Cite This For Me

Overview

Powered by Chegg, the service launched in October 2010 and says its generator has assisted millions of students in the UK, Canada, the US, Australia and elsewhere. Its central strength is breadth: it supports thousands of styles and more than 50 source types. That makes it a flexible starting point for academic references, though the free account restricts users to Harvard and retains saved citations for only seven days.

For more options, see our Citation Generator Tools list.

Key features

• Broad citation coverage: The generator supports 7,000 styles, including Harvard, APA, MLA, Chicago and Vancouver, across more than 50 source types. This can suit work spanning different disciplines, but most of that format choice requires Premium.
• Source lookup: For websites, journal articles and books, it can try to find source details using an author, URL or DOI. Automatic lookup can cut down on manual entry, but it is an attempt rather than a guarantee of correct metadata.
• Two citation forms: It produces an in-text citation and a full reference, useful when an assignment requires both.
• Chrome extension: The extension can cite the webpage open in the browser and add the result to an online bibliography. This is a convenient fit for web research; the Free account's seven-day saving period may not suit longer projects.
• Premium tools: Premium includes Word bibliography downloads, plagiarism detection, expert help and unlimited grammar checks. The plagiarism checker may be useful for spotting passages that still need citations, but uploaded papers are added to its plagiarism database and used internally to improve results.

Pricing

Cite This For Me uses a freemium model. The Free account costs 0.00 GBP per free and provides Harvard citations, with ads and saved citations retained for seven days. It can work for occasional Harvard references, but the single-style limit and short retention window make it a poor fit for users who need another format or want a durable project bibliography.

Cite This For Me Premium costs 6.99 GBP per month, billed monthly. It adds MLA, APA, Chicago, Harvard and 7,000 more styles, an ad-free experience, plagiarism detection, expert help, 30 papers per month and unlimited grammar checks. The monthly price and paper allowance suit regular academic work better than the free tier, while the 30-paper limit matters for heavier use. Consider the uploaded-paper handling before using its plagiarism checker.

Platforms

Cite This For Me is available on web, Android and iOS, as well as through a browser extension. The Chrome extension adds webpage citation to the workflow, while mobile apps offer access beyond a desktop browser.

Who it's for

Students and researchers who need citations across multiple styles, source types or devices are the best fit, particularly if Premium's exports and writing checks are useful. Someone who only needs occasional Harvard references can start with the free generator. Look elsewhere if you need a free account with broader style choice, or if storing submitted papers in a plagiarism database is unacceptable.

Pros and cons

Pros

• Extensive style and source coverage: 7,000 styles and more than 50 source types provide room for varied academic requirements.
• Automatic lookup and dual output: Author, URL or DOI lookup can reduce typing, and results include both an in-text citation and a full reference.
• Webpage capture: The Chrome extension can turn the current page into a citation and add it to an online bibliography.

Cons

• Restrictive free account: Harvard-only formatting, ads and seven-day citation storage limit its usefulness for ongoing or varied work.
• Premium has a quota: Plagiarism detection covers 30 papers per month, which may constrain high-volume users.
• Uploaded-paper trade-off: Papers submitted to the plagiarism checker enter its database and are used internally to improve results.

Alternatives

• Bibcitation is a reasonable alternative if a free citation generator is the priority: its free plan is offered on web and extension, with no usage limits listed on its homepage.
• CitApp may suit users who want 150+ styles and measured browser capture, Google Docs insertion and Academic Shield allowances in a free plan; those caps are 10 captures, 30 insertions and 10 checks per week.
• Citation[Z] is worth considering if a free generator, converter and bibliography builder with saved citations and projects is enough; its free plan includes five styles and bulk paste for up to five references.
• CiteMe offers a free plan with 60+ styles, a reference checker, library saving, a project and BibTeX/RIS export allowances for readers who prefer those tools.
• CitePlain is another freemium citation option for readers comparing extension and web tools.
• EasyBib may fit users who want a free citation generator with an option to try grammar suggestions; its first five suggestions are free, and EasyBib Plus renews monthly automatically.
• MyBib suits readers who value using existing features without an account and keeping work on their device by default; MyBib Plus costs 24.00 USD per year, billed as $2 per month and paid annually.
• Petal is an alternative for readers seeking a broader research workspace; its free plan includes cloud storage and annotations but excludes citation export.

Verdict

Choose Cite This For Me if you need citations across a wide range of academic styles and source types, and Premium's Word export or writing checks justify a monthly subscription. Its free tier is serviceable for Harvard-only tasks, but its seven-day saving limit is restrictive. Look elsewhere if you need more free styles or do not want papers submitted for plagiarism checking added to a database.