Scribbr
Academic writing services and tools: proofreading, plagiarism checker, citation generator and AI detector.
Scribbr is an academic writing platform for students. Scribbr is used by uploading a paper to have it proofread by human editors or by AI, checked for plagiarism and AI-generated text, and by using its online tools to generate citations, paraphrase, summarise and check grammar. A free Knowledge Base explains academic writing.
Best for Students and researchers preparing essays, theses or dissertations who want their language, citations and originality checked before submission.
- Platforms
- Web, Browser extension
- Pricing model
- Freemium
- Made by
- Scribbr
- Added
Last verified: . Information taken from scribbr.com.
What is Scribbr?
Scribbr is a provider of academic writing help that combines paid services with online tools. Its proofreading and editing service assigns academic editors to essays, papers and dissertations, and an AI proofreading option reviews a whole document within minutes. The Plagiarism Checker compares a paper against sources using technology the company describes as similar to what universities and publishers use, and an add-on AI Detector, built on Scribbr's own software, flags text likely produced by generative AI tools. The Citation Generator is free and is built on the open-source Citation Style Language project; a Citation Checker and a Chrome extension for citing web pages complement it. Further tools include a paraphrasing tool, a summarizer, a grammar checker and an AI humanizer. A combined academic check reviews grammar, citations, clarity, plagiarism and AI flags from a single upload. The Knowledge Base offers articles, videos, lecture slides and templates.
Key Features
Human Proofreading and Editing
Has academic editors correct and improve essays, theses, dissertations and application documents.
AI Proofreading
Reviews an entire paper with AI in a few minutes for a faster language check.
Plagiarism Checker
Detects passages that match existing sources so they can be fixed before submission.
AI Detector
Estimates whether text was generated by tools such as ChatGPT or Perplexity.
Citation Generator
Creates references in common citation styles at no cost, with a Chrome extension for citing pages while browsing.
Writing Tools
Includes a paraphrasing tool, a summarizer and a grammar checker for shorter pieces of text.
Use Cases
- Final Check Before Thesis Submission
- Upload a dissertation to have language, citations and originality reviewed.
- Building a Reference List
- Generate correctly formatted citations for books, articles and websites.
- Editing an Admission Essay
- Have an editor refine a personal statement or college application essay.
- Catching Accidental Plagiarism
- Find unintentionally copied passages and missing citations in a paper.
- Learning Academic Writing
- Use the Knowledge Base guides and templates to structure a research proposal.
Things to know
- AI detection is an add-on
- The AI Detector is described as an add-on to the Plagiarism Checker and reports likelihood, not proof.
- Human editing turnaround
- The site advertises professional human editing with delivery in as little as three hours.
- Results may differ from your institution
- Scribbr says its plagiarism results should be the same as or very similar to those of university software, not necessarily identical.
FAQs
What is Scribbr?
Scribbr is a platform that supports students with proofreading and editing services, a plagiarism checker, a citation generator and related academic writing tools.
What is Scribbr used for?
Scribbr is used to improve and check academic documents such as essays, theses and dissertations before they are submitted.
Is Scribbr free?
Parts of Scribbr are free: the site describes its citation generator and Knowledge Base resources as free. Services such as human proofreading are paid; the home page does not list prices.
What documents does Scribbr proofread?
Scribbr specialises in study-related documents, including essays, research proposals, PhD dissertations, journal articles, admission essays and personal statements.
Which software powers Scribbr's plagiarism and AI checks?
Scribbr says its plagiarism detection resembles the systems that most universities and publishers rely on, and that its AI Detector runs on software developed in-house.
Which citation technology does Scribbr use?
The Scribbr Citation Generator is built on the Citation Style Language (CSL) project, which is open source and also underlies tools such as Zotero and Mendeley.
Does Scribbr have a browser extension?
Yes. Scribbr offers a Chrome extension that cites a page or article from the browser with one click.
Who it's for
- University students
- PhD candidates
- Researchers
- Teachers
- College applicants
Used in these workflows
- AI tools for writing a research paper without handing over the thinkingStage 6: Language polish and proofreading
- AI tools for writing a research paper without handing over the thinkingStage 7: Citations and originality check
Each guide lists the stages of one job and the tools that help at each stage. All guides
Comments
No comments yet. If you have used Scribbr, tell other readers how it went.
Alternatives to Scribbr
| Tool | Free plan | Starting price | API |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | — | Yes | |
| Yes | — | — | |
| Yes | — | Yes | |
| Yes | — | — | |
| — | $8/mo | Yes |
Listed in the same categories as Scribbr. A starting price appears only where we checked it on the maker’s pricing page; a dash means not checked or not published. All Academic & Essay Writing tools