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EducationMedium1 to 2 weekendsUnder $100Web app

Citation Tidy

Paste a messy bibliography and get it cleaned into APA, MLA or Chicago style.

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The idea

College students paste their reference list and the app flags missing fields, inconsistent formatting and out of order entries. It rewrites each entry in the chosen style and shows what changed. It saves an hour of fiddling before every paper deadline.

Who it is for
Undergraduate and graduate students writing papers
How it makes money
Three free cleanups a month, $4 a month unlimited
Suggested stack
Next.js, MySQL, Tailwind, hosted on a small VPS
Launch cost
Under $100

Your first AI prompts

Paste these into Claude, Cursor or Lovable, in order. Check that each one works before moving on.

PROMPT 1 OF 3

Build a web app called Citation Tidy. The home page has a large text box to paste a bibliography, a style picker (APA 7, MLA 9, Chicago author date) and a Clean button. Add email login so users can save past lists.

PROMPT 2 OF 3

Send the pasted text to an AI model that splits it into entries and returns JSON per entry with fields: authors, year, title, container, publisher, doi_or_url, missing_fields and formatted_output. Show a side by side view of original and cleaned entries, with missing fields highlighted in yellow.

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PROMPT 3 OF 3

Add a copy all button, a download as .docx option, and saved projects per paper. Track monthly usage per user and add Stripe checkout for the unlimited plan once the free limit is reached.

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The 10 step playbook

  1. 01Claim your ideaPut your name on it and unlock every prompt and the full playbook. Always free.
  2. 02Domain and nameBrainstorm a short name, check the .com, and register it.
  3. 03Trademark basicsSearch for conflicts before you fall in love with the name.
  4. 04AI build kickoffPaste the prompts below into Claude, Cursor or Lovable, one at a time.
  5. 05Server and hostingPick a host and have your AI walk you through setup.
  6. 06Backend and dataLogins, database and payments, one prompt at a time.
  7. 07Frontend and designScreens, colors and a simple logo that look professional.
  8. 08Go livePut it online, then submit to the App Store and Google Play if it is a mobile app.
  9. 09Marketing planLaunch posts, local outreach and your first 100 users.
  10. 10Launch and growShip it and add your live link to earn the Shipped badge.
Your full playbook for Citation TidyEvery step spelled out for this idea, with the exact prompts to paste into your AI.
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