Question 1

Which referencing style should I use?

Accepted Answer

The style depends on your institution and subject. Harvard (author-date) is widely used across UK universities in humanities and social sciences. APA 7th edition is standard in psychology, education, and many US institutions. MLA 9th edition is used in English literature and humanities in North American institutions. Chicago Author-Date is common in history and some social sciences. Vancouver is the standard for medicine and health sciences. Always check your module handbook or ask your tutor if unsure.

Question 2

Is this citation formatter completely free?

Accepted Answer

Yes, completely free. No account is required. All formatting is done in your browser — nothing is sent to any server and no data is stored. Your reference list builds up in the current session and you can copy everything with one click.

Question 3

What is the difference between a reference list and a bibliography?

Accepted Answer

A reference list contains only the sources you have cited in the text of your essay or dissertation. A bibliography contains all sources you consulted during research, whether or not you cited them. Most UK universities using Harvard or APA style ask for a reference list (not a bibliography), meaning you should only include sources that appear as in-text citations. Chicago and MLA style essays often use bibliography rather than reference list — check your style guide.

Question 4

How do I cite a source with no author?

Accepted Answer

If there is no named author, use the organisation name (for websites or reports) or the title (in italics, for books or documents) in place of the author. In Harvard and APA in-text citations, this means: (Organisation Name, 2023) or (Title of Work, 2023). In MLA, use a shortened version of the title in quotation marks: ("Title of Article" 45). The reference list entry follows the same principle — start with the organisation or title rather than a personal name.

Question 5

Can I use this tool to build a full reference list?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Use "Add another source" to build up multiple references in the same session. When you have finished, click "Copy all references" to copy the full alphabetically sorted reference list to your clipboard, ready to paste into your document. Your current session is saved automatically so you can return to it, but it's good practice to copy your list to a document regularly as browser storage can be cleared.

Citation Reference Formatter