Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Find answers to common questions about Academic References.

General Questions

What citation styles are supported?

Academic References supports over 10,700 citation styles including:

  • APA 7th Edition
  • MLA 9th Edition
  • Chicago (Author-Date and Notes-Bibliography)
  • Harvard
  • IEEE
  • Vancouver
  • Thousands of journal-specific styles

Styles use the Citation Style Language (CSL) standard. You can also upload custom CSL files.

Can I use this with the Classic Editor?

Yes. While Gutenberg blocks provide the best experience, shortcodes are available for the Classic Editor:

  • [abt_citation id="123"] – Insert citations
  • [abt_bibliography] – Display bibliography

See Shortcodes for full documentation.

Does it work with WordPress Multisite?

Yes. Academic References is multisite compatible:

  • Each site has its own reference library
  • Settings are per-site
  • Network activation is supported

Is the reference library public?

Configurable. You can:

  • Enable public archive (/references/)
  • Enable individual reference pages
  • Keep references admin-only

Configure in References > Settings > Frontend.

How many references can I have?

Unlimited. The plugin handles large libraries efficiently. Performance optimizations include:

  • Database indexing
  • Object caching support
  • Lazy loading options

Adding References

Why can’t I find my DOI?

Common reasons and solutions:

  1. DOI not registered – Very new articles may take days to register
  2. Typo in identifier – Double-check the DOI
  3. Rate limited – Wait and try again
  4. Old publication – Pre-digital articles may not have DOIs

Try alternative identifiers (PubMed ID, ISBN) or enter manually.

How do I add a book?

With ISBN:

  1. Add New Reference
  2. Enter ISBN in Auto-Cite
  3. Click Fetch
  4. Review and publish

Manually:

  1. Add New Reference
  2. Select Type: Book
  3. Fill in Title, Authors, Year, Publisher
  4. Publish

Can I import from EndNote?

Yes. Export from EndNote as RIS format:

  1. In EndNote: File > Export > RIS
  2. In WordPress: References > Import/Export
  3. Upload the .ris file
  4. Import

How do I add a website as a reference?

Method 1: Auto-Cite Enter the URL in Auto-Cite. The plugin extracts available metadata.

Method 2: Manual

  1. Select Type: Webpage
  2. Enter Title, Author (if known), URL
  3. Add Access Date (important for web sources)
  4. Publish

Citations

How do I change the citation style mid-post?

Currently, all citations in a post use the site-wide default style. To use different styles:

  1. Change the site-wide setting before publishing
  2. Or wait for per-post style override (planned feature)

Why isn’t my bibliography showing?

Check these common issues:

  1. No citations – Bibliography only shows cited references
  2. Bibliography block missing – Add one to your post
  3. Caching – Clear page cache
  4. Draft references – Cited references must be published

Can I cite the same reference multiple times?

Yes. Each Citation block is independent. Cite the same reference anywhere it’s needed. The bibliography shows each reference once regardless of citation count.

How do I add page numbers to citations?

In the Citation block settings:

  1. Enter page number in Locator field
  2. Select Label (page, chapter, etc.)

Result: (Smith, 2024, p. 42)

Import & Export

My import failed, what do I do?

Try these steps:

  1. Check file format – Ensure .bib, .ris, or .json extension matches content
  2. Validate file – Open in text editor, check for errors
  3. Try smaller batch – Import fewer references at a time
  4. Check encoding – Save file as UTF-8
  5. Review error message – Note which references failed

Can I import from EndNote?

Yes. Export from EndNote as RIS format, then import the .ris file.

Can I import from Papers/ReadCube?

Yes. Export from Papers as BibTeX or RIS, then import.

How do I export for Notion?

  1. Go to References > Import/Export
  2. Select Export tab
  3. Choose “Notion” format
  4. Download the file
  5. Import into your Notion database

Sync

Why isn’t Zotero syncing?

Check these common issues:

  1. API credentials – Verify User ID and API Key
  2. Permissions – API key needs library read/write access
  3. Collection mapping – Selected collections may be empty
  4. Rate limits – Wait if recently synced many items

See Zotero Sync for setup details.

Can I sync multiple Zotero libraries?

Personal library: One per WordPress site.

Group libraries: You can enable multiple group libraries in sync settings.

Multiple sites: Each WordPress site can connect to different Zotero libraries.

Does Mendeley sync two-way?

No. Due to Mendeley API limitations, sync is import-only. Changes in WordPress don’t push to Mendeley.

For two-way sync, consider using Zotero instead.

Display & Styling

How do I change bibliography formatting?

Quick adjustments: Use Bibliography block settings for grouping, sorting, and spacing.

Style-based: The citation style controls detailed formatting. Choose a different style in Settings.

Custom CSS: Add CSS to your theme for visual styling.

Why are citations showing [?]?

The [?] indicates a broken reference link. Causes:

  • Reference was deleted
  • Reference ID changed
  • Citation block corrupted

Fix by re-selecting the reference in the Citation block.

Can I hide the bibliography heading?

Yes. In Bibliography block settings:

  1. Clear the Heading field
  2. Or toggle “Show Heading” off

User Features

Can visitors add references?

Yes, if enabled. Configure in Frontend Settings:

  1. Enable frontend submission
  2. Set who can submit (logged-in users, anyone)
  3. Enable/disable moderation

How do users track reading status?

Users access their dashboard (if enabled) to:

  1. View their references
  2. Click the status badge on any reference
  3. Select: Unread, Reading, Completed, etc.

Are user notes private?

Yes. Personal notes are visible only to the user who created them. Not even administrators can see other users’ notes.

Technical Questions

Does it work with page caching?

Yes. Academic References is compatible with caching plugins. Some tips:

  • Clear cache after changing citation styles
  • Use the plugin’s built-in citation cache
  • Consider fragment caching for dynamic elements

What’s the performance impact?

With caching enabled, minimal impact:

  • Citations render once, then cache
  • API calls are cached
  • Database queries are optimized

Large libraries (10,000+ references) may need object caching for best performance.

Can I use this with headless WordPress?

Yes. The REST API provides full access to references, citations, and bibliographies for headless/decoupled architectures.

See REST API documentation.

Is it translation-ready?

Yes. Academic References is fully internationalized:

  • All strings use WordPress translation functions
  • .pot file included for translators
  • Citation styles have language variants

Getting Help

Where can I get support?

  • Documentation: You’re reading it!
  • Support tickets: wbcomdesigns.com/support/
  • Community: WordPress.org forums

How do I report a bug?

Contact support with:

  1. WordPress version
  2. Plugin version
  3. Steps to reproduce
  4. Screenshots if helpful
  5. Any error messages

Can I request a feature?

Yes! Submit feature requests through:

  • Support tickets
  • Community forums
  • Product feedback form

Popular requests influence the roadmap.

Next Steps

Last updated: January 31, 2026