Wikipedia Citation Generator
Enter a Wikipedia article's title, last-updated date, URL, and retrieval date and get a complete, formatted citation in seconds. Works with APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, and 10,832 styles. Free, no sign-up — and honest about when Wikipedia is an acceptable source.
Language
How to Cite a Wikipedia Article
- 1. Grab the article details. Copy the article title and URL. Wikipedia entries have no personal author, so leave the author field empty — styles like APA move the title into the author position. Find the last-updated date at the bottom of the article. Better still, open View history and copy the URL of the exact version you read, so your citation points at a page that can't change.
- 2. Pick a style. APA 7th treats Wikipedia as an entry in an online reference work and adds a Retrieved Month Day, Year, from URL statement because the page can change; MLA 9th cites it like any web source with the last-update date.
- 3. Generate. We build a full encyclopedia-entry reference. Before you use it, check whether your instructor allows citing Wikipedia at all — many prefer you cite the sources listed at the bottom of the article instead.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How do I generate a citation for a Wikipedia article?
- Type the article's title, the date it was last updated, and its URL into the form, pick your citation style, and click Generate Citation. The source type is already set to 'Encyclopedia entry' (CSL entry-encyclopedia), which is how APA, MLA, and Chicago treat a Wikipedia article, so the fields map to the right record.
- Do I need a retrieval date for a Wikipedia citation?
- In APA 7th, yes. Because Wikipedia pages change constantly, APA asks for a 'Retrieved Month Day, Year, from URL' statement. An even better practice is to open the article's 'View history' tab, copy the URL of the specific archived version you read, and cite that permanent version — then your reader sees exactly the text you saw.
- Is Wikipedia an acceptable academic source?
- Often not — check with your instructor before citing it. Many courses treat Wikipedia as a starting point rather than a citable source because anyone can edit it. A common approach is to follow the references at the bottom of the article to the original books and journal articles and cite those instead. If your instructor does allow it, this generator formats the citation correctly.
- How do I cite Wikipedia in APA vs MLA?
- APA 7th: Title of article. (Year, Month Day). In Wikipedia. Retrieved Month Day, Year, from URL — there is no author, so the entry title moves to the author position. MLA 9th: 'Title of Article.' Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, day month year of last update, URL. Pick the style above and the generator applies the right format automatically.
- Which citation styles does the Wikipedia generator support?
- All 10,832 styles in our library, including APA 7th, MLA 9th, Chicago, Harvard, IEEE, Vancouver, and AMA. Choose your style before or after entering the article details and the reference reformats instantly.
- Is the Wikipedia 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.