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- Quick Citation Generators
Citing Sources: Quick Citation Generators
An overview of tips, tools, and resources for all your citation needs
Quick citation generators are useful for creating larger, one-time bibliographies, and many support a wide range of citation styles and resource types. They are especially useful for information not found in UW Libraries Search or other databases (such as articles or resources found online). Easy to use and without any strong learning curves, these tools free you from the task of alphabetizing citations or formatting hanging indents so you can dedicate more time and energy to your research.
We evaluated over 20 citation generators to recommend our top 3: ZoteroBib, BibGuru, and BibCitation! Use the chart below to determine which one best suits your own needs.
Text-based Chart:
| ZoteroBib | BibGuru | BibCitation | |
| Adding Entries | Search for title, ISBN, DOI, etc., paste URL, or enter manually | Search for title, ISBN, DOI, etc., paste URL, or enter manually | Search for title, ISBN, DOI, etc., paste URL, or enter manually |
| Citation Styles | APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, and thousands more | APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, and thousands more | APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, and thousands more |
| Resources to Cite | Books, articles, web pages, and 31 more | Books, articles, web pages, and 91 more | Books, articles, web pages, and 27 more |
| Storage | Hard drive and cloud | Projects saved to online account | Projects saved to online account |
| Extensions and Add-ons | Web-based only | Chrome Extension | Chrome Extension and Google Doc Add-on |
| Interface Language | English | English, German, Spanish, and Portuguese | English |
| Accounts, Personal Information, and Privacy | No account registration required | No account registration required (unless saving project — registration through Google, Facebook, or Clever only) | No account registration required (unless saving project — up to 6 citation lists) |
| Ownership | Nonprofit, open-source | Commercial | Commercial |
Citation Generators
![brand [Zotero Documentation]](https://www.zotero.org/support/lib/exe/fetch.php?tok=771787&media=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.zotero.org%2Fstatic%2Fimages%2Fpromote%2Fzoterobib-logo-384x77.png){kind=logo}
- ZoteroBibBuild a bibliography instantly from any computer or device, without creating an account or installing any software. Supports 9,000+ citation styles. From the team behind Zotero.
- BibGuruCitation builder offering an accessible user experience; supports countless citation style & source types, and multiple interface languages.
- BibCitationConvenient citation generator with option for Chrome Extension and Google Doc Add-on.