How our citations are generated

Every citation on this site is produced from the Citation Style Language (CSL), the open standard that defines exactly how each citation style formats a reference. CSL is the same definition layer used by academic reference managers including Zotero, Mendeley and Papers, and it is maintained by a community of style editors. When you generate a citation here, your source details are formatted against the official CSL definition for the style you chose, so the punctuation, ordering and capitalisation match the published rules.

Styles we support

We currently generate citations in 13 styles: AMA, ACS, IEEE, CSE, Turabian, Chicago, ASA, Bluebook, APSA, Harvard, ASME, APA, MLA. Each is backed by its own CSL definition, and editions are tracked where a style has more than one.

How we keep references accurate

The formatting logic is not hand written, which removes the most common source of error in citation tools. Instead it is driven by the maintained CSL definition for each style. Auto-fill pulls source data from trusted services: DOIs resolve through CrossRef, ISBNs through Google Books. You stay in control: every field is editable before you copy the citation, and you should always check author names and titles against your source.

About this tool

How accurate are the citations?

Citations are formatted from the official Citation Style Language definition of each style, the same standard used by reference managers such as Zotero and Mendeley. The formatting follows the published rules. Accuracy of names, titles and dates depends on the details you enter, so always proofread.

Do you store my references or personal data?

No. Citations are generated in your browser. Your saved bibliography lives in your browser only and is never uploaded.