The Librarian's Internet: The Biblio-Files

Free online citation makers that create bibliographies in a snap

By Gail Junion-Metz -- School Library Journal, 7/1/2004

Landmarks Citation Machine
www.landmark-project.com/citation_machine/index.php

The "Machine" enables students in grades five to 12 to create MLA and APA citations. Students select a citation type, print or electronic, then complete an online form. The resulting citation is ready to paste into student papers. There's a drawback, however; only one citation can be produced at a time. Created by: David Warlick, technology consultant, the Landmark Project.

From the home page, kids in grades seven to 12 can view and print PDF samples of MLA citations for resources that secondary students commonly use. The "Help" link contains a great little tutorial. Students can save multiple citations, but they need to be realphabetized when copying and pasting into a document. Created by: the Oregon School Library Information System (OSLIS).

This site, designed for sixth graders and younger students, creates MLA citations for resources geared toward elementary students. However, the worksheet and the range of citation types may be too complex for children under fourth grade. Created by: OSLIS.

Here, ESL students and those up to grade five can create MLA citations. Users select a citation type from the pull-down list and click on the "Go" button. Citations can then be edited and saved via a numerical key. Unfortunately, this is the only free tool offered by NoodleBib; the rest are available only to subscribers. Created by: Debbie Abilock, creator of NoodleTools and editor of Knowledge Quest.

Of all the sites that describe various citation styles (APA, Turabian, MLA, Chicago, and AMA), I like this one the best. All the citations are color coded so it's easy for students to identify the different parts (title, date, publisher, etc.) Created by: Robert Delaney, a librarian at Long Island University Library.

On this site, students in grades five to 12 can create citations for Web-based resources, including the lesser-known CBE and ISO formats. However, there is only one online form for both formats. Depending on the type of citation, some of the fields should be left blank, which may confuse students. Created by: the Illinois Math and Science Academy's 21st-Century Information Fluency team.