Encyclopedia Citation Generator
Cite an encyclopedia or reference-work entry — Wikipedia, Britannica, or a subject encyclopedia — in seconds. Enter the entry title, encyclopedia name, author, and year, and get a complete, formatted reference. Works with APA, MLA, Chicago, IEEE, and 10,832 styles. Free, no sign-up.
Language
Encyclopedia Citation Examples
APA 7th editionReference list (signed entry)
Author, A. A. (Year). Entry title. In Editor (Ed.), Encyclopedia name (edition, Vol. x, pp. xx–xx). Publisher. URL
In-text: (Author, Year)
MLA 9th editionWorks Cited
"Entry Title." Encyclopedia Name, edited by First Last, edition, Publisher, Year, pp. 12–14.
In-text: ("Entry Title")
APA 7th editionReference list (Wikipedia)
Entry title. (Year, Month Day). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
In-text: (Entry title, Year)
Wikipedia vs. Britannica vs. Subject Encyclopedias
All reference-work entries share the same core fields, but a few details differ by source:
- Wikipedia.No named author — cite by the entry title. Because articles change, link to a dated permalink from the page's "View history" tab, and add a retrieval/access date when the version isn't archived.
- Britannica & signed reference works. Many entries name an author or editor — put them in the author field. Online entries take a URL and access date; print volumes take an edition, volume, and publisher instead.
- Specialized subject encyclopedias. Works like the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy usually have a named author and a stable, dated version — cite like a signed online entry with the author, entry title, encyclopedia name, year, and URL.
How to Cite an Encyclopedia Entry
- 1. Gather the entry details. Note the entry title, the encyclopedia name, the author or editor if one is named, the year, the edition or volume for print, and the URL plus access date for online entries.
- 2. Enter them & pick a style. The generator above opens on the Encyclopedia entry source type — fill the fields in and choose APA, MLA, Chicago, IEEE, or any of the 10,832 styles.
- 3. Cite. We build a full reference with the entry title, encyclopedia, author, and date. Edit any field, then copy or export it to BibTeX, RIS, CSV, or Word.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How do I generate a citation for an encyclopedia entry?
- Open the generator above on the Encyclopedia entry source type, then enter the entry title (the article you read), the encyclopedia name (e.g., Encyclopaedia Britannica or Wikipedia), the author if one is named, the year, and the URL and access date for online entries. Pick your citation style and click Generate Citation — CitationEasy formats the reference and you can edit any field before copying or exporting it.
- How do I cite a Wikipedia article?
- Wikipedia articles have no individual author, so cite them by the entry title. In APA 7, use: Title of entry. (Year, Month Day). In Wikipedia. URL — and link to the permanent/archived version (use the 'View history' page to get a dated permalink). In MLA 9, start with the entry title in quotation marks, then Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, the last-edited date, and the URL. Enter the article title in the entry-title field and 'Wikipedia' as the encyclopedia name above, and the generator applies the right format.
- How do I cite an encyclopedia entry with no author?
- Many encyclopedia and reference-work entries are unsigned. When no author is given, move the entry title to the author position so the reference begins with the title (APA, MLA, and Chicago all handle this). Leave the author field blank in the generator and the entry title is used to alphabetize the reference and form the in-text citation.
- What is the difference between citing a print and an online encyclopedia?
- A print encyclopedia entry is cited with the entry title, the encyclopedia title, the edition or volume, the publisher, and the year — no URL. An online encyclopedia entry adds the URL and, for continuously updated works like Wikipedia, an access date (or the version/last-edited date). Fill in the URL and access-date fields above for online entries and leave them blank for a print volume.
- Do I need an access date for an encyclopedia citation?
- Only when the content can change without a stable published date. APA 7 asks for a retrieval date for entries that are continuously updated and not archived (such as a live Wikipedia article); a stable, dated or archived entry does not need one. MLA 9 lists an access date as optional but recommends it for online sources. Add it in the access-date field above when in doubt.
- Which citation styles does the encyclopedia generator support?
- All 10,832 styles in our library, including APA 7th, MLA 9th, Chicago, IEEE, Harvard, Vancouver, and AMA. Choose your style before or after entering the details and the reference reformats instantly.
- Is the encyclopedia citation generator free?
- Yes. It is 100% free with no sign-up, no ads, and no limits. Your citations are saved locally in your browser and can be exported to BibTeX, RIS, CSV, or Word.