Reference List Generator

A comprehensive web-based tool for generating academic references in Harvard-Anglia style (adapted format). This tool helps students create properly formatted reference lists for academic assignments and research papers.

🌐 Live version: Click here to use the tool

📚 Features

• 40+ Reference Types: Comprehensive coverage of academic sources including:

  • Books (single/multiple authors, editors, chapters)
  • Journal articles (print and online)
  • Websites and online content
  • Multimedia (films, TV, podcasts, music)
  • Social media (Instagram, Facebook, X/Twitter, TikTok)
  • Government publications and legal documents
  • Theses, dissertations, and conference proceedings
  • And many more...

• Smart Formatting: Automatic formatting with proper italics, punctuation, and structure

• Validation: Handles missing information with Latin abbreviations (s.a., s.l., s.n.)

• Hints System: Toggle-able hints and examples for first-time users

• Edit Functionality: Edit existing references before finalizing

• Alphabetical Sorting: Automatic alphabetical organization by author

• Local Storage: Saves references locally with 30-day auto-cleanup

• Copy & Download: Copy formatted references or download as timestamped .txt file

• Mobile Responsive: Works seamlessly on desktop, tablet, and mobile devices

🚀 Getting Started

Prerequisites

No prerequisites required! This is a standalone HTML/CSS/JavaScript application that runs entirely in the browser.

Installation

1. Clone this repository:

   git clone https://github.com/yourusername/reference-list-generator.git

2. Navigate to the project directory:

   cd reference-list-generator

3. Open index.html in your web browser, or serve it using a local server:

   # Using Python 3
   python -m http.server 8000
   
   # Using Node.js (with http-server)
   npx http-server

4. Access the tool at http://localhost:8000

GitHub Pages Deployment

1. Push your code to a GitHub repository
2. Go to repository Settings > Pages
3. Under "Source", select the branch (usually main) and root folder
4. Click "Save"
5. Your tool will be available at https://yourusername.github.io/reference-list-generator/

📖 Usage

1. Select Reference Type: Choose from the sidebar menu (e.g., "Book (one author)", "Website", "Journal Article")
2. Fill in the Form: Complete the required fields (marked with *)
3. Add Reference: Click "Add Reference" to add to your list
4. Edit if Needed: Use the "Edit" button to modify any reference
5. Copy or Download:
   • Click "Copy All References" to copy formatted list to clipboard
   • Click "Download as .txt" to save as a text file with timestamp
6. Clear: Use "Clear All" to start fresh

Tips

• Toggle "Show Hints" off if you're familiar with the requirements
• Use [s.a.] for missing year, [s.l.] for missing place, [s.n.] for missing publisher
• References are automatically sorted alphabetically by author
• Your references are saved locally and will persist for 30 days

🎨 Customization

Colour Scheme

The tool uses a vintage color palette defined in styles.css:

--primary: #344164;    /* Dark blue */
--secondary: #F4DEC7;  /* Cream */
--accent: #F8C74E;     /* Gold */
--alert: #E93F3F;      /* Red */
--muted: #5F6B53;      /* Olive green */

Typography

• Headings: Playfair Display (serif)
• Body Text: Fira Sans (sans-serif)

To customize fonts, edit the Google Fonts import in index.html and update font-family declarations in styles.css.

📁 Project Structure

reference-list-generator/
│
├── index.html          # Main HTML structure
├── styles.css          # All styling and responsive design
├── script.js           # Application logic and reference templates
└── README.md           # This file

🛠️ Technical Details

• No Dependencies: Pure HTML, CSS, and JavaScript
• Storage: Uses Web Storage API (localStorage) for persistence
• Browser Support: Modern browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge)
• Responsive: Mobile-first design approach

🔄 Data Persistence

• References are stored in browser localStorage
• Automatic cleanup after 30 days
• Data is stored with the key iie_references
• No server-side storage or data transmission

📋 Reference Type Coverage

Books & Publications

• Book (one author, 2-3 authors, 4+ authors)
• Book (same author, multiple publications)
• Book (editor/s)
• Chapter from edited book
• eBook
• PDF documents

Academic Sources

• Journal article (print)
• Journal article (online)
• Dissertation/Thesis
• Conference proceedings
• Module outlines/lecture notes

Online Sources

• Website
• Blog article
• YouTube/TEDx videos
• Social media posts (Instagram, Facebook, X, TikTok)

