Citation guides
How to Cite Wikipedia: APA, MLA, Harvard and Chicago
How to cite a Wikipedia article in APA 7, MLA 9, Harvard, Chicago and IEEE, with a permanent link to the version you read and the right date.
Wikipedia is a fine place to start reading about a topic, and every major style can cite it. What makes a Wikipedia citation different from any other web page is that the article keeps changing. A good citation therefore points to the exact version you read, with a permanent link and the date of that version. The examples below all cite the same version of the article "Plate tectonics".
First: get the permanent link
Every saved version of an article has its own address. To get it on a computer, open the Tools menu at the top right of the article and choose Permanent link. The address bar now shows a link ending in oldid= and a number. Alternatively, open View history and click the date of the version you read.
A permanent link
The revision behind this link was saved on 22 September 2026, so that is the date in every example below. Paste a permanent link into the citation generator and CitApp reads the date of that revision for you.
APA 7th edition
The article title goes first, followed by the date of the revision and "In Wikipedia". The permanent link replaces the normal URL, so APA needs no retrieval date.
APA reference list entry
APA in-text citation
MLA 9th edition
The article title is in quotation marks, Wikipedia is the container, and the Wikimedia Foundation is the publisher. The date is the date of the version you read. The MLA citation generator writes the date in the day, month, year order MLA uses.
MLA works cited entry
MLA in-text citation
Harvard style
In Cite Them Right Harvard the title in single quotation marks takes the author position, and like every online source the entry ends with the URL and the date you accessed it.
Harvard reference list entry
Harvard in-text citation
Some university Harvard guides put Wikipedia in the author position instead, which gives (Wikipedia, 2026) in the text. Both versions are in use, so follow the one your course guide shows.
Chicago style
Chicago treats well-known reference works such as encyclopedias as sources you cite in notes and normally leave out of the bibliography. The note uses s.v. (sub verbo, "under the word") before the article title, and gives the date the article was last modified.
Chicago note
IEEE
IEEE cites Wikipedia like any online source, with the date you accessed it and the link after "[Online]. Available:". There is no full stop after a URL. More rules are in our IEEE citation guide.
IEEE reference
Specific situations
You want to use a fact from the article
Look for the footnote next to the sentence. It usually points to a book, article or report, and that is the source to cite. Read it first: you cite what you read, not what Wikipedia says the source says. For a journal article the footnote often has a DOI you can paste straight into CitApp.
The article changed after you read it
Open View history and find the version from the day you read it. Cite that version's permanent link and date. This is the reason the permanent link exists.
You quote the article directly
Wikipedia has no page numbers. APA lets you name the section instead, so your reader can find the passage, in the pattern ("Plate Tectonics," 2026, Section Name section). Keep the quotation short: if a sentence matters enough to quote, it usually matters enough to find in its original source.
An article in another language
Cite the language edition you read, with its own permanent link and the title as it appears. In APA and Harvard, follow the title with an English translation in square brackets.
Quick reference: Wikipedia by style
| Style | Starts with | In text |
|---|---|---|
| APA 7 | Article title, then (date). In Wikipedia. | ("Plate Tectonics," 2026) |
| MLA 9 | "Article Title." Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation | ("Plate Tectonics") |
| Harvard | 'Article title' (year) Wikipedia | ('Plate tectonics', 2026) |
| Chicago | Note only: Wikipedia, s.v. "Article title" | Footnote number |
| IEEE | "Article title," Wikipedia | Numbered: [1] |
Quick rules that apply in every style
- Use the permanent link (oldid=), not the normal article address.
- Date the citation with the version you read, not with the day the article was created.
- The article title takes the author position; there is no personal author to name.
- For anything your argument depends on, follow the footnote and cite the original source.
Written by Ihsan Hossain
Founder of CitApp, a citation tool built to make source formatting effortless for students. Guides on this blog are checked against the style guides' own rules and university library guides. Last full check: October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Am I allowed to cite Wikipedia?
It depends on your course. Many teachers accept it for general background and reject it for anything you build an argument on. The safe habit is to read the Wikipedia article, follow its footnotes to the sources it cites, and cite those sources instead.
Which date do I use?
The date of the version you read: the date of the revision behind your permanent link, or the "last edited" date at the bottom of the page. Harvard and IEEE also add the date you accessed it.
Who is the author of a Wikipedia article?
Nobody you can name. Articles are written by many volunteers, so the title moves into the author position. Some Harvard guides put Wikipedia itself in that position instead; both are found in university guides, so use the one your course shows.
Why use a permanent link instead of the normal URL?
Because the article can change after you read it. A permanent link points to the exact version you read, so your reader sees the same text, even if someone edits the article tomorrow.
Can I cite a Wikipedia article in another language?
Yes. Cite the language edition you actually read, keep its title as it is, and use its own permanent link. APA and Harvard add an English translation of the title in square brackets after it.