Citation Converter
Convert references between APA, MLA, Chicago, IEEE, AMA, ACS, CSE, Turabian, and ASA - single entries or batch-convert whole lists.
Citation Converter
Instantly convert bibliographic references between AMA, APA, Chicago, IEEE, MLA, and more. Supports batch conversion of multiple references.
Note: This tool uses a client-side heuristic algorithm to parse and format citations. While fast and secure (no data leaves your browser), complex or unusual citation formats may require manual adjustment.
Select a format below to convert
Citation converter guide
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What is a citation converter?
A citation converter is a tool that reformats an existing reference from one academic citation style to another. The Proposia citation converter changes pasted references into APA, MLA, Chicago, IEEE, AMA, ACS, CSE, Turabian, or ASA style without asking you to create an account.
Use it when you already have a bibliography entry and need to change the style for a class, journal, thesis, grant proposal, or reviewer request. If you need to create a reference from a DOI, ISBN, URL, or title, use a citation generator first and then convert the formatted reference here.
Supported citation style conversions
The converter supports the citation styles researchers most often need when moving references between humanities, social science, engineering, chemistry, medicine, and life-science documents.
| Style | Common use | Conversion note |
|---|---|---|
| APA | Psychology, education, social sciences, many grant proposals | Author-date references with a References list. |
| MLA | Literature, languages, cultural studies, humanities courses | Author-page citations with a Works Cited list. |
| Chicago | History, humanities, book manuscripts, interdisciplinary work | This converter outputs Chicago author-date style. |
| IEEE | Engineering, computer science, technical conference papers | Numbered references suitable for dense technical bibliographies. |
| AMA | Medicine, nursing, public health, biomedical writing | Numbered medical references for compact proposal bibliographies. |
| ACS | Chemistry, materials science, biochemistry | Chemistry-oriented reference formatting. |
| CSE | Biology, ecology, life sciences | Scientific citation style used across biology and related fields. |
| Turabian | Student research papers, theses, dissertations | A student-paper adaptation of Chicago conventions. |
| ASA | Sociology, demography, social research | Social-science style close to APA but with ASA-specific details. |
Common citation conversion routes
Search demand is highest for exact style switches. This page is designed for common conversions such as APA to MLA, MLA to APA, APA to Chicago, Chicago to APA, APA to IEEE, AMA to APA, and ACS to APA.
- APA to MLA citation converter
- MLA to APA reference converter
- APA to Chicago citation converter
- Chicago to APA reference converter
- APA to IEEE citation converter
- AMA to APA citation converter
- ACS to APA reference converter
- CSE to AMA bibliography converter
Citation converter vs citation generator
A citation generator creates a new reference from source metadata. A citation converter reformats a reference you already have. If your source metadata is wrong or incomplete, a converter preserves that problem; it does not verify the publication year, DOI, journal name, page range, or author list against Crossref, PubMed, Google Scholar, or a library database.
For DOI-based references, the DOI Citation Formatter can generate style-specific citations from DOI metadata. For official rules and edge cases, check APA Style, the MLA Style Center, the Chicago citation guide, and the IEEE Author Center.
Batch citation conversion and privacy
To batch-convert citations, paste each reference on a separate line and choose the target style. The converter parses the text in your browser, formats each reference, and lets you copy the result. Your recent conversions are kept in local browser storage so you can recover them during the same writing session.
Because conversion runs client-side, the pasted citation text is not sent to an external citation API by this tool. That makes it useful for unpublished grant proposals, internal manuscripts, reviewer responses, and other drafts where references should stay on your device.
Accuracy limits and manual checks
Citation conversion is format transformation, not source verification. Always check capitalization, italics, author order, article titles, journal abbreviations, DOI formatting, and page ranges before submitting a manuscript or proposal. Complex sources such as edited books, translated works, legal documents, datasets, software, preprints, and multimedia sources may need manual adjustment after conversion.
For grant-specific guidance, see the Proposia citation styles guide. After converting references, you can also use the Pre-Submission Checklist to review final proposal materials, the Gantt Chart Creator for timelines, and the Budget Calculator for funding applications.
Common questions
Can I convert APA to MLA?
Yes. Paste an APA reference list, choose MLA, and the converter will reformat the entries into MLA-style references. Review capitalization and source-container details before submission.
Can I convert multiple citations at once?
Yes. Place each reference on a new line. The converter treats each line as a separate citation and returns a batch-formatted bibliography.
Does the converter verify that a citation is real?
No. The converter reformats the reference text you provide. It does not confirm whether a DOI resolves, whether a journal title is correct, or whether a source exists.
What is the best style for grant proposal references?
Most funders allow standard citation styles as long as references are complete and consistent. Biomedical and engineering proposals often use numbered styles such as AMA, CSE, or IEEE to save space, while humanities and social-science proposals often use APA, Chicago, MLA, or ASA.