Title: Cite This Article ~ Author Box
Author: CiteKit
Published: <strong>May 14, 2026</strong>
Last modified: August 20, 2026

---

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# Cite This Article ~ Author Box

 By [CiteKit](https://profiles.wordpress.org/writerspress/)

[Download](https://downloads.wordpress.org/plugin/author-box-citation.2.0.0.zip)

 * [Details](https://pcd.wordpress.org/plugins/author-box-citation/#description)
 * [Reviews](https://pcd.wordpress.org/plugins/author-box-citation/#reviews)
 * [Development](https://pcd.wordpress.org/plugins/author-box-citation/#developers)

 [Support](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/author-box-citation/)

## Description

Cite This Article ~ Author Box adds a flexible **WordPress author box** for displaying
author names, author bios, profile images, multiple authors, and a reader-facing“
Cite this article” panel.

Use it as a traditional author bio box at the end of an article, display several
authors together, or create an individual author card for each contributor. Multiple
authors are supported natively, so the author box and article citation can use the
same resolved author collection.

Each author box can include:

 * Author name or multiple author names
 * Author bio or description
 * Author avatar or profile image
 * Combined or individual multiple-author layouts
 * A collapsible “Cite this article” citation panel
 * One-click citation copying
 * A link to reformat the article citation into additional styles with CiteKit

Cite This Article works with both the Gutenberg block editor and WordPress shortcodes
and uses the same front-end renderer for both.

**Documentation:**

 * [Getting Started](https://citekit.com/docs/author-box-citations/)
 * [Multiple Authors](https://citekit.com/docs/author-box-citations/multiple-authors/)
 * [Layout & Styling](https://citekit.com/docs/author-box-citations/layout-styling/)

### Author Box Features

 * Flexible WordPress author box and author bio display
 * Native multiple-author support
 * Combined author box or individual author cards
 * Automatic WordPress author profiles and bios
 * Individual author avatars and profile images
 * Single/group image, individual images, or no-image display
 * Per-author manual bio and description overrides
 * Manual author entry when a post’s assigned author should not be used
 * Horizontal and vertical author box layouts
 * Round or square author images
 * Small, medium, and large avatar sizing
 * Gutenberg block and shortcode support
 * One-click citation copying
 * Article citation generation for all resolved authors
 * Lightweight front-end output with no external framework dependency

### Multiple Authors

Cite This Article supports **multiple authors natively** rather than requiring a
particular multi-author plugin.

Multiple authors can come from:

 * Manual authors entered in the Gutenberg block
 * Manual authors supplied through the shortcode
 * A supported author integration
 * The standard WordPress post author

Authors can be displayed in two ways:

**Combined** — All resolved authors appear together in one author box.

**Individual** — Each resolved author receives a separate author card with their
own avatar and author bio where available. One shared citation panel continues to
represent the complete article and all of its authors.

Manual description overrides are available for individual authors, while profile
biographies are used automatically when available.

See the [Multiple Authors documentation](https://citekit.com/docs/author-box-citations/multiple-authors/)
for configuration details.

### Author Bios and Profiles

Cite This Article can automatically use WordPress author profile information to 
build an **author bio box**.

Depending on the author source and layout, the plugin can display:

 * Author display name
 * Author biography or description
 * Author avatar
 * Manually selected author image
 * Manually overridden author description

In Individual layout, each author can have their own author bio and profile image.

Visual author-box information remains separate from the author names used to generate
the article citation. Changing a display name or author bio does not replace the
citation author list.

### Cite This Article

In addition to the author box and author bio, the plugin includes a reader-facing**
Cite this article** panel.

The citation panel:

 * Generates a citation for the current article
 * Includes all resolved article authors
 * Supports multiple authors natively
 * Provides one-click citation copying
 * Links to CiteKit for reformatting into additional citation styles
 * Remains shared when authors are displayed as separate individual cards

This gives publishers a traditional WordPress author box while also giving readers
a consistent way to cite the article.

### Gutenberg Block

The plugin includes a dedicated Gutenberg block called **Author Box with Citation**.

