Issues and Advantages of Free Citation Generator Tools

Abstract

The ubiquitous free citation creation tools (BibMe, EasyBib and Citation Machine) are a panacea to the confused and harried student looking to breeze through the hard work of making a Works Cited page or Reference List. With a relatively easy-to-use web interface and/or the ability to create a free account for storing references, the promise of such tools is enticing until one looks at the output. Entering an ISBN delivers formatting errors; entering an article titles to “auto cite” is a dead end. Some tools do not offer the most current version of the citation guidelines, which are typically officially adopted in many academic departments. While students will undoubtedly settle for a “good enough” citation, especially when faced with a deadline, it behooves librarians to better educate them about what to look for. This poster session will highlight some of the issues with the free citation tools and also highlight the convenient features offered.