Weekend Website: OttoBib and Son of Citation Machine


I love free stuff, and I’m even more miserly when it comes to Internet services. Every site or program I use is either free or came with my work computer. Thus, I’m always on the lookout for free alternatives to pricey programs. The quality may not be quite as good, but the free-ness makes up for it.

If, for example, you love the features found in EndNote (and are a starving writer), I don’t know of a perfect free replacement, but I have found a couple of websites that can at least do most of the citation crunching. Keep in mind that both sites are not exactly aesthetically pleasing, but they do the job.

  1. OttoBib: With OttoBib, you simply plug in the ISBNs for the books you need to reference, select the format, and the site does the magic for you. For you Wikipedia editors out there, it even does Wiki-styles.
  2. Son of Citation Machine: The name sounds like some horror movie, and the site looks like a horror. However, the Son of Citation Machine can help you generate perfect citations. Simply select your preferred style guide on the left (MLA, APA, etc.), select the type of reference you need, and enter the information. SoCM makes it look all pretty (well, accurate, at least).

5 thoughts on “Weekend Website: OttoBib and Son of Citation Machine

  1. Wonderful website you have here but I was wondering if you knew of any message boards that cover the same topics talked about here? Id really love to be a part of group where I can get feed-back from other experienced individuals that share the same interest. If you have any recommendations, please let me know. Appreciate it!

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