Block controls include:

 * Combined or Individual author layout
 * Manual multiple-author entry
 * Single, individual, or no-image display
 * Media Library image overrides
 * Per-author description overrides
 * Horizontal or vertical layout
 * Round or square avatars
 * Small, medium, or large avatar sizing

Leave the manual authors field empty to let Cite This Article resolve the post author
automatically.

The block can be used as a simple WordPress author bio box or as a complete multiple-
author presentation component.

See [Layout & Styling](https://citekit.com/docs/author-box-citations/layout-styling/)
for display options.

### Shortcode

Use the `[author_box]` shortcode anywhere WordPress shortcodes are supported.

#### Basic Author Box

    ```
    [author_box]
    ```

Displays the automatically resolved post author using the default author box settings.

#### Horizontal Author Box

    ```
    [author_box layout="horizontal"]
    ```

#### Vertical Author Box

    ```
    [author_box layout="vertical"]
    ```

#### Round Author Image

    ```
    [author_box avatar_shape="round"]
    ```

#### Square Author Image

    ```
    [author_box avatar_shape="square"]
    ```

#### Large Author Image

    ```
    [author_box avatar_size="lg"]
    ```

#### Small Author Image

    ```
    [author_box avatar_size="sm"]
    ```

#### Author Box Without an Image

    ```
    [author_box image_mode="none"]
    ```

#### Combined Multiple-Author Box

    ```
    [author_box author_layout="combined"]
    ```

Displays all resolved authors together in one author box.

#### Individual Multiple-Author Cards

    ```
    [author_box author_layout="individual" image_mode="individual"]
    ```

Displays one author card for each resolved author.

#### Manual Multiple Authors

    ```
    [author_box authors="Jane Doe|John Smith|Alex Lee"]
    ```

#### Manual Multiple Authors With Individual Cards

    ```
    [author_box authors="Jane Doe|John Smith|Alex Lee" author_layout="individual" image_mode="individual"]
    ```

#### Manual Author Name

    ```
    [author_box name="Jane Doe"]
    ```

#### Custom Author Tagline

    ```
    [author_box tagline="Science and Health Editor"]
    ```

#### Custom Author Bio

    ```
    [author_box description="Jane writes about evidence-based health, nutrition, and medical research."]
    ```

#### Custom Name, Tagline and Bio

    ```
    [author_box name="Jane Doe" tagline="Senior Editor" description="Jane covers research, policy, and public health."]
    ```

#### Custom Author Image URL

    ```
    [author_box image="https://example.com/images/jane-doe.jpg"]
    ```

#### WordPress Media Library Image

    ```
    [author_box image_id="123"]
    ```

#### Multiple Authors With Individual Images

    ```
    [author_box authors="Jane Doe|John Smith" author_layout="individual" image_mode="individual" author_images="123|456"]
    ```

#### Customized Horizontal Author Box

    ```
    [author_box name="Jane Doe" tagline="Senior Editor" layout="horizontal" avatar_shape="square" avatar_size="lg"]
    ```

#### Customized Vertical Author Box

    ```
    [author_box name="Jane Doe" description="Jane covers research and public health." layout="vertical" avatar_shape="round" avatar_size="md"]
    ```

#### Render an Author Box for Another Post

    ```
    [author_box post_id="123"]
    ```

#### Accepted Attributes

 * `name` — Override the displayed author name
 * `authors` — Supply multiple authors separated with `|`
 * `tagline` — Override the author tagline
 * `description` — Override the author bio or description
 * `image` — Supply an author image URL
 * `image_id` — Use an image from the WordPress Media Library
 * `author_images` — Supply image IDs for multiple individual authors
 * `author_layout` — `combined` or `individual`
 * `image_mode` — `single`, `individual`, or `none`
 * `layout` — `horizontal` or `vertical`
 * `avatar_shape` — `round` or `square`
 * `avatar_size` — `sm`, `md`, or `lg`
 * `post_id` — Render the author box using another post’s author context

### Author Resolution

Cite This Article resolves the article’s author collection separately from its visual
author-box fields.

By default, authors are resolved in this order:

 1. Manual authors entered in the block or shortcode
 2. Authors supplied by a supported integration
 3. The standard WordPress post author
 4. The site name as a final fallback

This means multiple-author support is part of Cite This Article itself rather than
being tied to one particular author plugin.

