Cite It Right

Give credit where credit is due.

When you use someone else’s words or ideas, you cite them. Doing so is honest, it helps your readers, and it keeps you safe from plagiarism. This tool walks you through each step.

It’s fairAuthors worked hard. A citation says “this idea came from them.”
It helps readersAnyone can find your sources and check the facts.
It protects youCiting shows your teacher what’s yours and what you borrowed. What is plagiarism?

Citation maker

Fill in what you can find. The 💡 tips show you where to look.

1 Which style does your teacher want?

Not sure? Check your assignment sheet or ask your teacher. Most middle school and high school English classes use MLA. Some history classes use Chicago.

2 Got a link, ISBN, or DOI? Let us fill in what we can (optional)

Where to find them: an ISBN is the 10- or 13-digit number on the back cover by the barcode, or on the copyright page. A DOI starts with “10.” and is printed on the first page of most journal articles.

Autofill is a helper, not a replacement for checking! Websites don’t always label things correctly, so compare every field with the page.

Scan the book’s barcode

Hold the back cover up to the camera with the barcode inside the box. Keep it steady, about a hand’s length away, in good light.

The picture stays on your device. Only the ISBN number is used.

3 What kind of source is it?

4 Check and fill in the details

Keep a separate list for each project, like “Science Fair” or “Civil War Essay.” Each one remembers its own style.

My Works Cited

Saved in this browser only. Sorted A–Z automatically. Switch the style above and everything in this assignment reformats.

Writing in Google Docs with the Cite It Right add-on? “Send to Google Docs” copies a code that moves this list into your document.