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Referencing and plagiarism

Quick citation generators

Introduction

If you are looking for a quick and easy way to cite a small number of references, then using a quick citation generator can help. These free online tools do not require you to download any software, you use them in your web browser, and they are simple to use without the need to learn lots of functions.

Quick citation generators like MyBib and ZoteroBib are excellent for one-off essays and shorter projects. However, for longer-term projects, such as theses that require organising and referencing numerous sources, a comprehensive reference management software like Mendeley or Zotero is often more suitable.

Getting started

These citation generators are intuitive to use and provide prompts to help you, but if you need support please refer to our Help and Support page. 

Selecting the correct citation style

Before you start using quick citation generators, make sure they are set up to use the correct citation style you need.

  • MyBib – create or select a citation in your MyBib Project. Click on the citation style selector at the top of the screen and choose your citation style as required, then save your changes. 
  • ZoteroBib – create or select a citation from your bibliography. At the top of the bibliography you will see the default citation style in blue. Click on the blue drop-down box and select the citation style you need or click ’10,000+ other styles available’ to search for styles. ZoteroBib then saves your chosen citation style. 

Cranfield University has two recommended citation styles for Taught Courses: 

  1. For Author-date APA7 style select American Psychological Association 7th edition
  2. For Numbered NLM style select either 
    • National Library of Medicine for (round parentheses), or
    • National Library of Medicine (brackets, no "et al.") for [square parentheses] and which includes URLs/DOIs in the reference list entries. (For DOIs, paste the DOI information into the URL field to display it.)

Other citation styles are available and may be required if writing a thesis by paper (research students should check with their supervisor), or for publication (follow the journal publication guidelines for the recommended style).