Developers

Bibloq Citation API

Format citations in 21+ styles programmatically. The same engine that powers the in-app generator, available over HTTP for your own scripts, apps, or research tools.

Authentication

Every request (except GET /styles) requires an API key in the Authorization header:

Authorization: Bearer bq_your_api_key_here

Generate a key from your Dashboard → Settings → API Keys. Keys are shown once at creation and can be revoked at any time. Generating a key requires an active paid plan.

Base URL: https://bibloq.com/api/v1/citation

POST/format

Formats a single source into a citation string.

Request body

FieldTypeNotes
sourceobjectRequired. A source object (see below).
stylestringRequired. A style key, e.g. apa7, mla9, chicago17nb, ieee. See GET /styles.
modestringOptional. bibliography (default), in-text, or footnote where the style supports it.
curl -X POST https://bibloq.com/api/v1/citation/format \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer bq_your_api_key_here" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "style": "apa7",
    "source": {
      "sourceType": "journalArticle",
      "authors": [{ "last": "Ngonyo", "first": "Donald" }],
      "title": "Preserving the link between claims and evidence",
      "journal": "Journal of Research Tooling",
      "year": "2026",
      "volume": "4",
      "issue": "2",
      "pages": "1-12",
      "doi": "10.1234/example"
    }
  }'

Response

{
  "success": true,
  "formatted": "Ngonyo, D. (2026). Preserving the link between claims and evidence. *Journal of Research Tooling*, *4*(2), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1234/example"
}

POST/format-list

Formats a full bibliography from multiple sources in one call, sorted the same way Bibloq's own reference list is (alphabetical by author for name-based styles, insertion order for numbered styles such as IEEE/Vancouver/AMA).

Request body

FieldTypeNotes
sourcesarrayRequired. An array of source objects.
stylestringRequired. A style key.
curl -X POST https://bibloq.com/api/v1/citation/format-list \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer bq_your_api_key_here" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{ "style": "apa7", "sources": [ { "sourceType": "book", "authors": [{"last":"Doe","first":"Jane"}], "title": "An Example Book", "year": "2024", "publisher": "Example Press" } ] }'

Response

{
  "success": true,
  "bibliography": [
    { "source": { "...": "as submitted" }, "citation": "Doe, J. (2024). *An Example Book*. Example Press." }
  ]
}

GET/styles

Public, no API key required. Returns every supported style key and name, so you can populate a dropdown without guessing.

curl https://bibloq.com/api/v1/citation/styles
{
  "success": true,
  "styles": [
    { "key": "apa7", "name": "APA 7th Edition", "modes": ["bibliography", "in-text"] },
    { "key": "mla9", "name": "MLA 9th Edition", "modes": ["bibliography", "in-text"] }
  ]
}

Source object

A source is a plain object describing what you're citing. Common fields:

FieldNotes
sourceTypejournalArticle, book, website, and other source types matching the in-app generator.
authorsArray of { last, first }, or { organization } for a corporate author.
title, yearRequired for most source types.
journal, volume, issue, pages, doiJournal articles.
publisher, edition, isbnBooks.
url, siteName, accessDateWebsites and online sources.
Unsure of a field name? Paste a URL, DOI, or ISBN into the free generator, switch to a source type, and the resulting form fields match this schema exactly.

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