ISBN to Citation Generator
Check an ISBN and cite the book in seven styles, BibTeX and RIS.
Try before you buy.
- Free preview: every ISBN check in full, and the first words of each formatted reference (at most half of it, up to 100 words in all) with the checks on each entry.
- Locked until you unlock it: download, copy and saving to your device.
- Unlock: Pro pass, ₹179 for 30 days, a one-time payment that never renews.
Ways to unlock shows how to get the full result.
Printing this result is locked in the free preview.
Books
Hyphens, spaces and the word ISBN are ignored. The ISBN is printed above the barcode on the back cover and on the copyright page. For several books, put one ISBN per line, or separate them with spaces or commas (up to 20 at a time).
How the check digit of is worked out
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Your references
Style settings
Free preview: each reference shows its first words. With a pass, or after unlocking this list, every reference is shown in full with its in-text citations and Every style, and the list can be copied, downloaded or added to the Bibliography Maker.
References
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About the ISBN to Citation Generator
Type or scan a book’s ISBN and get the book cited in APA 7, MLA 9, Chicago 18, Harvard (Cite Them Right), IEEE, Vancouver or AMA 11, with its in-text citations, or as BibTeX and RIS. Before anything is looked up, the check digit is tested — hyphens, spaces and the word ISBN are ignored — and the working is shown, so a mistyped digit is caught at once. ISBN-10s are converted to ISBN-13s and back.
The details come from Open Library, an open book catalogue that anyone can edit, so every field stays editable here too: add a missing publisher or edition, cite one chapter of an edited book, or enter a book by hand when Open Library has no record of it.
How to use it
- Type or paste the ISBN — the 10 or 13 digits above the barcode on the back cover, or on the copyright page. On a phone, press Scan the barcode; Read a photo of the barcode works on any device.
- Each number is checked as you type. A wrong check digit is flagged with the digit the others call for; open How the check digit is worked out to see the sum.
- Press Look up. Several ISBNs, one per line, are looked up together.
- Choose the citation style and compare the entry with the title page and the copyright page. Edit adds what is missing (publisher, place, edition, editors) or turns the entry into a Book chapter with the chapter’s title, authors and pages.
- Without a pass you see a free preview: the first words of each formatted reference. With a pass, or after unlocking this list, see each reference in full with its in-text citations, copy one reference or the whole list, download it as Word, RTF, text, BibTeX or RIS, or add it to the Bibliography Maker.
Examples
978-0-262-03384-8
APA 7: Cormen, T. H., Leiserson, C. E., Rivest, R. L., & Stein, C. (2009). Introduction to algorithms (3rd ed.). The MIT Press. MLA 9: Cormen, Thomas H., et al. Introduction to Algorithms. 3rd ed., The MIT Press, 2009. Chicago: Cormen, Thomas H., Charles E. Leiserson, Ronald L. Rivest, and Clifford Stein. Introduction to Algorithms. 3rd ed. The MIT Press, 2009.
Open Library gives the edition as “Third Edition”; the styles write 3rd ed. In a short title one capitalised word could be a name, so for APA the entry keeps “Algorithms” and suggests Sentence case; here it is not a name, and the APA line is shown after pressing Sentence case in Edit.
978-0-262-03384-5
Not valid: with these first 12 digits the last digit should be 8, not 5. 9×1 + 7×3 + 8×1 + 0×3 + 2×1 + 6×3 + 2×1 + 0×3 + 3×1 + 3×3 + 8×1 + 4×3 = 92; 92 ÷ 10 leaves 2; 10 − 2 = 8
A wrong check digit usually means one digit was mistyped or two neighbours were swapped.
0-262-03384-4
Valid ISBN-10 · ISBN-13: 978-0262033848
The ISBN-13 is 978, the first nine digits and a new check digit. ISBNs that start with 979 have no 10-digit form.
Common uses
- Citing the printed books on a reading list without typing every author, edition and publisher.
- Scanning a pile of library books with a phone and getting the whole reference list at once.
- Checking an ISBN before ordering a book or entering it in a form.
- Turning a book into a BibTeX or RIS entry for LaTeX, Zotero or EndNote.
