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.
