twice in APA, inside the bracket and before it, so delete the second.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How do I cite a book review in APA 7?
- Give the reviewer, the date, the review's headline and a bracket naming the reviewed work, then the publication: Jacobs, A. (2023, October 8). The muchness of Madonna [Review of the book Madonna: A rebel life, by M. Gabriel]. The New York Times. If the review has no headline, put the bracket where the title would be.
- How do I cite a book review in MLA 9?
- Name the reviewer, the headline in quotation marks, then Review of and the reviewed work in italics with its author, and the publication and date: Jacobs, Alexandra. “The Muchness of Madonna.” Review of Madonna: A Rebel Life, by Mary Gabriel. The New York Times, 8 Oct. 2023.
- How do I cite a book review in Chicago style?
- In a note: Alexandra Jacobs, “The Muchness of Madonna,” review of Madonna: A Rebel Life, by Mary Gabriel, New York Times, October 8, 2023. The bibliography entry reverses the reviewer's name and capitalizes Review. The shortened note is Jacobs, “Muchness of Madonna.”
- How do I cite a film or performance review?
- Cite the review, not the film or the play. In APA, name the kind of work in the bracket: [Review of the film Title, directed by …]. In MLA, cite the review's details only, and describe the performance in your text.
- How do I cite a review with no author?
- Move the headline to the front of the entry. APA puts it in the author position, and MLA and Chicago begin with it in quotation marks.
- How do I cite a product or customer review?
- Use the reviewer's name or username, the review's title, the site and the date, and the URL. A customer review on a retail site is cited like a post; the Social Media Citation Generator handles a post with a username.
- Which citation styles does the review generator support?
- All 10,834 styles in the library, including APA 7, MLA 9 and Chicago 18.