EasyBib (and other free online citation builders)
NOTE:
Online citation builders like these can be helpful for many source types (books, Web pages, print magazines or newspapers, etc.). But if you’re citing an article from a library subscription database, the citation is built for you—so there's no reason to use an online citation builder. Just copy-and-paste the ready-made citation into your Works Cited page (though you will need to do some cleanup – see the demo under EasyBib below called "Integrating EasyBib-Built Citations with Library Database Citations").
EasyBib http://www.easybib.com [MOST RECOMMENDED CITATION BUILDER]
ONLINE TUTORIALS (recorded by M. Kemble, MPI librarian) on using EasyBib:
-- Overview of Easybib (4' 15")
-- Citing Books in EasyBib (4' 20") [Also see the Book citation guidelines on p. 2 of the MPI Style Sheet.]
-- Citing Anthology Chapters in EasyBib (4' 04") [Also see the Anthology Chapter citation guidelines on p. 2 of the MPI Style Sheet.]
-- Citing Web Pages in Easybib (4’ 59”) [Also see Web page citation guidelines on p. 4 of the MPI Style Sheet.]
-- Integrating EasyBib-Built Citations with Library Database Citations (5") [Note: When copying library database citations, you need to check if the citations are built following the MLA 7th-edition guidelines. Some databases still build citations in the older MLA 6th-edition style, and may need some editing to conform to the new guidelines. Check p. 3 of the MPI Style Sheet to see if the citations you are copy-and-pasting from library databases need any editing. This online tutorial will also review editing that might be needed.]
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NOTES ABOUT STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES OF SEVERAL ONLINE CITATION BUILDERS:
Because at Mid-Pacific Institute we use the MLA style of citing sources (following the guidelines in the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 7th ed.), the notes below are assuming that you want to build MLA-style citations. The citation builders listed here also can build citations in other styles (e.g., APA or Chicago styles).
EasyBib http://www.easybib.com [HIGHLY RECOMMENDED]
Good:
-- Has MLA 7th edition style.
-- Lots of source types to choose from.
-- Gives tips, e.g., for punctuation, in pop-up windows as you enter data in each field.
-- Has a “publication placeholders” feature that you can choose to use or not, that adds the “N.d.” and “N.p.” abbreviations, as per MLA 7th edition style.
-- Can use their "Autocite" feature for quick info—adding either an ISBN or a Website URL, and it figures out and adds info to the fields for you.
-- Can export your finished Works Cited page in MS Word for downloading or printing.
-- If you create an account and log in, you can save your bibliographies for future use.
Limitations/Problems:
-- Free only for MLA-style citations; must pay to use other citation styles.
-- Doesn’t build parenthetical references.
NoodleBib Express (from Noodle Tools) http://www.noodletools.com [ALSO RECOMMENDED]
On the home page, under Free Software Tools, go to NoodleBib Express.
Good:
-- Has MLA 7th edition style.
-- Lots of source types to choose from.
-- Good tips, e.g., for punctuation.
-- Good guidance as you move through the screens.
-- Accurate; no errors spotted.
Limitations/Problems:
--This free version of NoodleBib can create citations, but you can't export the list in Word or another word processor; you must copy-and-paste the citations one at a time into your Works Cited page. (If you use the paid version of NoodleBib, it will export your whole Works Cited page to a word processor.)
-- Doesn't build parenthetical references.
NOT-SO-MUCH-RECOMMENDED CITATION BUILDERS:
[Note: the comments below were written in October 2009; some of these citation builders may have improved since then.]
Son of Citation Machine http://citationmachine.net
Good:
-- Has MLA 7th edition style.
-- Lots of source types to choose from.
-- Builds the parenthetical reference as well ( though not always correctly...)
Limitations/Problems:
-- Several faulty things in the citations built:
-- Citation built for "Work from a subscription service accessed through a library" (actually means a journal article in a subscription database) had several faulty things in the citation:
Small, Felicia, . "Getting from Here to There." Gardening Made Easy 5.17 2008. 55-60. Web. 29 Sept. 2009. GreenR. Gale. Retrieved at Mid-Pacific Institute Library.
Parenthetical reference built wrongly includes first name: (Small, Felicia 55-60)
-- Citation built for a Web page had faulty things in the citation:
Yoshimoto, Hiroaki, . "Drawing Faces in Anime Style." Anime Lovers of the World. 13 Feb. 2009. Suzuki Artworks, Web. 29 Sep 2009.
Parenthetical reference built wrongly includes first name: (Yoshimoto, Hiroaki)
-- My sample anthology chapter citation was missing the series field.
-- No quick searches by ISBN or URL.
-- Can't export in Word.
Ottobib http://www.ottobib.com
Good:
-- ??
Limitations/Problems:
-- Still in MLA 6th edition style (as of the end of Oct. 2009).
-- Only searches for BOOKS, and only by ISBN. So the book must have an ISBN number.
-- Some errors in the citations built:
-- My sample book citation was missing the subtitle.
-- I noticed one punctuation error: a title that ended with an exclamation mark also had a period put at the end.
-- Doesn't build parenthetical reference.
BibMe http://www.bibme.org
Good:
-- Has "AutoFill Mode" option for quick entries: Can search books by author, title or ISBN, and it will bring up possible matches. Can also search for magazine/newspaper/journal articles by title, and it will bring up possible matches. For Web pages, you can enter the URL and it automatically fills in some of the fields.
-- Can export your finished Works Cited page in MS Word for downloading or printing (but only if you register for an account, which is free.)
Limitations/Problems:
-- Still in MLA 6th edition style (as of the end of Oct. 2009).
-- Some fields are missing:
-- for Web pages, there's no place to enter the sponsoring organization's name.
-- Book entries have no Series field to enter.
-- You can't do a chapter in an anthology.
-- Can't create citations for articles found through library database subscriptions.
-- Got some info wrong for a Web page found by using Autofill (e.g., wrong Website title).
-- Doesn’t build parenthetical references.
-- notes by Marcia Kemble, Mid-Pacific Institute Library, rev.4/26/10