Paste your references
Add one reference per line.
Academic Tool
Reference List Sorter
Sort bibliography and reference entries alphabetically and remove duplicates.
Review before you sort
A cleaner reference list
Edit entries, review matching duplicates and see which positions changed.
Your reference cards will appear here.
About this tool
What is Reference List Sorter?
Reference List Sorter puts a bibliography in alphabetical order and removes duplicate entries. Paste your references, choose whether to remove duplicates and keep any numbering, and get a clean sorted list ready to paste into your report.
Useful when you need to
- Alphabetise a bibliography before submitting a report
- Remove repeated references you added from several sources
- Tidy a reference list copied from different documents
- Check how many unique sources you have used
How to use
How to use Reference List Sorter
01 02 Choose options
Decide whether to remove duplicates and whether to preserve existing numbering.
03 Sort
Run the tool to get an alphabetical list.
04 Copy the result
Paste the sorted list into your report and check formatting.
Tips
Get better results
- Check your citation style. Some styles sort by author, others number references in order of citation.
- Do not sort a numbered reference list if the numbers must match in-text citations.
- Read the result once to catch entries that sorted oddly, such as ones starting with a number or a symbol.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Does it format citations?
No. It sorts and removes duplicates but does not change the citation style.
How are duplicates found?
Entries that are the same are treated as duplicates, so small differences in spelling or punctuation may keep both.
Will it keep my numbering?
Yes, if you choose to preserve numbering.
Is my list uploaded?
See the Privacy Policy for how information is handled.