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A better alternative to Citation Machine.

Turn your research into a paper you’re ready to share with AI writing support, connected citations, and review tools in one free workspace.

The right format, without the formatting.

APA 7MLA 9Chicago 18HarvardIEEEVancouverAMA 11ACS

A closer look at the two tools.

Both help with citations and writing. Here is how they fit the work around your references.

Citation and Citation Machine workflow overview
Citation MachineCitation
Citation styles

Thousands of styles, including APA, MLA, Chicago, and Harvard.

Citation styles

APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, IEEE, Vancouver, AMA, and ACS, in supported editions.

Sources

Search and citation forms for websites, books, journals, and other sources.

Sources

Find sources by URL, DOI, ISBN, or title. Cite them directly in your draft.

Writing help

Grammar feedback, clarity suggestions, and paraphrasing tools.

Writing help

Suggestions beside your draft. Review each edit before accepting it.

Plagiarism checks

Plagiarism reports in its paid offering, with advertised coverage of billions of sources.

Plagiarism checks

Matching passages from accessible public web sources. No private institutional repositories.

Exports

Bibliographies to Microsoft Word or Google Drive.

Exports

Drafts as DOCX or PDF. Bibliographies as BibTeX or RIS.

Access

Free citations and grammar checks. Paid access adds tools and removes ads.

Access

Free with usage limits. View your remaining allowance in Usage settings.

Pricing

$9,95/month

Pricing

Free

of writers spend less time formatting references
78%
of writers find it easier to keep sources organized
62%
of writers feel more confident sharing their draft
49%

What changes when you write in Citation.

Why Citation

A citation is one part of the paper. You still need to shape an argument, connect the evidence, and turn feedback into a draft you are ready to share. Citation brings that work into one place, with your writing and sources side by side.

Add a source, cite it as you write, and keep its details connected to your document. When your ideas need a clearer expression, ask the AI Assistant for a revision and decide which changes to keep. Invite an editor to comment on the same draft, then export your paper when it is ready.

Start free with the paper you are already working on. Bring your first source, write your next paragraph, and build from there. Your workspace is ready for the whole process, from finding the words to finishing the references.

Feature comparison of Citation and Citation Machine
FeatureCitationCitation Machine
APA citationsSupportedSupported
MLA citationsSupportedSupported
Chicago citationsSupportedSupported
Harvard citationsSupportedSupported
Thousands of citation stylesNot supportedSupported
URL lookupSupportedSupported
DOI lookupSupportedSupported
ISBN lookupSupportedSupported
Title lookupSupportedSupported
Manual source entrySupportedSupported
Generate citations for the textSupportedSupported
Rewrite selected textSupportedSupported
Paraphrasing helpSupportedSupported
Clarity suggestionsSupportedSupported
Similarity checksSupportedSupported
Free access without adsSupportedNot supported
Bibliography export to WordSupportedSupported
Free citation generationSupportedSupported

Sources and styles

Citation keeps editable source records with each draft. Correct an author or publication year once, and the document’s linked citations update from that record. Changing the document’s style reformats its linked citations and bibliography. Folders organize drafts and uploaded files, while sources remain specific to each document.

Supported styles include APA 7, MLA 9, Chicago 18 (author and date, or notes and bibliography), Cite Them Right Harvard 12, IEEE, Vancouver (NLM), AMA 11, and ACS. Citation Machine has thousands of styles, making its broader catalog useful when a journal requires a style outside this set.

Check source details against the material you used. Citations typed or pasted as ordinary text do not become connected records automatically, and a correction in one document does not update every paper in your workspace.

Writing and review

Citation’s AI Assistant lets you chat about your current draft and saved sources, ask follow up questions, and request edits in that context. Compare a proposed revision with your original, then approve or reject it. Citation Machine’s Writing Assistant offers grammar and clarity review, plus selected text actions for paraphrasing, shortening, and expanding with a preview before applying the result. Check that any rewrite preserves the source’s meaning: it should not turn an association into causation.

For a group paper, invite reviewers to one document as viewers or editors. Editors can comment on passages, reply, and resolve discussions; viewers cannot comment. Invitations do not open unrelated workspace documents. Version history lets you preview and restore saved drafts.

Citation’s web check shows matching passages and source links so you can locate, cite, or revise the wording. It checks retrieved public web text, without private institutional or student paper repositories. Partial checks and results from earlier draft versions need care, and no matches does not prove originality. Citation Machine advertises broader plagiarism report coverage; use the checking service your institution requires.

Imports and exports

Continue an existing paper by importing a DOCX or TXT draft, or pasting its text. Add sources by URL, DOI, ISBN, title, or manual entry, then insert connected citations. There is no automatic Citation Machine account transfer, and imported citation text or pasted bibliographies do not become linked source records automatically.

PDFs can be added as sources, rather than editable drafts. Scanned PDFs without readable text need manual source details because OCR is unavailable. Keep your original files, since Word pagination and advanced formatting can change during import.

Export the finished draft as DOCX, PDF, or TXT, and its source records as BibTeX or RIS. Citation Machine offers bibliography export to Word or Google Drive. Inspect the final file’s layout and references before submission; exported copies do not stay synchronized with Citation.

Good questions.
Straight answers.

Why choose Citation over Citation Machine?

Bring your writing, sources, and feedback together. Citation keeps references connected to your draft, helps you refine your ideas with AI, and gives collaborators a shared place to review. From your first source to your final export, keep building the same paper in one workspace.

Is Citation a free alternative to Citation Machine?

Yes. Start free and write with connected citations, AI assistance, and paper checks in one workspace. Bring a draft or begin with your first source. Your free account includes usage allowances for AI, checks, sources, and storage, with your remaining allowance visible in settings.

Which citation styles can I use?

Write in APA 7, MLA 9, Chicago 18, Cite Them Right Harvard 12, IEEE, Vancouver (NLM), AMA 11, or ACS. Choose your document’s style and Citation formats its linked citations and bibliography together. Need a different supported style? Switch it in the same draft.

How do I get started with an existing paper?

Import your DOCX or TXT draft, or paste your text into Citation. Add your sources by URL, DOI, ISBN, title, or manual entry, then insert linked citations as you revise. Keep developing the ideas you already have, with your sources and writing together.

How does Citation help me check my paper?

Find passages that match public web sources and open the source links alongside your draft. Use those matches to add a citation, clarify a quotation, or revise your wording before sharing your paper. Citation gives you a practical review step while you write; follow your institution’s requirements for final submission checks.

Can I export my paper to Word or PDF?

Yes. Download your draft as DOCX to continue in Word, or export a PDF to share your work. You can also save plain text and export source records as BibTeX or RIS. Write and refine in Citation, then take your work where it needs to go.