Citation generation and author-box presentation use the same resolved author collection,
while visual fields such as display names, bios, and images can be customized independently.

### Integrations

Cite This Article supports author integrations that can provide the author collection
used by the author box, multiple-author layouts, and article citation.

#### Co-Authors Plus

Co-Authors Plus is currently supported automatically.

When Co-Authors Plus is active, Cite This Article can:

 * Resolve all authors assigned to the post
 * Support Co-Authors Plus guest authors
 * Use guest-author avatars
 * Use guest-author descriptions as author bios
 * Display authors together or as individual author cards
 * Include every resolved author in the article citation

No separate shortcode or special integration setup is required when automatic author
resolution is enabled.

If Co-Authors Plus is not installed, Cite This Article continues to work with its
native author handling and the standard WordPress author system.

### Layout and Display

Author boxes can be displayed horizontally or vertically.

Image controls include:

 * One image for a combined author group
 * Individual profile images for individual author cards
 * No author image
 * Round or square image shapes
 * Small, medium, or large image sizes

Combined layout is useful for compact multi-author articles. Individual layout is
useful when each contributor needs a distinct author bio, image, or description.

See the [Layout & Styling documentation](https://citekit.com/docs/author-box-citations/layout-styling/)
for configuration details.

### Upgrade to Premium

Cite This Article Premium adds publishing automation and citation portability on
top of the author box and multiple-author features included in the free plugin.

These features are **not included in this free plugin**.

 * **Reference-manager exports** — Add BibTeX, RIS, and CSL-JSON download links 
   to the citation panel
 * **Citation-aware page metadata** — Output Google and Highwire `citation_*` metadata
   so compatible reference managers can recognize your articles
 * **Advanced placement and targeting** — Automatically insert author boxes by content
   position, CSS selector, or theme hook
 * **Display targeting** — Control automatic placement by post type, author, specific
   post, category, or taxonomy
 * **Content-type profiles** — Configure different author-box presentation rules
   for different types of published content

Learn more at [CiteKit](https://citekit.com/).

## Blocks

This plugin provides 1 block.

 *   Author Box with Citation An author box with multi-author display and a built-
   in 'Cite this article' toggle.

## FAQ

### What is an author box?

An author box is a section of a WordPress post or article that identifies the person
or people who wrote it. It commonly includes an author name, author bio, profile
image, and other author information.

Cite This Article adds those author-box features while also providing an optional
reader-facing article citation.

### Can I use it just as an author bio box?

Yes. Cite This Article can be used as a WordPress author bio box with the author’s
name, biography, and profile image. The citation functionality is an additional 
reader-facing feature.

### Does Cite This Article support multiple authors?

Yes. Multiple authors are supported natively.

Authors can be entered manually or resolved automatically from WordPress or a supported
author integration.

### Can multiple authors have separate author boxes?

Yes. Set **Author layout** to **Individual**.

The plugin creates one author card for each resolved author while keeping one shared“
Cite this article” panel for the complete article.

### Can multiple authors appear in one author box?

Yes. Set **Author layout** to **Combined** to display all resolved authors together
in a single author box.

### Can each author have a separate author bio?

Yes. Individual author cards can use each author’s profile biography automatically,
and manual description overrides are also available.

### Can I manually enter multiple authors?

Yes. Multiple authors can be entered manually in the Gutenberg block or passed to`[
author_box]` using the `authors` attribute.

    ```
    [author_box authors="Jane Doe|John Smith|Alex Lee"]
    ```

### Does it work with the standard WordPress author system?

Yes. If no manual authors or supported integration authors are available, the plugin
automatically uses the standard WordPress post author.

### Does it integrate with Co-Authors Plus?

Yes. Co-Authors Plus is currently a supported integration, including multiple assigned
authors, guest authors, guest-author avatars, and guest-author descriptions.

### What happens if Co-Authors Plus is not installed?

Nothing special is required. Cite This Article works independently and falls back
to the standard WordPress post author when no other author source is available.

### Can I customize the author bio?

Yes. You can override the displayed author description manually without changing
the author’s WordPress profile biography.

