The Citation Generator
The Citation Generator is a free web service for creating formatted references from DOIs, ISBNs, webpage URLs, source titles, or details entered manually.
What The Citation Generator is
The Citation Generator is a free web service for creating formatted references from DOIs, ISBNs, webpage URLs, source titles, or details entered manually. It can query Crossref, OpenLibrary, and page metadata for source information, then lets you complete a citation form when automatic lookup does not find a match. The FAQ lists 12 styles, including APA 7, MLA 9, Chicago, Harvard, IEEE, ACM, Vancouver, AMA 11, Nature, ACS, Cell, and Elsevier Harvard. One-off citations need no account. An account adds projects for saving references, notes, and style changes across a bibliography. Project bibliographies can be exported as BibTeX, BibLaTeX, RIS, HTML, or plain text; RIS supports EndNote, Zotero, and Mendeley imports. Individual academic lookup, formatting, and export are free. Saved projects are private, though identifiers or searches may be sent to metadata providers.
Good
- Free individual academic citation lookup and export
- Supports 12 built-in citation styles
- Imports DOI, ISBN, and webpage URLs
- Exports BibTeX, BibLaTeX, RIS, HTML, plain text
- Projects store references and notes
Watch out
- No free trial is offered
- Metadata searches may involve third-party providers
- Account deletion is needed to remove saved projects
Who it suits
It suits students, researchers, and academic writers who need web-based citation formatting. It also fits users who want project storage, multiple styles, and bibliography exports.
Verdict
The Citation Generator covers lookup, manual entry, style selection, project organization, and common bibliography exports in a free web service. Its privacy terms and third-party metadata sharing are worth reviewing before saving account data.
Plans and prices
From The Citation Generator's own pricing page, checked 8 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | Free for individual academic use · no account required for one-off citations · no daily quota stated |
The facts
Each one read from The Citation Generator's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Citation generation
- It formats references from DOIs, ISBNs, webpage URLs, source titles, or manually entered details.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Citation styles
- The FAQ lists 12 built-in styles, including APA 7, MLA 9, Chicago, Harvard, IEEE, ACM, Vancouver, AMA 11, Nature, ACS, Cell, and Elsevier Harvard.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Data deletion
- Users can request access, correction, or deletion of account data by email, and saved projects remain until deleted or an account-deletion request is made.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Data privacy
- The privacy policy says saved projects are private to the account and the service does not sell personal data.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Exports and integrations
- Project bibliographies can be exported as BibTeX, BibLaTeX, RIS, HTML, or plain text, with RIS listed for EndNote, Zotero, and Mendeley imports.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Intended users
- The site describes the tool as intended for students, researchers, and academic writers.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Manual citations
- If automatic lookup cannot find a source, users can enter its details in a manual citation form.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Metadata lookup
- The service says it uses Crossref, OpenLibrary, and page metadata to find source details.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Metadata sharing
- A DOI, ISBN, URL, or search string may be sent to third-party metadata providers when needed to find source metadata.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Projects
- An account lets users save references in projects, add notes, and switch styles across a bibliography.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Support
- The FAQ directs users with questions to email support.checked 8 Oct 2026
Money
- Free-use scope
- The FAQ says citation lookup, formatting, and export are free for individual academic use, while optional paid team plans may be introduced in the future.checked 8 Oct 2026
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