Whether you are writing school assignments or academic papers, research work can get overwhelming in no time—especially when you have to curate your sources, cite them, add references and do so much more.
If not done right, incorrect or incomplete citations can be considered plagiarism. But what if your browser helps you properly cite your sources?
One of the reasons Google Chrome is so popular is that it has amazing extensions, and some of them let you create citations and bibliographies easily. Here are the best Chrome extensions that can help you create accurate citations automatically.
1. Free APA and MLA Citation Generator
Creating citations manually is no easy feat, especially when you are in the middle of research. However, APA and MLA Citation Generator can make the process fast and free.
With this extremely easy-to-use Chrome extension, you can create in-text citations and work cited lists in MLA, APA, and Chicago style formats. Also, it shows you related sources you can research from and build collaborative bibliographies with peers and teachers. The extension is ad-free.
Download: Free APA and MLA Citation Generator (Free)
2. BibItNow
Creating dynamic citations is no longer a nightmare. BibItNow is a lightweight citation tool that extracts your citation data and formats it in MLA, APA, Endnote, or other user-defined style formats of your choice. Moreover, every citation generated with this Chrome extension can be easily modified and adjusted with a few tweaks.
Once your citation is generated, you can copy it to your clipboard or download it in a file. Unfortunately, it does not come with a library system like the others.
Download: BibItNow (Free)
3. Citationsy
Cite websites, books, songs, podcasts, videos, and pretty much everything effortlessly with Citationsy. But, that’s not all; there’s another thing Citationsy does extremely well. It helps you create the perfect references and footnotes almost every time.
To cite a website, you have to go to the website and click on the Citationsy Chrome extension. A small window will pop up on your screen. Find and choose a project, and add the newly generated citation to it. Besides, Citationsy is one of those fantastic and automatic citation apps widely available on several other platforms.
Download: Citationsy ($9.99/month)
4. Lazy Scholar
Designed specifically for scientific articles and related research work, Lazy Scholar is a practical tool that helps you stay on top of your school assignments or academic work.
With the Lazy Scholar Chrome extension, you can find freely available full-text of books or journals the moment you open them. Do you want to create a distraction-free zone? You can do so easily by blocking all non-academic sites for an hour each time.
In addition, you can extract helpful information and other metrics about your paper while also confirming if a journal falls in Beall’s list of predatory journals. All with a single click!
Download: Lazy Scholar (Free)
5. MyBib: Free Citation Generator
MyBib is another citation tool that is extremely popular with digital researchers worldwide. The MyBib Chrome extension creates accurate and automatic citations in over 9000 style formats.
To use it, you simply have to browse through the journal article or website you want to cite and click on the Chrome extension. Your citation will be generated in a second. Now you can either copy-paste it directly to your paper or export it to other citation managers like Mendeley or Zotero or print it directly or save it as BibTex.
Not only that! With constant updates and zero ads, MyBib is a productivity tool that doubles your efficiency and your citation’s accuracy like no other.
Download: MyBib: Free Citation Generator (Free)
6. Cite This For Me: Web Citer
If you are looking for a citation add-on trusted by millions of users worldwide, you should check out Cite This For Me. Being one of the most popular citation tools today, it is also one of the oldest ones.
The Chrome extension supports APA, MLA, Chicago, and Harvard style formats. Learning how to use it is really simple. Browse the website you want to cite, and click on the Chrome extension to copy-paste your citation into your assignment. In addition, you can build an online bibliography with Cite This For Me and have all your citations in one place.
Download: Cite This For Me: Web Citer (Free)
7. Plagly
Whether you are working on your homework or a prestigious research assignment, avoiding plagiarism is of utmost importance. Plagly helps you steer clear of plagiarism by citing your sources well.
Compatible with MLA, APA, Chicago, Harvard, IEEE, Vancouver, and Turabian style formats, Plagly gives you the option to choose your preferred style format. Once done, you can select the category (for example, books, films, podcasts, and journals) and click on the Chrome extension. Your citation is ready! Now, you can either copy-paste it directly to your assignment or store it in your cloud project for later use.
Download: Plagly (Free)
8. EasyBib Toolbar
EasyBib Toolbar is the world’s largest bibliography maker and citation machine. What makes it the best is not its ability to cite websites with a single click but its feature to provide advice on the credibility of the website you are citing.
You can cite endless sources with this powerful Chrome extension. Besides, EasyBib Toolbar is a useful tool to build bibliographies that are fully formatted, Word-ready, and alphabetized.
Download: EasyBib Toolbar (Free)
9. Bibcitation
Being one of the cleanest citation tools out there, Bibcitation lets you create automatic citations for books, journals, and websites with a single click. With this powerful Chrome extension, you can export citations in APA, MLA, and 9000 more style formats.
When you want to cite a journal article or a website, go to the website and activate the Chrome extension. Then, you can either copy the citations that have been automatically generated or form a cohesive and complete Work Cited List in Bibcitation.com.
Download: Bibcitation (Free)
10. WebCite
Using citation tools can get boring but not if you’re using WebCite. This Chrome extension is power-packed with features that can redefine the accuracy and efficiency of your citations.
You can automatically create accurate citations, check your source’s credibility, manually modify citations, and export them to Google Docs and Microsoft Word. WebCite supports MLA and APA citation style formats and can handle multiple bibliographies at once. Thus, it has the power to make your research life a lot easier!
Download: WebCite (Free)
No longer do you need to spend hours and days curating resources and formatting your bibliographies manually. Automatic citation generators save a lot of your time that you can utilize for doing meaningful research.
While “to err is human,” academic research demands accuracy and precision that these Chrome extensions can help you achieve. But remember to stay up-to-date with citation style formats so that you know how to spot it if there’s an error.