Citation Formatter

What it does

The Citation Formatter takes the details of one source and prints the same reference four ways: an inline sentence ("According to ... published in ..."), a statistic with the source in parentheses, a reference list entry, and a small HTML snippet. You copy the one that fits your draft. It is a text template, not a lookup: it does not check the URL, fetch the article, or confirm the finding is real. Everything happens in your browser.

How to use it

1. Enter the Source Title, the Author(s) and the Year.
2. Add the Publication/Source name and, if there is one, the URL.
3. Paste the exact number or sentence you are citing into Key Finding/Quote.
4. Click Format Citation and read all four versions in the output panel.
5. Click Copy. It copies the whole panel, headings included, so trim it to the format you need.

Check the output before you paste it

The inline version wraps your finding in quotation marks and the HTML version puts it in a blockquote. Both tell readers those are the author's own words, so if you paraphrased, remove the marks and use a normal paragraph. Names are used exactly as typed; the reference line looks like an author and date style but does not reorder names or apply APA or MLA rules.

The last block, labeled HTML, is a <blockquote> with the URL in its cite attribute, then a line with the author, year and a <cite> linking to the source. Ampersands, quotes and angle brackets are escaped. With no URL, the source name appears without a link. Blank fields get defaults: a missing author becomes "research" in the inline sentence, and a missing finding leaves an empty pair of quotes.

No format can make an AI system cite you. What clear attribution does is let a reader check the claim, and Google's helpful content guidance mentions clear sourcing as one thing that makes readers trust a page.

Related guide: Unsourced Claims: Why Citations Matter and How to Fix It