Become a Source Citing Machine with Three Easy-to-Use APA and MLA Citation Tools

While most people don't set out to become a citing machine, it doesn't take too many research papers before it becomes clear that there's got to be a better way to cite sources. It's hard enough to keep track of APA, Chicago, and MLA citation requirements and when to use which style let alone how to properly format the works cited and bibliography pages. Fortunately, technology exists to turn you into an APA or MLA citation machine - and you may already have it!

Using Son of Citation Machine
Son of Citation Machine - An online tool that makes it easy to format your citations. Simply enter the book's ISBN number in the field, choose the citation style (APA or MLA), and click the Submit button. If the ISBN is found, some of the fields may be pre-populated for you. However, this isn't always the case. Don't worry. You'll just need to enter a few pieces of data such as the author's name, book title, and other pertinent details and the Son of Citation Machine will get straight to work. Once complete, copy and paste the results into your document.

Using Easy Bib
EasyBib - More sophisticated than Son of Citation Machine, EasyBib is another online citing tool that really does make it easy to cite sources. With its AutoCite feature, all you need to do is enter the ISBN number, click the AutoCite button, and EasyBib retrieves the information that you need. EasyBib is also great for citing websites, online databases, and eBooks. As you enter your sources, EasyBib keeps track of them in a bibliography that you can save to Word, to Google Docs, or for later. If you want to become an MLA citation machine, this site is a good one to bookmark. MLA citing is free, but APA and Chicago citing require membership to MyBib Pro. Fortunately, membership rates are low with an annual membership running about $15.

Using Microsoft Word
Manage MLA works cited with Microsoft Word- Another option for citing sources may already be installed on your computer: Microsoft Word. In Word 2007 and above, the References tab of the Ribbon contains a dedicated section specifically for creating works cited and bibliography pages. Look for the Citations & Bibliography section and start in the Manage Sources section. By default, the MLA style is set; however, you can easily change the citing style to APA, Chicago, ISO 690, GOST, Turabian, and several others.

Each of the above tools is easy to use and makes it a snap to create works cited and bibliography pages. Whether you want to autocite your sources online or manage them in Microsoft Word, with these tools bookmarked, you really can become a citing machine!