Free MHRA Referencing Generator
Build a correctly formatted MHRA reference in seconds — the footnote for your text and the bibliography entry to match. Choose your source type, enter the details exactly as they appear on the source, and the generator produces both forms in MHRA style (3rd edition): the full first footnote, the shortened form for later citations, and the bibliography entry with the author's name inverted. MHRA is the style of the Modern Humanities Research Association, used by English, History, Modern Languages and Film departments across the UK. Unlike Harvard, it works through footnotes rather than author–date brackets, which is exactly where most students lose marks: the punctuation, the italics and the page-range shortening all have to be right.
How the MHRA referencing generator works
MHRA style has two halves. The footnote appears at the bottom of the page where you use the source: the author's name in natural order (Firstname Surname), the title — italic for a book or journal, in single quotation marks for an article, chapter or page — then the publication details in brackets for a book, and the page you are citing. The bibliography at the end of your work lists the same source with the first author's name inverted (Surname, Firstname) and the full page range of an article or chapter rather than one cited page. When you cite the same source again, MHRA shortens the footnote to the author's surname plus the page, which is why this generator shows you the subsequent form as well. Page ranges are shortened the MHRA way: repeated digits are dropped, so 245–252 becomes 245–52 and 123–145 becomes 123–45. If a work has more than three authors, MHRA names the first author only, followed by "and others". Editors of a book are credited with "ed. by" before their names.
Enter authors as Surname, Firstname, one per line or separated by semicolons — for example "Austen, Jane". For a website with no named author, leave the author box empty and the reference will start with the page title, which is what MHRA expects. Film is covered too: MHRA cites a film by its title, with the director credited after it. What the generator cannot do is judge whether a detail is right — it formats what you type, so check names, years and page numbers against the source itself. Our sibling generators cover the other styles UK departments use: Harvard, APA and Vancouver.
Your bibliography (sort it alphabetically by surname before you submit):
Use the generator responsibly
This generator formats what you type; it cannot check whether what you typed is correct, so always verify the details against the original source before you submit. MHRA has local variants that catch students out. Some departments use the older MHRA convention of giving the place and publisher in a different order, some ask for the year in brackets after the author in the bibliography, and many humanities departments adapt MHRA with their own house rules on italics, on whether a DOI is needed, and on how films and broadcasts are cited. Where your department's handbook and this tool differ, your handbook wins — markers mark against the version they set. Check, too, which edition of the MHRA Style Guide your department follows: this generator follows the 3rd edition, which is the current standard. Finally, use the generator as a formatting aid for sources you have genuinely read and watched. A beautifully formatted footnote to a chapter you never opened is still a problem, and markers can tell.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between the footnote and the bibliography entry in MHRA? The footnote sits at the foot of the page where the source is used: author in natural order, title, publication details, and the specific page you are citing. The bibliography entry sits in the alphabetical list at the end: the first author's name is inverted (Surname, Firstname), and articles and chapters give the full page range instead of a single cited page. This generator produces both from the same details.
How do I cite the same source a second time? With the shortened form: the author's surname and the page, for example "Austen, p. 45." If the very next footnote cites the same source and page, use "ibid." — and if it cites the same source at a different page, "ibid., p. 52." The generator shows you the standard shortened form for every source you build.
How many authors do I name before MHRA shortens the list? Up to three authors are named in full. With four or more, name the first author only, followed by "and others". This generator applies that rule automatically in both the footnote and the bibliography.
Why are the page numbers shortened, so 123–145 becomes 123–45? MHRA drops the repeated leading digits of the end page when both pages fall in the same hundred, keeping the range compact: 245–252 becomes 245–52. Ranges that cross a hundred boundary, such as 198–205, are given in full.
Does MHRA use italics or underlining for titles? Italics. Book titles, journal titles, film titles and website names are italicised; article titles, chapter titles and page titles go inside single quotation marks instead. When you paste your references into Word, check the italics have survived — plain-text pasting can strip them.
My department uses MHRA but my friend's uses Harvard. What is the real difference? Harvard puts a short author–date citation in the text itself, such as (Austen, 2024), and needs no footnotes. MHRA keeps the text clean and puts full details in footnotes, which is why humanities subjects that discuss specific pages and passages closely tend to prefer it. The bibliography at the end looks similar in both styles; the in-text machinery is what differs.
Need help with the assignment itself?
A perfect bibliography cannot rescue a weak argument. If the assignment itself is the problem — structure, critical analysis, or a deadline that has run away from you — our team can help with the writing as well as the referencing. See our prices (from £20 per 1,000 words) or ask for a free quote.
Other free tools
If your department uses a different style, try our Harvard referencing generator, our APA referencing generator or our Vancouver referencing generator or our IEEE referencing generator. Studying film or humanities? Our film studies assignment help page shows the kind of sequence analysis and MHRA-cited writing those courses expect. To plan how many sources an assignment needs, use our reference count calculator.