Bibliography Generator
Create a formatted bibliography or reference list from multiple sources in APA, MLA, or Chicago style.
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How to use this calculator
- 1
Select your citation style (APA, MLA, or Chicago).
- 2
Optionally enter your essay or paper title.
- 3
Paste or type each formatted reference into a Source field.
- 4
The tool will sort entries alphabetically and format the heading.
- 5
Copy or download the bibliography and paste it into your document.
Frequently asked questions
Does this tool format my references or only arrange them?
It only arranges them. Each source box is taken as you typed it, trimmed at both ends, and then sorted and printed. It does not reorder author names, add italics, change capitalisation or convert between styles. To get correctly formatted entries, create them first (the citation generator on this site produces single entries) or copy them from a reliable source.
What does the style selector change?
Three things: the heading (References for APA, Works Cited for MLA, Bibliography for Chicago), the underline under it, and the formatting note at the bottom. The sorting and the entry text are identical for all three styles.
How exactly are entries sorted?
Alphabetically, ignoring case and accents, and numbers in order of value. Before comparing, the tool skips leading punctuation such as quotes, asterisks and brackets, and a leading “A”, “An” or “The”. “The state of sleep” therefore files under S. The comparison runs on the whole entry text, so two entries by the same author end up ordered by whatever follows the name, usually the year.
What happens with duplicates?
An entry that matches an earlier one after ignoring case and extra spaces is dropped, and the output says how many were removed. Entries that differ even by one character, such as a changed page range, are both kept, so near-duplicates still need a manual check.
How many sources can I enter?
Six boxes, and empty ones are ignored. Each box can hold one entry; if you paste two references into one box they are treated as a single entry and will not be separated or sorted individually. For a longer list, run it in batches and merge the outputs in your word processor.
Is the hanging indent applied?
No. The output is plain text, and the hanging indent appears only as a reminder in the formatting note. Apply it in your word processor after pasting: select the entries and set a special indent of “Hanging”. The note quotes 0.5 inches for APA, and MLA and Chicago notes mention hanging indents without a size.
Can it tell whether a source is cited in my paper?
No. It has no access to your document, so it cannot check that every in-text citation has an entry or that every entry is cited. That cross-check, and the choice between a reference list and a fuller bibliography, are yours to make.
What does the optional paper title do?
If filled, it is printed in capitals above the heading with a blank line after it. It is a label for your own copy and not a formatting requirement of any style, so delete it before pasting into a paper that has its own title page.
Sorting a reference list into order
What the tool actually produces
You paste finished references into up to six boxes. The tool removes empty boxes and exact duplicates, orders the rest alphabetically, and prints them under the heading that matches the style you chose. The heading is the only style-specific part of the output, along with a one-line formatting reminder at the bottom. Think of it as a sorting and layout helper rather than a formatter.
| Style | Heading | Reminder printed |
|---|---|---|
| APA | References | Alphabetical by author surname, hanging indent of 0.5" |
| MLA | Works Cited | Alphabetical, hanging indent, double-spaced |
| Chicago | Bibliography | Alphabetical, hanging indent |
A worked sort
With style APA, the title “Sleep study” and four boxes holding “Zhang, L. (2020). Night shifts. Oxford University Press.”, “The state of sleep. (2019). National Review, 5(2), 1–9.”, “Adams, R. (2022). Dreams and recall. Journal of Rest, 8(1), 10–20.” and a repeat of the Zhang entry, the output listed Adams first, then “The state of sleep”, then Zhang, and added the line “Removed 1 duplicate entry.” The article-less title sorted under S because the leading “The” was skipped. The heading was SLEEP STUDY above References.
Case and prefix handling
Two entries typed as “smith, j. Notes.” and “Smith, J. Alpha.” were printed with the Alpha entry first, even though the lower-case one was typed first, because capitals are ignored in the comparison and “Alpha” comes before “Notes”. Leading quotation marks or asterisks are skipped in the same way, which matters when an entry starts with a title in quotes. Entries with an author are unaffected by the article rule because surnames come first.
Limits worth knowing
Because the tool compares the full entry text, it does not know about the multi-author or same-author ordering rules of any style, such as placing single-author works before multi-author works. Check those cases by eye. It also leaves untouched any mistakes inside your entries, such as a missing year or a wrong italic marker, so proofread the output against your style guide before submitting.
Using the output in a word processor
Paste the result into your document, then select only the entries, not the heading, and apply a hanging indent from the paragraph settings. The heading is printed as plain text with a row of equals signs under it, so delete that row and centre or style the heading as your style guide asks. Finally, compare the order of the list with the in-text citations in your paper.
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