Multimedia

• Film/DVD/Video
• TV series/episodes
• Sound clips/music
• CD/Album
• Radio programmes
• Podcasts

Other Sources

• Newspaper/magazine articles
• Photographs and artworks
• Online images
• Interviews
• Government publications
• Acts/Bills/White Papers
• Dictionary/Encyclopedia
• Board games and video games
• Mobile apps
• Code snippets
• Secondary references

🐛 Known Issues

• Rich text copying may not preserve italics in all applications (use .txt download as fallback)
• Some older browsers may not support all features

🤝 Contributing

This is an educational tool developed for academic purposes. If you'd like to contribute:

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/AmazingFeature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some AmazingFeature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/AmazingFeature)
5. Open a Pull Request

📄 License

This project is open source and available for educational use. Please maintain attribution if you use or modify this tool.

🙏 Acknowledgments

• Based on the Harvard-Anglia Style Reference Guide
• Developed for student use in academic writing
• Inspired by the need for accessible, accurate referencing tools

📞 Support

For issues, questions, or suggestions:

• Open an issue on GitHub
• Check existing documentation in this README

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📝 Changelog

Version 2.0.0 (Current)

Release Date: 5 December 2025

Added

• Complete Reference Type Coverage: Added 40+ reference types covering all major academic sources
• Edit Functionality: Users can now edit existing references in the list
• Improved Copy Function: Fixed copy all references to properly copy the complete formatted list
• Enhanced Typography: Added Playfair Display font for headings, Fira Sans for body text
• Comprehensive Tooltips: Added helpful tooltips for fields requiring special handling
• Better Form Organization: Improved form field layout and grouping
• Secondary Reference Support: Added support for citing sources within sources

Enhanced

• Sidebar Navigation: Reference types now dynamically populated from templates
• Form Validation: Improved validation with smart handling of optional fields
• Storage System: References now store both formatted text and original data for editing
• Mobile Experience: Improved responsive design for smaller screens
• File Naming: Download files now include timestamp in format ReferenceList_YYYY-MM-DD-HHMMSS.txt

Fixed

• Copy All References: Now properly copies the complete reference list with formatting
• Edit Mode: Form now correctly populates when editing existing references
• Storage Cleanup: Implemented automatic 30-day cleanup to prevent localStorage bloat
• Latin Abbreviations: Proper handling of [s.a.], [s.l.], and [s.n.] for missing info

Technical

• Separated Files: Split single-file application into index.html, styles.css, and script.js for better maintainability
• Modular Architecture: Reference templates now organized in a clear, extensible structure
• Improved Code Comments: Added comprehensive comments for future maintenance

---

Version 1.0.0

Release Date: 4 December 2025 - Initial Development

Initial Features

• Basic reference types (8 core types)
• Simple form-based input
• Local storage
• Copy and download functionality
• Hints toggle
• Alphabetical sorting

Core Reference Types (v1.0)

• Book (one author)
• Book (2-3 authors)
• Book (4+ authors)
• Journal article
• Journal article (online)
• Website
• Chapter from edited book
• eBook

---

🗺️ Roadmap

Planned Features

• Import references from BibTeX
• Export to other citation formats (APA, MLA, Chicago)
• Duplicate detection
• Batch edit functionality
• Search/filter references
• Cloud sync option (optional)
• Print-friendly view
• In-text citation generator
• Dark mode

Under Consideration

• Integration with reference management tools
• Browser extension version
• Collaborative features
• Multiple style guides support

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📚 Documentation

For Developers

Adding a New Reference Type

1. Open script.js
2. Add a new entry to the formTemplates object:

'your-reference-type': {
    title: 'Display Title',
    info: 'Brief description',
    fields: [
        { 
            name: 'field_name', 
            label: 'Field Label', 
            required: true, 
            hint: 'Example value',
            tooltip: 'Additional help' // optional
        },
        // ... more fields
    ],
    format: (data) => {
        // Return formatted reference string
        return `${data.field_name}, formatted reference...`;
    }
}

3. The new type will automatically appear in the sidebar

Field Types

• type: 'select' - Dropdown with options array
• type: 'textarea' - Multi-line text input
• Default - Single-line text input

Format Function

• Returns HTML string with <em> for italics and <sup> for superscripts
• Use < and > for URLs to display < and > properly

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Last Updated: December 2025