BYTETOOLS

In-Text Citation Generator

Build parenthetical and narrative in-text citations for APA 7, MLA 9, Chicago author-date and Harvard, with correct et al. rules and page formats.

Et al. thresholds applied: APA and MLA shorten at 3+ authors; Chicago and Harvard list up to 3 and shorten at 4+. APA uses “&” inside parentheses but “and” in the running sentence.

What is the In-Text Citation Generator?

The In-Text Citation Generator produces both forms of an in-text citation — the parenthetical form like (Smith & Jones, 2020, p.

  • Parenthetical and narrative forms for every entry
  • APA 7, MLA 9, Chicago author–date and Harvard
  • Correct et al. thresholds and “&” vs “and” handling
  • p./pp. page prefixes where the style requires them
  • Combines multiple works into one alphabetized parenthetical

How to use the In-Text Citation Generator

  1. 1

    Choose your citation style.

  2. 2

    Enter the author surnames (comma-separated), year and page numbers for a work.

  3. 3

    Add more works if you want a combined multi-source citation.

  4. 4

    Copy the parenthetical citation, or model your sentence on the narrative example.

About the In-Text Citation Generator

The In-Text Citation Generator produces both forms of an in-text citation — the parenthetical form like (Smith & Jones, 2020, p. 15) and the narrative form like Smith and Jones (2020) — for APA 7, MLA 9, Chicago author–date and Harvard. Enter the author surnames, year and page numbers and it applies each style's exact punctuation and ordering.

The fiddly rules are handled for you: APA uses “&” inside parentheses but “and” in a sentence, MLA drops the year and the comma entirely, Chicago puts the year before the page with no comma after the author, and the et al. thresholds differ — APA and MLA shorten at three authors, Chicago and Harvard at four. Add several works and it also builds the combined semicolon-separated parenthetical in alphabetical order.

Everything is generated 100% locally in your browser — nothing you type is uploaded anywhere, and the tool works offline during a library all-nighter. Pair it with the full Citation Generator on this site to produce the matching reference-list entries, so your in-text citations and bibliography always agree with each other.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between parenthetical and narrative citations?

A parenthetical citation puts everything in brackets at the end of the clause — (Smith, 2020, p. 15) — while a narrative citation names the author in your sentence: Smith (2020) argued that… Both point to the same reference-list entry.

When do I use et al. in an in-text citation?

In APA 7 and MLA 9, from the very first citation of any work with three or more authors. Chicago and Harvard list up to three names and switch to et al. at four. The generator applies the right threshold for the style you pick.

Do MLA in-text citations include the year?

No. MLA cites author and page only — (Smith 15) with no comma — because the year lives in the Works Cited list. APA, Chicago author–date and Harvard all include the year in-text.

How do I cite two sources in one sentence?

Put both in one set of parentheses separated by a semicolon, ordered alphabetically by first author: (Brown, 2019; Smith, 2020). Add both works in this tool and it builds that combined citation for you.

Related tools