FlowRef

A modern, professional citation generator for academic research. Generate accurate citations from DOIs with support for thousands of styles, batch processing, and PDF extraction.

Features

Modern Interface

• Color-coded visual feedback for status and validation
• Real-time DOI and URL validation with professional messaging
• Searchable style picker with access to thousands of CSL styles

Core Functionality

• Automatic DOI detection from web pages and PDF documents
• Full CSL repository support (APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, IEEE, Vancouver, and thousands more)
• In-text citations (parenthetical and narrative formats)
• BibTeX export for LaTeX users
• Batch processing for multiple DOIs or PDF files
• HTML formatting preservation for Word/Google Docs
• Context menu integration for quick citations

Privacy & Performance

• No tracking or analytics
• Local processing only
• Configurable metadata caching
• Automatic retry logic for API reliability

Advanced Features

• Dedicated settings page for customization
• Duplicate DOI detection in batch mode
• Retry failed entries functionality
• Support for books, articles, and other publication types

Citation Styles

FlowRef supports the full CSL (Citation Style Language) repository, providing access to thousands of academic citation styles.

Popular Styles (Pre-loaded)

• APA 7th Edition
• MLA 9th Edition
• Chicago 17th Edition
• Harvard
• IEEE
• Vancouver
• More...

Style Search

• Search for specific journal styles (e.g., Nature, Science, PLOS ONE)
• Browse by category (Psychology, Medicine, Engineering, etc.)
• Your preferred style is saved automatically across all pages

Output Formats

• Full reference (formatted bibliography entry)
• In-text parenthetical: (Smith, 2020)
• In-text narrative: Smith (2020)
• BibTeX entry for LaTeX

Browser Compatibility

• Firefox
• Chrome / Chromium
• Edge
• Other WebExtensions-compatible browsers

Installation

Firefox (Recommended)

Install directly from Firefox Add-ons

From Source

Prerequisites: Node.js and npm installed

# Clone repository
git clone https://github.com/Metanome/flowref.git
cd FlowRef

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build for Firefox
build-firefox.bat

# Build for Chrome
build-chrome.bat

Load in Browser

Firefox: Navigate to about:debugging > "This Firefox" > "Load Temporary Add-on" > Select dist/manifest.json

Chrome: Navigate to chrome://extensions/ > Enable "Developer mode" > "Load unpacked" > Select dist folder

Usage

Single Citation

1. Visit a page with a DOI or open the extension popup
2. DOI is auto-detected (indicated by green status bar) or enter manually
3. Select citation style from the searchable dropdown
4. Click "Format"
5. Citation is generated and automatically copied to clipboard

Batch Mode

1. Click "Open Batch Mode" in the popup footer
2. Use the Text tab to paste multiple DOIs (one per line)
3. Use the PDF tab to drag and drop PDF files
4. Select citation style
5. Click "Process All"
6. Copy all citations or download as .bib file

Context Menu

1. Select DOI text or link on any webpage
2. Right-click and choose "Generate Citation from DOI"
3. Popup opens with citation ready to copy

Settings

Access via "Settings" link in popup or batch mode. Configure:

• Default citation style
• Auto-detect behavior
• Cache settings
• API retry behavior

Technical Details

API Integration

• Primary: CrossRef REST API
• Fallback: DataCite API
• Configurable retry logic

Formatting

• HTML formatting preserved when pasting into Word/Google Docs
• Proper punctuation following official style guidelines
• Correct formatting for books and articles

Architecture

• TypeScript codebase compiled with esbuild
• Manifest V3 for Firefox and Chrome
• Modular component system (StylePicker, StatusBar)
• Local storage for settings and metadata cache
• Content script for PDF DOI extraction
• Background service worker for context menu integration

Privacy & Security

• No tracking, analytics, or telemetry
• No data stored on external servers
• All processing performed locally in browser
• Network requests only to public citation APIs
• Open source

Development

Build Commands

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build for specific browser
build-firefox.bat
build-chrome.bat

# Development workflow
npm run watch    # Auto-rebuild on changes
npm run clean    # Clean build directory

Project Structure

FlowRef/
├── src/
│   ├── popup/          # Main popup interface
│   ├── options/        # Batch mode page
│   ├── settings/       # Settings page
│   ├── background/     # Context menu and lifecycle
│   ├── content/        # PDF DOI detection
│   └── core/           # Shared components, formatters, and utilities
│       ├── stylePicker.ts   # Searchable style dropdown component
│       ├── cslRepository.ts # CSL style fetching and caching
│       └── formatters/      # CSL and BibTeX formatting
├── icons/              # Extension icons
├── manifest.*.json     # Browser-specific manifests
└── dist/               # Build output

Contributing

Contributions welcome. Please:

• Follow existing code style
• Test in both Firefox and Chrome
• Update documentation as needed
• Submit pull requests to main branch