Top Free Online Bibliography and Citation Tools

Online bibliography and citation tools have become an essential part of eLearning projects. Especially if you are an eLearning educator. eLearning content developers make ample use of these platforms. This helps to avoid blame for stealing somebody else’s ideas. Yet, cost keeps rising if you add fancy citation tools. Using smart and advanced features adds to your budget. Today, there is an overload of solutions on the market. These have self-created databases and web-based citation generators. With an array of options available. One might be requesting what’s the best citation generator to use.

In this article, we look at various bibliographies generator apps with plug-ins. So, let’s talk about the best free online bibliography and citation tools. Without bringing the extra burden on your eLearning budget.

Table of Contents

12 free online bibliography and citation tools

Before jumping into the free online bibliography and citation tools. Let’s know about them in detail.

What’s a bibliography

A bibliography is a list of all the sources you have used to research your work. But, in general, a bibliography must include:

authors’ names
titles of the works
names and locations that published copies
the dates when published
the page numbers of your sources

The bibliography has a very specific format of writing. But that format will depend on the respective style of writing. Your teacher or publisher will tell you how to write.

The bibliography is sometimes called the references, works cited, or works conferred page. Now let’s get into the depth of online bibliography and citation tools.

Also read: How to integrate third party tools on your course platform in 2022

BibMe

It is one of the best and most useful free online bibliography and citation tools. All the elements an eLearning content developer needs are there.

4 Citation Styles- MLA, APA, Turabian, or Chicago, BibMe can enable you to reference your work.
Variety Of Sources – Journals, websites, books, and both digital and print formats.
Plagiarism Checker – Check content for plagiarism against plenty of sources. It helps to avoid using somebody else’s words.
Features And Plan – Free Version Available and most of the features are available in the free version.

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Citation Machine

This is one of the most easy-to-use free online bibliography and citation tools.

Vast Citation Style Variety- Citation help eLearning content developers. Helps in all 4 major styles, APA, MLA, Chicago, and Turabian. But, it provides a library of 7000 more citation styles.
Resources And Guides- The platform offers a manual on how to cite in APA, MLA, and Chicago.
Plagiarism Checker- It offers this feature that only comes if you subscribe though.
Many Sources- Citation Machine permits you to cite content from magazines, and newspapers.
Features And Plans- Free Version Available
Citation Machine has many good features for free.

Citavi

Citavi is a free and wonderful bibliography and citation tool. eLearning content developers can use for their understanding of organization needs. It is also a task management platform.

Research Process Management- From importing sources to allocating tasks in a team. This free online bibliography and citation tool helps you create a works-cited page.
Many Options To Add References- Citavi gives you the chance to select the way you want to add references. It features 35 options. It includes automatic or manual referencing using a bar code scanner.
Knowledge Organizer- Two groundbreaking options are Citavi exclusives. It enables you to organize knowledge. Keywording and a hierarchical category will aid you in adding your thoughts.
Features And Plans- Free Version and various premium options are available. Citavi doesn’t charge up to 100 references. They have various premium membership options for commercial use and education use.

Also read: 6 online research tools every online learner should know about in 2022

Citefast

While having a simplistic interface. This platform offers all good free online bibliography and citation tools.

3 Citation Styles- APA, MLA, and Chicago to cover all your essential references.
Good Variety Of Sources- Webpages, books, newspapers, online videos, and print sources.
Style Guides for 3 Citation Styles- Complete list of styles for APA, MLA, and Chicago.
Features And Plans- No Subscription Programs. It delivers all features for free.

Citelighter

It is a multi-purpose free online bibliography and citation tool. It is an excellent writing aid tool.

Automatic Bibliographies And Writing Templates- It also features a great writing template. It helps you organize your thoughts.
Features And Plans- Citelighter has a paid version. You have the chance to test its great features for free. Citelighter offers a very competitive package at a very affordable price.

Using online bibliography and citation tools helps preserve your content from others.

Also read: Best LMS to sell online courses in 2022 – Graphy

Docear

It is open-source academic literature management and free online bibliography and citation tool. It has lots of interesting features. Its features can assist eLearning content developers in referencing their eLearning materials.

Single-Section User Interface has an Easy-to-use layout. It allows users to organize documents. It also enables many viewing of various annotations in different documents.
Available in various platforms- You can find them in Windows, Mac, and Linux
Features And Plans- No Premium Subscription Required. Docear doesn’t have any premium membership options. It gives you the chance to donate for its running and maintenance costs.

Recipes4Success

It is one of the best well-known free online bibliography and citation tools.

Formatted Citations- You have to type in all the information.
Simple And Easy Interface- Its interface is appropriate for all sorts of needs.
Features And Plans- No Premium Subscription Required
No fee for users to use Recipes4Success’s features.

OttoBib

We are in the digital era. An excellent deal of information comes from print publications. OttoBib is one of those free online bibliography and citation tools.

ISBN Citations- It helps eLearning content developers. Reference by delivering the ISBN of the book.
6 Citation Styles- MLA, APA, Chicago, Turabian, Wikipedia, and BibTeX citation needs.
Google Chrome Extension- This add-on allows you to make citations from the comfort.
Features And Plans- No Subscription Required. OttoBib does not need any premium subscriptions.

Also read: Best Learnworlds Alternative -Graphy

RefDot

Although it is a free online bibliography and citation tool. eLearning content developers can enjoy this Google Chrome extension.

Many Citation Options- RefDot permits you to cite books, journals, and websites.
Reference Storing- References in your Google Chrome browser.
Lots Of Features- author management, XML, standard text, and HTML format viewing.
Features And Plans- No Subscription Required
RedDot is a 100% free Google Chrome extension.

Zotero

Browser plugin and a wonderful free online bibliography and citation tool. It helps eLearning content developers manage and share their research sources.

Personalized Resource Libraries- By implanting this plugin you can store digital sources. It can occur with a single click.
Support For Many Sites- Zotero provides all the research help you need.
Features And Plans
No Subscription Required- But, it is a free online bibliography and citation tool. As such it does not need any memberships.

EasyBib

Easybib online bibliography and citation tool. It forms a functional way for people to reference various types of content. EasyBib delivers a well-rounded answer for all your citation needs.

59 Content Sources- Content range from traditional types to live performances and newsletters.
Manual Cite- Easybib provides formatted citations. You also have the opportunity to cite your considerations.
Features And Plans- No Subscription Required
EasyBib offers its citation features for free.

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CiteThisForMe

CiteThisForMe is free online bibliography and citation tool. It offers an overload of features for reference management.

Functional Interface- Citethisforme showcases a fantastic layout. Everything you need is available from the comfort of your dashboard.
Practical Features- It has an amazing source, citation styles, and editing options. If you pay for a subscription, you can get many features. It has features such as a plagiarism checker, a mobile application, and a Chrome add-on.
Features And Plans- Although CiteThisForMe comes with a free version.

Free online bibliography and citation tools are a practical way for eLearning developers. Furthermore, these platforms offer great and practical features with no more expenses. Need to maintain a low eLearning budget for an eLearning project. But, we hope you have got amazing ideas for online bibliography and citation tools. Use them and create plagiarism-free content for your learners.

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Top Free Online Bibliography and Citation Tools [Updated]