Citation Finder
Complete a partial reference with real publisher metadata from Crossref and indexed records from PubMed, never AI-generated references. Find a DOI from a title, or turn a DOI or PMID into a full reference.
Complete a partial reference
Three successful lookups free per browser. No matches and failed requests do not count. Opening candidates and copying results do not use another run.
Queries go through our server to metadata providers. The allowance count is saved in this browser. Results stay on this page until you leave or reload; copy or download them first.
Read the evidence behind your references
Continue your research in AnswerThis. Copy or download your reference before leaving this page.
Find a citation from a title or identifier
- Paste a DOI or PMID for an exact identifier lookup. DOI resolver and PubMed record links also work.
- To find a DOI from a title, paste the title or a distinctive fragment. Add the author and publication year if known.
- Compare candidate titles, authors and years. Open the matching record, then copy or download its reference.
Title search queries Crossref and PubMed. It can return several plausible records, including papers with similar titles and different versions. A search ranking does not establish a match.
Real records, never invented citations
This reference finder retrieves existing metadata; it does not ask an AI model to create a reference or DOI. Crossref contains publisher-deposited metadata, and PubMed supplies indexed biomedical records. DOI lookup also uses DataCite when Crossref has no record, with the fallback identified in the result.
Provider records can still be incomplete or contain errors. Some papers have no DOI, and these databases do not cover every publication. Missing fields stay missing. Check the original publication before citing it; this lookup does not verify whether a paper supports a claim.
For example, paste “Array programming with NumPy” to review search candidates, or use DOI 10.1038/s41586-020-2649-2 to look up that record directly.
Frequently asked questions
Can I find a DOI from a partial title?
Yes. Enter a distinctive part of the title and optionally an author and year. Review the candidates from Crossref and PubMed before selecting a record. Short or common fragments may not find your paper.
Can I look up a PMID?
Yes. Paste a PMID, a PMID: prefix followed by the number, or a PubMed record URL. The result includes the DOI if PubMed supplies one.
Does the citation finder generate references with AI?
No. References are assembled from retrieved provider metadata. It cannot invent a reference with AI, but an incorrect search selection or an error in the source metadata can still produce an incorrect citation.
What if several papers match?
Compare authors, year, journal and title, then open the full reference for the paper you intended. No candidate is automatically declared to be the correct match.
How many lookups are free?
Three successful lookups are free per browser. A title search with candidates counts as one lookup; opening its candidates and copying them are included. No results and failed requests do not count. After that, sign in to continue.
Can I format the reference in APA or another style?
This page copies a plain bibliographic reference. Take the DOI or PMID to the citation generator for style-specific formatting, or use the reference converter for existing reference files.