EasyBib is a fabulous tool to use when constructing a bibliography, but it's not dummy-proof.  Here are some tips on using this site properly:

1. Choosing source types

These days we have access to SO many different types of information from SO many places, and this can make citation really difficult. It is therefore vital that you:

• Know your source type (magazine article, encyclopedia article, newspaper article, book, photograph, etc.)
• Know how you accessed it (in print, on a web site, in an online database, etc.)

Example: Say you are trying to cite (1) an article (2) from an encyclopedia (3) that was accessed through an online database.  You'd have to address each of those 3 source layers in  your citation.  Here's how EasyBib helps you do that:

From the source list you can either choose "Encyclopedia Article" followed by selecting the "Online Database" tab:

Or you can choose "Online Database" from the source list and select "Encyclopedia Article" from the dropdown box as your source type:

2. Dealing with Missing Information

• When leaving boxes blank is fine:  When using EasyBib to cite a source, you may find that they offer you boxes that you can't fill in.  In some situations, this is just fine.  Here are some common examples:
  • A book without a volume #, edition #, or series #
  • A newspaper article without section or edition information
  • No author (Before leaving this one blank, make sure there isn't a clear organization or corporation responsible for that information - they can be considered authors as well!).
  • And many more!
• When leaving boxes blank is NOT fine: MLA 7th edition (bibliographic format style used here at the high school and atmany other academic institutions) asks that if you cannot find a source's publisher, publication date, or page numbers, you must put in the following placeholders:
  • For no publisher, write in N.p.
  • For no publication date, write in n.d.
  • For no page numbers, write in n. pag.        
  
  But how do you make this work with Easybib? Here's how to do it: If you are unable to find one or more of these three bits of source information, leave the boxes blank and go ahead and create your citation.  It will then take you to the screen where you see your final citation(s).  Underneath the yello box that says "Your bibliography" is the option to "Show publication placeholders?"  Click "Yes" and ta-da!
          
             Before:
  
              After:
  

Common Mistakes

• Beware the Autocite feature!!  Often this will leave out important information (such as website publishers, dates, etc.)  If you use this, double check the boxes to make sure they are all filled in and filled in properly.
• Web site title is NOT THE SAME as the URL.  Example:  Google is a Web site title, whereas http://www.google.com is a URL.
• EasyBib will not correct your spelling or capitalization errors, so fill those boxes in carefully!