### Can I hide the author image?

Yes. Set the image mode to None in the block or use:

    ```
    [author_box image_mode="none"]
    ```

### Can I display square author images?

Yes. Use the Square avatar shape in the block or:

    ```
    [author_box avatar_shape="square"]
    ```

### Can I display one card per author?

Yes. Use Individual author layout:

    ```
    [author_box author_layout="individual" image_mode="individual"]
    ```

### Does the visual Name field control the citation author?

No. Visual author-box fields and citation-author resolution are separate. Changing
the visible author name or bio does not replace the article’s citation authors.

### Can I use a shortcode instead of Gutenberg?

Yes. Use the `[author_box]` shortcode anywhere WordPress shortcodes are supported.

### Is the author box accessible?

Yes. The citation toggle uses `aria-expanded` and `aria-controls`, the copy button
includes an accessible label, and the author box is marked as a complementary region.

### Does the plugin load assets on every page?

No. Front-end CSS and JavaScript are registered globally but enqueued only when 
an author box is rendered.

### Where can I find documentation?

Start with the [Cite This Article documentation](https://citekit.com/docs/author-box-citations/).

Additional guides:

 * [Multiple Authors](https://citekit.com/docs/author-box-citations/multiple-authors/)
 * [Layout & Styling](https://citekit.com/docs/author-box-citations/layout-styling/)

## Reviews

There are no reviews for this plugin.

## Contributors & Developers

“Cite This Article ~ Author Box” is open source software. The following people have
contributed to this plugin.

Contributors

 *   [ CiteKit ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/writerspress/)
 *   [ Freemius ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/freemius/)

[Translate “Cite This Article ~ Author Box” into your language.](https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/author-box-citation)

### Interested in development?

[Browse the code](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/author-box-citation/),
check out the [SVN repository](https://plugins.svn.wordpress.org/author-box-citation/),
or subscribe to the [development log](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/author-box-citation/)
by [RSS](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/author-box-citation/?limit=100&mode=stop_on_copy&format=rss).

## Changelog

#### 2.0.0

 * New: Native multiple-author support for author boxes and article citations
 * New: Combined and Individual author-box presentation modes
 * New: One author card per resolved author with a shared article citation panel
 * New: Automatic Co-Authors Plus integration, including guest authors
 * New: Automatic WordPress and guest-author bios
 * New: Individual author avatars and profile images
 * New: Single/group, individual, and no-image display modes
 * New: Round and square avatar shapes with configurable sizing
 * New: Automatic author-source controls and integration status in plugin settings
 * New: Automatic author lookup in the Gutenberg block editor
 * New: Manual multiple-author entry in the block and shortcode
 * New: Per-author manual description overrides

#### 1.1.0

 * New: Editorial-style monochrome author box design
 * New: Horizontal and vertical layout controls
 * New: Image shape and image size controls
 * New: Shortcode attributes for layout, avatar shape, and avatar size
 * New: `image_id` and `post_id` shortcode attributes
 * New: Friendly `[author_box]` shortcode

#### 1.0.0

 * Initial release

## Meta

 *  Version **2.0.0**
 *  Last updated **2 days ago**
 *  Active installations **10+**
 *  WordPress version ** 6.0 or higher **
 *  Tested up to **7.1**
 *  PHP version ** 7.4 or higher **
 *  Language
 * [English (US)](https://wordpress.org/plugins/author-box-citation/)
 * Tags
 * [author bio](https://pcd.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/author-bio/)[author box](https://pcd.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/author-box/)
   [Author Profile](https://pcd.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/author-profile/)[citation](https://pcd.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/citation/)
   [multiple authors](https://pcd.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/multiple-authors/)
 *  [Advanced View](https://pcd.wordpress.org/plugins/author-box-citation/advanced/)

## Ratings

No reviews have been submitted yet.

[Your review](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/author-box-citation/reviews/#new-post)

[See all reviews](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/author-box-citation/reviews/)

## Contributors

 *   [ CiteKit ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/writerspress/)
 *   [ Freemius ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/freemius/)

## Support

Issues resolved in last two months:

     1 out of 1

 [View support forum](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/author-box-citation/)