Wikipedia Citation Generator
Cite a Wikipedia article the way each style expects: by its title, the date of the revision you read and the address of that version. Enter those details and get the reference in APA 7, MLA 9, Chicago 18 and 10,834 other styles, with the in-text citation. Free, no sign-up.
How to Use the Wikipedia Citation Generator
- 1. Get the revision date and link. On the article, choose View history, click the timestamp of the version you read, and copy the permanent link. Wikipedia also has a Cite this page link in the Tools menu.
- 2. Enter the title. The form opens on Manual Entry, with Wikipedia / wiki article chosen as the source type. Type the article title in sentence case.
- 3. Fill in the site and date. Type Wikipedia in Journal / Publication, Wikimedia Foundation in Publisher / Site, and the revision date as year-month-day.
- 4. Paste the permanent link and choose a style. Pick APA, MLA, Chicago or any of the 10,834 styles.
- 5. Copy the reference and the in-text citation.
Why the Revision Date Matters
A Wikipedia article is rewritten all the time, so a citation to “the article” points at a moving target. Styles solve this by citing a specific version: the date of the revision you read and, ideally, its permanent link. Older advice to cite a retrieval date does the same job less well, because the reader cannot recover the text of that day.
| Style | Cite the article as… | Date given | Link given |
|---|---|---|---|
| APA 7 | An entry in a reference work, “In Wikipedia” | Date of the revision | Permanent link, or the article address |
| MLA 9 | A web page, with Wikipedia as the site and Wikimedia Foundation as publisher | Date of the revision, or an access date | Address without https:// |
| Chicago 18 | A web page, usually in a note only | “Last modified” date | Address of the article |
APA 7 puts the entry title first, then the date and In Wikipedia, and finishes with the link. It leaves out a publisher, because Wikipedia is both the work and the site. MLA 9 treats the article as a page on a website: the title in quotation marks, then Wikipedia in italics, the publisher, the date and the address. Chicago 18 cites Wikipedia in a note with the title, the site, the words last modified and the date, as in its Quick Guide's example for “Wikipedia: Manual of Style”, and generally does not list reference works in a bibliography.
Wikipedia Citation Examples
The article Photosynthesis. The revision date is illustrative; use the date of the version you read.
Wikipedia article
APA 7:
Photosynthesis. (2024, March 5). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photosynthesis
APA in-text:
(“Photosynthesis,” 2024)
MLA 9:
“Photosynthesis.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 5 Mar. 2024, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photosynthesis.
MLA in-text:
(“Photosynthesis”)
Chicago 18 note:
“Photosynthesis,” Wikipedia, last modified March 5, 2024, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photosynthesis.
Chicago 18 shortened note:
“Photosynthesis.”
What the Generator Gives You
With the details above, the generator returns Photosynthesis. (2024). In Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photosynthesis in APA: it gives the year only and adds the publisher, so type the full date and delete Wikimedia Foundation in your document. The MLA line matches the one above except for the address. In Chicago it prints a note and leaves the bibliography line empty, which agrees with Chicago's practice for reference works. Its note puts Wikimedia Foundation, March 5, 2024 in parentheses; change that to last modified March 5, 2024, as above.
Should You Cite Wikipedia at All?
Many instructors do not accept an encyclopedia as a source in a college paper, and Wikipedia's own policy does not count Wikipedia as a reliable source. Use it as a map: read the article, then follow its references to the books, articles and reports it draws on, and cite those. Cite Wikipedia when the article itself is your subject, or when your instructor allows it.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How do I cite Wikipedia in APA 7?
- Give the article title, the date of the revision, In Wikipedia and the link: Photosynthesis. (2024, March 5). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photosynthesis. In text: (“Photosynthesis,” 2024). Use the permanent link from View history when you can.
- How do I cite Wikipedia in MLA 9?
- Treat the article as a page on a website: “Photosynthesis.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 5 Mar. 2024, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photosynthesis. In text: (“Photosynthesis”). Add an access date if the page shows no revision date.
- How do I cite Wikipedia in Chicago style?
- Chicago uses a note with the title, the site and the last-modified date: “Photosynthesis,” Wikipedia, last modified March 5, 2024, URL. Chicago does not usually list Wikipedia in a bibliography, but the format of the entry is the same as for any web page.
- Where do I find the date of a Wikipedia revision?
- Open the article, choose View history and click the timestamp of the version you read. Its page shows the date and time, and its address, which contains oldid, is the permanent link. The Cite this page link in the Tools menu offers the details ready-made.
- Do I need a retrieval date for Wikipedia?
- Not if you cite a dated revision with its permanent link, since that version no longer changes. If you cite the live article, add the date you read it, because the text may have changed since.
- Is Wikipedia a good source?
- It is a good starting point, and its references often lead to reliable sources, but most instructors want you to cite those sources instead. Check the assignment. For general reference works that are edited and signed, use the Encyclopedia Citation Generator.
- Which citation styles does the Wikipedia generator support?
- All 10,834 styles in the library, including APA 7, MLA 9 and Chicago 18.
Related Tools
How to cite Wikipedia in each style
Format rules, templates, and worked examples for the styles most often required.