Basic Citation Generators
The Citation Generators listed below allow you to enter your resource information (e.g. book, journal article) and create a citation and bibliography that can be copied and pasted into your paper. You should always check and proofread your citations for accuracy.
- Citation Builder
This NCSU Library maintained resource allows you to enter information about your resource and generate a citation. Very simple and easy to use.
- BibMe
This web service allows you to create citations and bibliographic references you can copy and paste into your paper. It has look up feature which allows you to look up your reference (e.g. by URL, title, ISBN, etc) and automatically convert into a citation and bibliographic reference. Allows you to create a free account and save you references for future use.
- Citation Machine
This resource creates citations and bibliographic references you can copy and paste into your paper.it has an ISBN look up option for APA and MLA styles.
- EasyBib
Another service that allows for a free account and creation of citations and biblioraphic references you can copy and paste into your paper. It also has a look up feature which allows you to look up your reference (e.g. by URL, title, ISBN, etc) and automatically convert into a citation and bibliographic reference.
- KnightCite
This resources does not require an account to create citations and bibliographic references you can copy and paste into your paper. There are multiple citation formats available.
Mendeley
While the Writing Center does not offer direct support for Mendeley, you may find it useful if you are working with a large number of citations. This guide is intended to serve as a reference for getting started with Mendeley.
About Mendeley
Mendeley, at a basic level, collects, manages, and cites research resources. It also allows for sharing research with collaborators and discovery of new research. It resides in your web browser where you do your work, and best of all it's free.
- Mendeley allows you to attach PDFs, notes and images to your citations, organize them into collections for different projects, and create bibliographies.
- It automatically updates itself periodically to work with new online sources.
- To get the most out of Mendeley, it is best to use both the web application AND the desktop application.
Getting Started
- Sign up for a free account
This gives your 1 GB of space and the ability to create 5 private groups with 10 users/group. Paid options will let you increase these limits.
- Download the Desktop Application
Be sure to select the appropriate version for your operating system. This application ingests PDFs and automatically begins to create citation data from the PDF.
- Install the Web Importer
Follow instructions for adding the Import to Mendeley button to your browser. The Importer allows you to save research, collecting citations while browsing online databases and the web.
