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Journal citation styles, powered by CSL
Citation Style Language is the open standard behind Zotero and Mendeley. Its official repository holds more than 10,000 journal and university styles, and CitApp renders them with the same engine Zotero uses. Pick your journal's style by name in the CSL library and get every comma right.
How the CSL library works
- 1Open the style picker when you create a project, or change style later from the project card menu.
- 2Search the All styles group, which is the CSL library: APA 7, MLA 9, Chicago, Nature, Science, The Lancet, BMJ, IEEE, Vancouver, OSCOLA and more.
- 3Markers and the reference list render to that exact specification, in English or Swedish.
- 4Change your mind later and switch styles. The sources stay, only the formatting changes.
Why CSL matters
The official spec, not an imitation
A CSL file is the style written down as rules. The files in the official repository are written and checked by volunteers in the CSL community, working from each journal's or university's own guide. CitApp renders them with citeproc-js, the same engine Zotero uses, so the output follows the style file exactly. Two styles carry a small documented fix, and UCD Library Harvard is CitApp's own adaptation of Cite Them Right.
A curated bundle that will grow
The library holds 133 of the styles students and researchers ask for most. The full CSL repository holds more than 10,000, and your requests decide which ones get added next.
Deterministic output
Like CitApp's custom styles, CSL rendering is rule-based. The same source always produces the same reference, with no AI in the loop.
Common questions
Which CSL styles are included?
133 today, among them APA 7 and 6, MLA 9, Chicago author-date and notes, Harvard (Cite Them Right), Vancouver/NLM, IEEE, Nature, Science, Cell, The Lancet, BMJ, PLOS, ACS, AMA, ASA, APSA, AAA, CSE, MHRA, OSCOLA, journal house styles from Elsevier, Springer, SAGE and Taylor and Francis, and 22 university Harvard styles from the UK, Ireland, Australia and South Africa.
What if my style is not in the bundle?
Use the support button in the app and name the journal or university. Requests decide which styles get added next. You can also build your own style with the custom style builder.
Are CSL styles free?
Yes. The CSL library is included for free, same as the built-in styles.
What is CSL exactly?
Citation Style Language, an open XML format that describes how citations and bibliographies should be formatted. It is used by Zotero, Mendeley, Paperpile, RefWorks and many other tools.
Does it work in Swedish?
Yes. Set the project language to Swedish and dates and terms follow, so an undated source renders as u.å. instead of n.d.
More from CitApp
Pick your journal's style by name
Save your sources once, then render them in APA, Nature or Vancouver with one switch. The whole reference list follows.
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