The Best Free Online Bibliography And Citation Tools
Free online bibliography and citation tools have become an integral part of every eLearning project, especially if you are on a tight eLearning budget. eLearning content developers make extensive use of these platforms to avoid being accused of stealing somebody else’s ideas. However, cost keeps rising if you add fancy citation tools with elegant and advanced features. So, here are the best free online bibliography and citation tools that are bound to get the job done without any extra burden on your eLearning budget.
1. BibMe
One of the most functional free online bibliography and citation tools on the Internet. All the features an eLearning content developer needs are there.
- 4 Citation Styles
Whether you are using MLA, APA, Turabian or Chicago, BibMe can help you reference your work effectively. - Variety Of Sources
Journals, websites, books and many other sources covering both digital and print format. - Plagiarism Checker
Check your content for plagiarism against plenty of sources on the Internet to avoid using somebody else’s words.
Features And Plans
- Free Version Available
Most of the features are available in the free version.
2. Citation Machine
This is definitely one of the most easy to use free online bibliography and citation tools.
- Vast Citation Style Variety
Citation Machine can help eLearning content developers reference in all 4 major styles, namely APA, MLA, Chicago and Turabian. However, it provides an immense library of 7.000 additional citation styles for many different fields. - Resources And Guides
The platform offers a guide on how to properly cite in APA, MLA, and Chicago. - Plagiarism Checker
Much like BibMe, this platform also offers this feature that only comes if you subscribe though. - Numerous Sources
Citation Machine allows you to cite content from books, magazines, newspapers, journals, films and many other sources.
Features And Plans
- Free Version Available
Citation Machine offers many of its great features for free.
3. Citavi
Citavi is multi-purpose free online bibliography and citation tool eLearning content developers can use for their knowledge organization needs. It is also a reference manager and a task management platform.
- Research Process Management
From importing sources, referencing them properly and then exporting them, to managing content and allocating tasks in a team, this free online bibliography and citation tool does much more than help you create a works-cited page. - Many Options To Add References
Citavi gives you the chance to choose the way you want to add references. It features 35 options to include automatical or manual referencing as well as using a bar code scanner or PDF referencing. - Knowledge Organizer
Two groundbreaking options that are Citavi exclusives enable you to organize knowledge in an efficient way. Keywording and a hierarchical category system will aid you in adding your own thoughts to the platform.
Features And Plans
- Free Version Available And Various Premium Options
Citavi will not charge you anything for up to 100 references. Then, you have various premium membership options for commercial use, education as well as student and personal use.
4. Citefast
While having a relatively simplistic interface, this platform offers all the major functions of a good free online bibliography and citation tool.
- 3 Citation Styles
APA, MLA and Chicago to cover all your basic reference needs as well as an in-text citation generator. - Good Variety Of Sources
Webpages, books, journals, newspapers and online videos along with many other digital and print sources. - Style Guides For All 3 Citation Styles
Comprehensive list of style tips for APA, MLA and Chicago.
Features And Plans
- No Subscription Programs
Citefast offers all of its features for free.
5. Citelighter
An award-winning multi-purpose free online bibliography and citation tool that also functions as an excellent writing aid tool.
- Automatic Bibliographies And Writing Templates
Citelighter will generate your bibliographies automatically leaving you more time for writing. It also features great writing template variety to help you organize your thoughts effectively.
Features And Plans
- Demo Version And 1 Premium Option Available
Although Citelighter has a paid version, you do have the chance to test out many of its great features for free. Citelighter offers a very competitive package in a very affordable price which they claim is 80% less than similar market solutions. By contacting them you can find out about the price specifics.
6. Docear
Open-source academic literature management and free online bibliography and citation tool with lots of interesting features that can assist eLearning content developers in referencing their eLearning materials.
- Single-Section User Interface
Easy-to-use layout that allows users to organize documents and categorize annotations. It also enables multiple viewing of various annotations in different documents. - Available In Various Platforms
Windows, Mac, and Linux to suit the needs of any eLearning content developer.
Features And Plans
- No Premium Subscription Required
Docear doesn’t have any premium membership options, but it does give you the chance to donate for its running and maintenance costs.
7. Recipes4Success
What’s radical about this free online bibliography and citation tool is that it gives you the chance to even reference sources like sound effects, music pieces, images and email messages.
- Automatically Formatted Citations
You still have to type in all the information but Recipes4Success formats it for you. - Simple And Easy-To-Use Interface
Recipe4Success’s user-friendly interface is applicable to all sorts of needs.
Features And Plans
- No Premium Subscription Required
No fee is required for users to utilize Recipes4Success’s features.
8. OttoBib
While we are in the digital era a great deal of information comes from print publications such as books. OttoBib is one ofthose free online bibliography and citation tools that are used specifically for book sources.
- ISBN Citations
OttoBib enables eLearning content developers to reference their content just by providing the ISBN number of the book they used. - 6 Citation Styles
MLA, APA, Chicago, Turabian, Wikipedia and BibTeX to cover all your basic citation needs. - Google Chrome Extension
This add-on allows you to create citations from the comfort of your favorite web browser.
Features And Plans
- No Subscription Required
OttoBib does not require any premium subscriptions.
9. RefDot
Although you wouldn’t actually call it a free online bibliography and citation tool, eLearning content developers can definitely benefit from this Google Chrome extension.
- Numerous Citation Options
RefDot allows you to cite books, journals, and websites. - Reference Storing
References are stored in your Google Chrome browser. - Lots Of Features
Simultaneous author management, XML, standard text and HTML format viewing.
Features And Plans
- No Subscription Required
RefDot is a 100% free Google Chrome extension.
10. Zotero
Browser plugin and a great free online bibliography and citation tool that helps eLearning content developers gather, manage and share their research sources.
- Personalized Resource Libraries
By embedding this plugin you are able to store digital sources of virtually any kind in your library by a single click. - Support For Many Sites
From university libraries to news sites, Zotero provides all the research assistance you need.
Features And Plans
- No Subscription Required
Zotero is a free online bibliography and citation tool. As such it does not require any memberships.
11. EasyBib
Free online bibliography and citation tools constitute a functional way for people wanting to reference various types of content, both digital and print. EasyBib provides a well-rounded solution for all your citation needs.
- 59 Content Sources
Content sources range from traditional types such as books and journal articles all the way to live performances and newsletters. - Manual Cite
Although Easybib provides automatically formatted citations, you also have the option to manually cite your references and even add annotations.
Features And Plans
- No Subscription Required
EasyBib offers its citation features for free.
12. CiteThisForMe
CiteThisForMe is one of those free online bibliography and citation tools that offer a plethora of features for reference management.
- Functional Interface
Citethisforme showcases a great layout. Everything you need is easily accessible from the comfort of your own dashboard. - Practical Features
Great variety of sources, citation styles, and editing options. What’s more, if you pay for a subscription you can get additional features such as a plagiarism checker, a Chrome add-on and a mobile application.
Features And Plans
- Free Version And 1 Premium Option Available
Although CiteThisForMe comes with a free version, there is also 1 premium option available. For $9 you can purchase the premium version and get 5 plagiarism checks per month, spelling and grammar checks as well as various other features.
Free online bibliography and citation tools are the most effective way for eLearning content developers to give credit to people whose ideas they used. More importantly, these platforms offer great and functional features with no additional expenses, which is extremely important for maintaining a low eLearning budget for an eLearning project.
Free online bibliography and citation tools are just one type of tool eLearning content developers should have in their bunker. Another one is free tools to create infographics. Read the article List Of Free Tools To Create Infographics For Your Learners and find out about the best free tools to produce quality infographics for online learners.