Free online bibliography manager: projects, folders and 5 styles
Quick answer
This tool saves your sources in projects and folders, builds the reference and in-text citation in APA 7, MLA 9, Harvard, Vancouver or Chicago, and exports the bibliography to Word, text, BibTeX or RIS. It is free, with no account, and runs in your browser.
Bibliography manager
What can you do with this tool?
- Organize by project and folder. One project per paper, and folders by chapter or topic. You can move sources between folders.
- Cite in five styles. APA 7, MLA 9, Harvard, Vancouver and Chicago (author-date). Switch style without retyping the data.
- Five source types. Web page, book, journal article, video and thesis.
- Autofill. Paste a DOI or an ISBN and the tool fills in what it finds.
- Export. Copy the bibliography with italics, download it as .doc for Word or as .txt, or move it to another manager with BibTeX and RIS.
- Backup. Export all your projects to a .json file and import it on another device.
What does it not do?
It has no accounts and no automatic sync between devices: that requires a server. In exchange, your data never leaves your browser. It also does not fill in data from a URL, because most websites do not allow that from a browser. For web pages, copy the author, date, title and site by hand.
How do I use it step by step?
- Create a project for your paper and, if you like, a folder per topic.
- Choose the style your instructor requires.
- Click "Add a source," choose the type and fill in the fields, or use autofill.
- Check the reference and in-text citation shown under each source.
- When you finish, copy the bibliography or download it.
What should I always check?
No tool replaces a review. In APA, check that titles use sentence case, that group authors are written correctly and that dates are complete. For each source type there is a guide with the official APA format: book, article, website, video and thesis. The other styles follow each style's general conventions and should be compared with your institution's manual.
Checklist
- Style chosen according to your institution
- Complete data for every source
- Autofilled data checked by hand
- Bibliography exported and backup saved
Frequently asked questions
Where are my sources stored?
Only in this browser, with no time limit, as long as you do not clear the site's data. There is no account and no server. To use them on another computer, export the .json file from the tool and import it there.
Can I change the style after saving my sources?
Yes. You enter each source's data once and switch style with the selector. References, in-text citations and the bibliography are recalculated instantly in APA, MLA, Harvard, Vancouver or Chicago, with nothing to retype.
What does DOI or ISBN autofill do?
It queries Crossref or Open Library from your browser and fills in authors, date, title and publisher. Always check the result, because databases sometimes contain errors, and complete anything that is missing by hand.