How ISBN check digits work
ISBN-13 (every ISBN given out now): multiply the first 12 digits by 1, 3, 1, 3… in turn and add the products. The check digit is 10 minus the remainder of the sum divided by 10, or 0 when the remainder is 0. For 978-0-262-03384-?, the sum is 92, the remainder 2 and the check digit 8.
ISBN-10 (on books from before the change to 13 digits): multiply the first 9 digits by 10, 9, 8 … 2 and add them; the check digit is 11 minus the remainder of the sum divided by 11, written X when that comes to 10 (and 0 when the remainder is 0). An ISBN-10 becomes an ISBN-13 with 978 in front and a new check digit.
The ISBN-13 rule is the International ISBN Agency’s (ISBN Users’ Manual, What is an ISBN?). A correct check digit only shows that a number is well formed, not that a book was published with it. Numbers starting 979-0 are ISMNs, which identify sheet music, printed or digital.
Where the book’s details come from
The Open Library Books API is asked for each ISBN in both its forms, then for the edition details: the edition’s name and statements such as “edited by”. Open Library’s records come from many library catalogues and from volunteers, and every record can be edited, so one can be incomplete or now and then describe another printing. Each entry links to its record (check the record) so you can compare. Requests are spaced out to stay within Open Library’s limit of one request a second for callers that do not identify themselves, which a web page cannot do.
Citing one chapter of an edited book
Look up the book’s ISBN, open Edit and choose Book chapter as the type: the book’s title moves to the book-title field, and you add the chapter’s title, its authors and its pages. Put the book’s editors under Editors. The reference then follows each style’s chapter format.
Limitations
- Open Library does not have a record of every book. When it has none, enter the book by hand from its title page and copyright page.
- A record can lack the publisher, place or edition, or give the year of a later printing. Check the details against the book itself.
- A short title with one capitalised word cannot be judged automatically: the entry then suggests Sentence case for the styles that need it.
- Hyphens are not added to ISBNs, because where they go depends on registration ranges this page does not keep.
- Scanning needs a camera, or a clear photo of the barcode. Up to 20 ISBNs are looked up at a time.
Privacy
Only the ISBNs you look up leave your device, to Open Library. The check-digit test and the formatting run in your browser, and camera pictures and photos of barcodes are read on your device and never sent anywhere. Your list stays in this tab; only your choice of style and settings is remembered on this device.
Frequently asked questions
What do I get without a pass?
Without a pass, ISBN to Citation Generator shows every ISBN check in full, and the first words of each formatted reference (at most half of it, up to 100 words in all) with the checks on each entry. Until you unlock it, the result can’t be downloaded, copied or saved to your device. A Pro, Premium or Ultimate pass, a one-time payment that never renews, unlocks the full result. The pricing page lists the passes and their prices.
How do I cite a book from its ISBN?
Type the ISBN (or scan its barcode), press Look up and choose your style. Compare the entry with the title page and add anything missing with Edit. The free preview shows the first words of the reference; with a pass you see it in full with its in-text citations and copy it.
How can I tell if an ISBN is valid?
Each number is checked as you type. A valid one shows Valid ISBN-13 or Valid ISBN-10 and its other form; a wrong one says which check digit the other digits call for. A valid check digit shows the number is well formed, but not that a book was published with it.
How do I convert an ISBN-10 to an ISBN-13?
Type the ISBN-10 and its 13-digit form appears next to it: 978, the first nine digits and a new check digit, so 0-262-03384-4 becomes 978-0262033848. ISBNs starting 979 have no 10-digit form.
Which ISBN should I use?
The one of the edition you read: hardback, paperback and e-book editions have different ISBNs, and sometimes different years or page numbers. The styles here do not print the ISBN in the reference, but it is kept in the BibTeX and RIS exports.
What if Open Library does not have my book?
Press Enter by hand next to it: a book entry opens with the ISBN filled in. Copy the authors, title, edition, publisher and year from the title page and the copyright page.
Does the barcode scanner send pictures anywhere?
No. The camera picture and any photo you choose are read on your device; only the ISBN found goes into the box.