ISBN Citation Generator

How to Use the ISBN Citation Generator

1. 1. Find the ISBN. It is on the back cover above the barcode and on the copyright page, and it is listed on a bookshop or library record. Use the one for the edition you read.
2. 2. Paste it. Put the ISBN in the box on the URL / DOI / ISBN tab. Hyphens are fine; spaces are not. For a list, put one ISBN on each line (the first 25 are used) and each citation is added to your bibliography on this device.
3. 3. Choose a style. Pick APA, MLA, Chicago or any of the 10,834 styles from the list. The reference and its in-text citation appear together.
4. 4. Check the result against the book. The lookup reads a public catalogue, so compare the authors, the title and the year with your copy. Use Edit to correct anything, and Copy when it is right.

ISBN-10 and ISBN-13: What You Can Paste

An ISBN identifies one edition and format of a book, not the title as a whole. The hardcover, the paperback and the ebook of the same book carry different numbers, which is why the number you paste decides which publisher and year you get. ISBNs issued since 2007 have 13 digits and start with 978 or 979; older ones have ten digits and may end in the letter X, which stands for 10.

The last digit is a check digit. For an ISBN-13, multiply the first twelve digits alternately by 1 and 3, add the products, and subtract the sum's last digit from 10 (a result of 10 becomes 0). Daniel Kahneman's Thinking, Fast and Slow in hardcover is 978-0-374-27563-1:

• The products are 9, 21, 8, 0, 3, 21, 4, 6, 7, 15, 6 and 9, which add up to 109.
• The sum ends in 9 and 10 − 9 = 1, so the check digit is 1 — it matches the last digit.

The generator accepts any ten- or thirteen-digit pattern (plus a final X) and asks Open Library for it; it does not verify the check digit itself. A mistyped digit therefore usually shows up as "book not found" or, worse, as a different book.

ISBN Citation Examples

Robin Wall Kimmerer's Braiding Sweetgrass, from ISBN 978-1-57131-356-0. The first APA result reads Robin Wall Kimmerer. (2013). Braiding Sweetgrass. Milkweed Editions.: Open Library supplies the author as one string and the title without its subtitle. Edit the author and the title and save, and you get the finished citations below.

The ISBN is only the way in. It does not appear in an APA, MLA or Chicago citation.

What the Lookup Returns — and What to Check

The ISBN is looked up on Open Library, which is a volunteer-edited catalogue, so the record can be incomplete. From it the generator takes the title, the first publisher listed, the year and up to five authors.

• Author names. Open Library stores each name as one string. If the first result prints full first names where your style wants initials (APA) or the surname first, open Edit and save: the name is then re-read and formatted properly.
• Subtitles. The title often arrives without its subtitle. Add it in Edit.
• Edition and series. The record does not carry the edition statement. If you used a 2nd or later edition, add it in Edit.
• Publisher and year. Reprints and imprints are common. Check both against the copyright page; APA wants the year of the edition you read.
• Editors and translators. A book listed with editors or a translator may show only some contributors. Add the rest by hand.
• Not found. If Open Library has no record, nothing is returned. Switch to Manual Entry and type the details from the book.

Which Tool Do You Need?

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I generate a citation from an ISBN?

Yes. Paste the ISBN-10 or ISBN-13 into the URL / DOI / ISBN tab, choose a style and the book is looked up and formatted. You can then edit any field before you copy it.

Where do I find a book's ISBN?

On the back cover near the barcode and on the copyright page, usually under the publisher's details. Library and bookshop records list it too. An ebook has its own ISBN, printed on the copyright page inside the file or listed by the publisher.

Do I put the ISBN in my reference list?

No. APA 7, MLA 9 and Chicago 18 do not include an ISBN in a book citation. It only identifies the edition for the lookup. A few other styles, and BibTeX exports, can carry it.

Why is my ISBN not found?

The record may be missing on Open Library, or a digit may be wrong. Check the number against the book, try the other ISBN printed on it (hardcover and paperback differ), or use Manual Entry.

Does the ISBN-10 or the ISBN-13 matter?

Either works for the lookup, and both identify the same edition. Dashes are optional; spaces are not accepted, so remove them.

Does a different ISBN mean a different citation?

Sometimes. A new ISBN can mean a new edition, a reprint with a later year or a different publisher, such as a paperback. Cite the edition you used, not the one the first result happens to show.

Can I cite several ISBNs at once?

Yes. Paste one ISBN per line, up to 25, and each is looked up and saved to your bibliography on this device, where you can export the whole list.