# Citation Generator

Turn a scholarly identifier, title, BibTeX entry, or typed source details into a citation you can inspect and reuse.

Citation Generator is the flexible one-source workspace. Start with what you have, whether that is a DOI, arXiv ID, ISBN, PubMed ID, title, BibTeX entry, or a few details typed by hand.

## Use it when

- you are unsure which identifier-specific tool fits;
- a title search needs you to choose between possible matches;
- you want to correct the metadata and see formatted and BibTeX output together.

For a long list, use [Bibliography Generator](/docs/tools/bibliography-generator/). For finding evidence rather than formatting a known source, use [Find Citations](/docs/tools/find-citations/).

## Create one citation

1. Open **Citation Generator**, or run `/citation-generator`.
2. Paste an identifier, title, or complete BibTeX entry.
3. Choose **Look up**. If several works match a title, select the correct record.
4. Review and edit the structured fields.
5. Choose a style, then switch between **Reference**, **In-text**, and **BibTeX**.
6. Copy the result or save a `.bib` file.

For example, searching for a paper title may return several versions. Use the authors, year, venue, and identifier to choose the record you actually read before adding it to a manuscript.

## Online and offline behavior

Identifier and title lookup contacts public metadata services. Pasting BibTeX, entering fields manually, editing, validation, and formatting work locally.

Available styles are APA 7, MLA 9, Chicago 17 author-date, IEEE, Harvard Cite Them Right, Vancouver/NLM, AMA 11, and ACS.

:::caution[Metadata is a lead, not evidence]
Catalog records can be incomplete or combine preprint and published versions. Verify the title, author order, year, venue, pages or article number, and DOI against the source. A correctly formatted wrong record is still a wrong citation.
:::