Tech Spotlight: EasyBib

What’s the worst part of writing a research paper for your class?  Some might think that it’s the actual writing that’s the hard part – but all students know that the worst thing is actually writing the Works Cited page!  MLA, APA, Chicago style, Turabian… each style follows a completely different format.  While many databases provide a citation function, there are many that don’t.  There is an online resource that can help you with your citations called EasyBib <http://www.easybib.com/>.

 

Pros:  The website lets you create citations in MLA for free.  By plugging a book title or a website address into the form, it will search for the basic information and add it to the citation, then give you a chance to add or change information.  You can also create a citation from scratch.  You can easily copy and paste your citations from the website, but if you want to save them on the website you have to create a free account.  The website also has written guides on writing citations in various styles and prompts you to check the validity of your sources.

 

Cons:  There are many ads that may be distracting.  To create citations in more advanced styles (like Chicago, APA, and dozens more) you need to sign up for EasyBib Pro for a fee.

 

All in all, EasyBib is a accurate, free, and user-friendly site for the creation of citations.  While it doesn’t replace learning how to write them yourself, it’s a great tool for people who need to get their Works Cited pages done quickly and accurately.

 

Carolyn Brooks

Carolyn Brooks

Intern at University Libraries
Carolyn Brooks was previously an intern in the University Libraries Research and User Engagement department.
Carolyn Brooks

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Posted in Emerging Technology, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics