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Citation Format Guide
Enter the details of a source you have read, choose a style, and the formatter arranges them into a reference and an in-text citation. Always check the result against your university's style guide.
Source details
Please note: This formats the details you enter. It does not check that the source exists or that the details are correct.
Write each as Surname, Given names, for example: Okafor, Adaeze N. For an organisation, write its full name without a comma.
Leave blank if there is no date.
Type the title exactly as it should appear. APA uses sentence case for article, book and webpage titles; MLA and many Harvard guides use title case. The tool does not change capitalisation.
Surname, Given names.
A DOI such as 10.1000/xyz123 is turned into a https://doi.org/ link.
Quote, paraphrase or synthesise?
All three need a citation. The difference is how much of the source's wording you keep and how much of your own thinking you add. The examples below are illustrative and use an invented source (Author, 2024).
Quoting
You copy the exact words, put them in quotation marks and give the page number. Use it when the exact wording matters, for example a definition.
Example (APA 7): Author (2024) defines a research gap as "a question the literature has not yet answered well" (p. 12).
Paraphrasing
You explain one source's idea fully in your own words and sentence structure, and still cite it. Changing a few words is not paraphrasing.
Example: According to Author (2024), a gap exists when earlier studies leave an important question unanswered.
Synthesising
You combine several sources to make your own point: where they agree, differ or leave something open. This is what most markers mean by "critical".
Example: While Author (2024) and Writer (2022) both describe the trend, neither compares it across sectors, which this study does.
This page teaches the conventions. It does not check for plagiarism and cannot confirm that a source exists. Your department's style guide always takes priority. Learn more in the APA guide and Harvard guide.
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