Free MHRA Reference & Referencing Generator
Generate free MHRA references instantly — paste a DOI, URL, ISBN, or search by topic. CiteMe searches records from active academic indexes and formats footnote-bibliography references for UK humanities essays in seconds. No signup required.
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What to do next
How to use the MHRA referencing generator
Search your source
Enter a title, DOI, URL, ISBN, or author name to find the right source in active academic indexes.
Verify the metadata
Check author names, year, title, and publication details before copying the final reference.
Copy the footnote and bibliography entry
Get the full MHRA footnote plus the matching bibliography entry instantly.
Why Use Our MHRA Referencing Generator?
Source records with provenance
Search records from OpenAlex, Semantic Scholar, PubMed, and CrossRef. Each result identifies its metadata source and includes a DOI when available.
MHRA 3rd Edition Compliant
Formatted according to the MHRA Style Guide, 3rd edition. Proper footnote-bibliography format used by UK humanities departments.
Footnote-Bibliography Format
Get both numbered footnote citations and full bibliography entries. Includes first citation, subsequent citation, and ibid. forms.
Copy & Paste Ready
Footnote and bibliography entries ready to paste directly into your essay, dissertation, or research paper.
MHRA Referencing Examples
Book
Subsequent footnote: Smith, p. 52.
Journal Article
Subsequent footnote: Smith, p. 130.
Website
See the full guide for MHRA website references with angle brackets and accessed date.
Examples formatted in MHRA 3rd edition style
MHRA Footnote Formatting
First Footnote (Full)
Complete details on first mention:
Subsequent (Shortened)
Author surname and page only:
Ibid.
Same source as previous footnote:
Frequently Asked Questions
What is MHRA referencing?
MHRA (Modern Humanities Research Association) referencing is a footnote-bibliography citation style used primarily in UK humanities departments. It uses numbered footnotes for in-text citations and a full bibliography at the end. It is now in its 3rd edition.
How is MHRA different from Harvard referencing?
MHRA uses footnotes at the bottom of each page for citations, while Harvard uses parenthetical in-text references like (Smith, 2024). MHRA is standard for UK humanities (English, history, languages), whereas Harvard is used across broader disciplines.
Which universities use MHRA referencing?
MHRA is commonly required at UK universities including Oxford, Cambridge, UCL, Durham, Edinburgh, and many others. It is the standard for English literature, modern languages, history, and classics departments across the UK and Commonwealth.
What is the difference between a footnote and a bibliography entry in MHRA?
In MHRA, footnotes appear at the bottom of the page and include specific page numbers. Bibliography entries appear at the end and list the full page range. Footnotes use forename then surname, while bibliographies invert the first author (Surname, Forename).
Is this MHRA referencing generator free?
Yes! CiteMe offers free MHRA referencing with a generous free tier. Generate references for essays, dissertations, and assignments without paying.
Common MHRA citation mistakes
Avoid the most frequent formatting errors with a quick checklist by source type.
Open mistakes guide →Reference by Source Type in MHRA
Need help referencing a specific source type? Choose from our specialised MHRA referencing guides.
Journal citations
Generate accurate MHRA footnote references for journal articles. Search by DOI, title, or author for instant formatting.
PDF citations
Generate accurate MHRA footnote references for reports, working papers, and archived documents.
Website citations
Generate accurate MHRA footnote references for websites and online sources. URLs are wrapped in angle brackets <…> with the access date in square brackets [accessed day month year], exactly as MHRA 3rd edition requires. Paste a URL for instant formatting.
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