Cite sources that actually exist.

How the citation finder works

Type the topic of your project, seminar or SIWES report into the search box. The finder looks that topic up in OpenAlex, a large open index of published academic work, and returns real papers -- each with its actual authors, year, journal and, where one exists, its DOI. You choose a result, pick APA, IEEE or Harvard, and copy a ready-formatted citation.

The point of the tool is the opposite of a text generator: it cannot make a paper up, because every result comes from a published record. That matters because a supervisor or external examiner who cannot find a source you cited will treat it as fabricated, however innocent the mistake.

A sensible way to use the results

• Search with the key terms of your topic, then again with the main variables or concepts inside it -- two or three different searches usually surface sources one search misses.
• Open the DOI or the record and read at least the abstract before you cite anything. A title that sounds relevant is not evidence that the paper supports your claim.
• Prefer recent work for fast-moving subjects, but keep the foundational papers your field still cites.
• Copy the citation, then check it once against your department's own guideline, because departments differ on details such as how many authors to list.
• Keep a running list as you go. Building the reference list at the end of a project is how in-text citations and the list drift apart.

APA, IEEE and Harvard in one paragraph each

APA is the author-date style common in the social sciences, education, management and many science departments: the in-text citation carries the surname and year, and the reference list is alphabetical.

IEEE is a numbered style used widely in engineering and computing: sources are numbered in the order they first appear, cited in square brackets, and the list follows that numbering rather than the alphabet.

Harvard is also author-date and looks similar to APA, with its own punctuation conventions. Which one you need is decided by your department or supervisor, not by the tool -- so confirm it before you start collecting citations.

What the tool does not do

It is a discovery and formatting aid, not a substitute for reading. Coverage of some Nigerian journals in any open index is patchy, so a good local paper may not appear; some records also lack a DOI. If your topic is heavily local, combine these results with sources from your university library and your supervisor's reading list.

The finder does not write your literature review or decide which sources support your argument. That judgement is yours. Our guide on how to write the literature review chapter explains how to turn a set of sources into an argument rather than a list of summaries.

Is the citation finder really free?

Yes. It needs no account and no payment, and you can run as many searches as you like within the fair-use limits that stop automated abuse.

Are the sources real?

Every result is a published record from the OpenAlex index, with its own authors, year and (where available) DOI. Even so, open the record and read the abstract before you rely on it -- relevance is your call.

Which referencing style should I choose?

Use whichever your department or supervisor requires. Many social science, education and management departments use APA; many engineering and computing departments use IEEE; some use Harvard. If nobody has told you, ask before you format anything.

Can I cite a paper I have not read?

You should not. Read at least the abstract and, ideally, the sections you rely on. Examiners sometimes ask about a cited source during a defence, and citing something you have never opened is one of the easiest ways to be caught out.