See your citation in every major style at once
Enter a source and instantly compare how it looks in APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, IEEE, Vancouver, and AMA. No flipping through manuals. No guessing about punctuation.
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Citation comparison
Style at a glance
A compact summary of when each style is used and what makes it distinct.
| Style | Primary fields | In-text example | Key trait |
|---|---|---|---|
| APA | Psychology, education, social sciences | (Smith, 2020) | Date prominence; "Retrieved from" for URLs |
| MLA | Literature, arts, humanities | (Smith 42) | Page numbers; "Web" for online sources |
| Chicago | History, publishing, some humanities | (Smith 2020, 42) | Two systems: notes-bibliography and author-date |
| Harvard | Business, UK universities, sciences | (Smith, 2020) | Similar to APA but with small formatting differences |
| IEEE | Engineering, computer science | [1] | Numbered references in order of appearance |
| Vancouver | Medicine, biomedical sciences | [1] | Numbered; abbreviated journal names |
| AMA | Medicine, health sciences | 1 | Superscript numbers; specific author list rules |
Formatting mistakes students make most
These are the errors that cost points on papers and delay journal submissions.
APA: Italics on the wrong part
In APA 7th edition, the book title and the journal name plus volume number are italicized. The issue number in parentheses is not. Many students italicize the whole journal citation or forget to italicize the book title.
MLA: Including URLs when you should not
MLA 9th edition says to include URLs for web sources unless your instructor says otherwise. But many students add "https://" when MLA prefers the URL without the protocol. And DOIs should be formatted as "https://doi.org/xxxxx".
Chicago: Mixing the two systems
Chicago has two citation systems: notes-bibliography (used in humanities) and author-date (used in sciences). Students often mix footnote formats with parenthetical references. Pick one system and use it consistently.
Harvard: Inconsistent date placement
Harvard style has many institutional variations. The most common mistake is placing the year in different spots for different source types. Keep the year right after the author for every entry.
IEEE: Wrong reference order
IEEE numbers references in the order they first appear in the text, not alphabetically. If you add a new citation at the beginning of your paper, every number after it changes. Update the whole document.
Vancouver: Abbreviating journal names wrong
Vancouver requires journal names to be abbreviated using the NLM Catalog format. Writing out the full journal name is a common error. Check the National Library of Medicine's database for the correct abbreviation.
How to use this reference
Start with the source type
Pick the type that matches what you are citing. A physical book and an e-book use different fields. A journal article with a DOI needs different handling than one without. The form changes based on your selection so you only see relevant fields.
Fill in what you know
You do not need every field. Enter the author, title, and year at minimum. The citation cards update as you type. Empty fields are handled gracefully. If a field does not apply to your source, leave it blank.
Read the style notes
Each citation card includes a note about what makes that style different. These notes cover things like capitalization rules, URL formatting, and how to handle missing information. They are short but specific.
Copy and verify
Click any citation card to copy it to your clipboard. Paste it into your paper, then double-check against your institution's specific guidelines. Style guides get updated. Your instructor may have preferences that differ from the general standard.
What to keep in mind
- This reference follows the latest published editions: APA 7th, MLA 9th, Chicago 17th, and current IEEE/AMA/Vancouver standards.
- Some institutions modify these styles. Always check your specific guidelines.
- For sources with more than 20 authors, APA and MLA have special truncation rules that are noted in the citation cards.
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