Word Count Without Citations — How to Count Just Your Writing
- In most academic formats, in-text citations count toward your word limit
- Reference lists and bibliographies are usually excluded — check your guidelines
- Footnotes: excluded in most cases (verify with your institution)
- Fastest method: copy only the body text, paste into the counter above
Table of Contents
Whether in-text citations count toward your word limit depends entirely on your institution, professor, and citation style. In most academic contexts, in-text citations like (Smith, 2020) do count — they're part of your text. Reference lists and bibliographies almost never count. Footnotes vary by institution. The safest approach: check your assignment brief, then manually count only the text your professor specified by copying just that portion and pasting it into the word counter.
What's Usually Included and Excluded From Word Count
Academic institutions are not consistent on this — always verify with your specific assignment brief. That said, most common academic conventions follow this pattern:
| Element | Usually Counts? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Body text (paragraphs) | Yes | Always counted |
| In-text citations (Smith, 2020) | Usually yes | Varies by institution |
| Direct quotations | Usually yes | Some institutions limit long quotes |
| Headings and subheadings | Sometimes | Varies — often excluded in APA |
| Title page | No | Excluded in APA, MLA, Chicago |
| Abstract | Usually no | Has its own word count limit |
| Reference list / bibliography | No | Excluded in virtually all styles |
| Footnotes / endnotes | Varies | Chicago often includes; APA usually excludes |
| Tables and figures | Usually no | Captions sometimes counted |
| Appendices | Usually no | Often excluded if supplementary |
How to Get a Word Count That Excludes References
The most reliable method to count body text only:
- In your document, select the text from the start of your introduction to the end of your conclusion (stop before the References section)
- Copy the selected text (Ctrl+C)
- Paste into the word counter above
This gives you the word count for body text only — no reference list, no title page, no abstract (if you want to count separately). Adjust what you select based on your assignment brief.
If you want to also exclude in-text citations: this requires more manual work, since automated tools cannot distinguish a citation (Smith, 2020) from a regular parenthetical. The easiest approach is to do the body-only count (excluding references) and then approximate: the average in-text APA citation is about 5-7 words; multiply by your citation count and subtract. For a paper with 30 citations, that's roughly 150-210 words — usually small enough to ignore within the margin professors allow.
Sell Custom Apparel — We Handle Printing & Free ShippingDoes Turnitin Count Citations in the Word Count?
Turnitin counts all words in your submission — body text, in-text citations, reference list, footnotes, everything — in its word count display. However, the Turnitin word count is not the official word count for your assignment. It is an informational figure shown in the Turnitin report.
Your institution's official word count is calculated by the guidelines in your assignment brief, not by Turnitin's counter. If your brief says references are excluded, exclude them from the count you provide (if asked to declare your word count) — regardless of what Turnitin shows.
Does Word Count Include Direct Quotations?
Direct quotations are almost always included in word count. The words in the quote are part of your text, even though you didn't write them. Some institutions specify a limit on how much of your essay can consist of direct quotations (commonly 10-15% for undergraduate work).
If you're block-quoting a long passage (typically 40+ words in APA, 100+ characters in MLA), it still counts toward your word total. Some professors subtract long block quotes when marking — always check your brief. When in doubt, paraphrase rather than quote at length. Paraphrasing counts toward your word total but demonstrates your understanding better than quoting does.
Count Your Body Text Only
Select just your essay body text (excluding references), copy it, and paste here for an accurate word count — free, nothing uploaded, no account.
Open Free Word CounterFrequently Asked Questions
Do in-text citations count as words in an essay?
In most institutions, in-text citations count as part of the word count. A citation like (Johnson & Brown, 2019) adds four words to your count. The reference list at the end does not count. Some institutions explicitly exclude in-text citations — always check your assignment brief or ask your instructor for clarification before submitting.
Do I include the bibliography in my word count?
No. The reference list or bibliography at the end of an academic paper is almost universally excluded from word count across all major citation styles (APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard). You count the body text of your paper. If your assignment says '2,500 words,' that means 2,500 words of actual writing — not counting the bibliography.
Do headings count in academic word count?
This varies by institution and assignment. In APA format, section headings (Method, Results, Discussion) are part of the document structure but are often excluded from word count. In narrative essays and reports, headings are more often included. Your assignment brief should specify — if it does not, asking your instructor is the safest move.
How much leeway is there on word count for essays?
Most academic institutions allow a 10% margin above or below the stated word count. A 2,000-word essay would be accepted anywhere from 1,800 to 2,200 words. Some institutions are stricter — 0-10% over only. Check your institution's policy. Going significantly over suggests you haven't been selective enough; significantly under suggests insufficient development.
