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Citation Managers

Citation Generators

Just need to make a quick citation and don't have time to learn a new program? Then you might be in search of a citation generator. 

Unlike a citation manager, which can help you store and organize references, a citation generator simply creates a citation in a specific style based on the input you provide.

ZoteroBib

ZoteroBib is Zotero's entirely online citation generator, created for times when you just need a quick citation. You can generate a citation by entering a URL, ISBN, DOI, PMID, arXiv ID, or title, or you can manually enter information. ZoteroBib offers many more citation styles than other free online citation generators, and unlike some similar websites, there are no annoying ads to contend with.

Once  you have created your citation(s) you can copy them to paste elsewhere, or you can download them. There is also the option to create a link that will lead to your bibliography. 

Scribbr Citation Generators

Scribbr offers an APA citation generator (6th or 7th edition) and an MLA citation generator (8th or 9th edition). Both are free to use, and similar to ZoteroBib, they can autofill information if you have a URL, DOI, or ISBN for the item you wish to cite.

Scribbr offers additional resources, such as citation guides for MLA, APA, and Chicago styles.

Citations from Databases

Some databases have a built-in citation feature. This will generally be found at a button or link called "Cite" or "Citation."

The accuracy of these citations and the number of styles available will vary between databases. For example, PittCat can create citations for items in the catalog, but they are not always correct and APA 7th edition is still not available as an option.

PubMed does a better job of creating citations for items, and it offers AMA, APA, MLA, and NLM styles. In order to obtain a citation for an item in PubMed, click on the button with a pair of quotation marks and the word, "Cite." A pop-up window will appear with the citation, and you can copy or download it from there.

 

In order to obtain a citation for an item in PubMed, click on the button with a pair of quotation marks and the word, "Cite." This is located on the right side of the screen.