How to Use Reference Converter
Convert references between different citation styles effortlessly
Step-by-Step Guide
Upload Your Word Document
Drag and drop your .docx file into the upload area, or click to browse. There is no Upload button to press: the moment the file lands it uploads itself and the layout is scanned. The file must be a .docx of up to 20 MB. If the scan finds a multi-column layout, a warning appears before you go any further - columns can scramble the order of your references, and you choose whether to continue.
The Source Format Is Detected for You
While you wait, the document is scanned to work out whether it is written in IEEE or APA, and that style is pre-selected as the source format - you will see it announced as Style detected. If the scan cannot tell, it says so and you pick the source format yourself. Conversion runs in both directions: IEEE to APA and APA to IEEE.
Confirm the Formats on the Process Tab
The Process Documents tab opens with the detected source format already filled in. Confirm it, or change it if the detection got it wrong, then pick the target format you need and make sure it matches your journal or publisher's requirement. Back to Upload takes you to the upload step, where Clear drops the current document so you can start over with a different one.
Run the Conversion
Click Convert & Download to start. A progress bar shows the percentage completed together with the elapsed time and an estimated time remaining. Your in-text citations and your reference list are rewritten together into the target style; a full manuscript usually takes a few minutes. The job also appears in Conversion History, so you can reopen it there to follow the progress or download the result.
Review the Citation Alerts
When the conversion finishes, two panels appear if they apply. Missing References lists in-text citations that have no matching entry in your reference list, naming each one so you can find it. Uncited References lists entries in your reference list that no in-text citation points to. Both are worth clearing before you submit.
Download the Converted Document
Download the converted Word file - in-text citations and reference list already rewritten. The conversion also stays in your Conversion History, so you can reopen it and download the same file again later without converting a second time.
Tips & Best Practices
- Upload a real Word .docx file of up to 20 MB - PDFs and PDF-to-Word exports do not parse reliably, because their paragraphs and reference entries are guessed back from the page layout
- A reference list under a clear heading such as References or Bibliography is required - without it the tool cannot detect and convert your sources
- If your citations do not strictly follow standard APA or IEEE rules, run the file through Reference Checker first - clean input converts far more reliably
- Single-column documents convert best; multi-column layouts may scramble the order of the references
- Avoid Word's built-in citation manager (field codes); documents that use it may not convert correctly for either the in-text citations or the reference list
- New to the tool? On the Reference Converter page open How to Use and choose Start Tutorial Tour for a guided walkthrough of the same steps
- Resolve everything under Missing References before submitting to a journal - those citations point at entries your reference list does not contain
- Each completed conversion counts as one use against your monthly plan quota
- Reopen any past conversion from the History sidebar to re-download it without converting again