Your PubMed publications.
Always current.
Zero manual work.
Pro pulls live reference lists from PubMed and displays them anywhere on your WordPress site with a single shortcode. Faculty pages, department sites, research labs — set it once, forget it forever.
Shortcode
[pubref-pro key="2026" limit="99"]
Live output on your page
- Morrison, KL, Patel, RS, Nguyen, TA et al. Mitochondrial dynamics in skeletal muscle repair following acute injury. J Physiol. 2026;154(3):210–215. PubMed PMID:42100234
- Hargreaves, DW, Okonkwo, BE. Inflammatory cytokine profiling in early-onset rheumatoid arthritis. Ann Rheum Dis. 2026. doi: 10.1007/s10557-026-04891-3
- Castellano, MR, Yuen, PF, Adebayo, OJ. Cortical remapping after peripheral nerve regeneration in adult rodents. Brain Res. 2026;418(2):88–94. PubMed PMID:42318876
↑ Updates automatically. Cached 24 hours. No API key required.
The Problem
Keeping publication lists current is painful.
Academic web teams spend hours every year manually updating faculty publication pages. There's a better way.
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Hours of manual copy-pastingSomeone has to find the new paper, format the citation, update the page. Every. Single. Time.
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Lists go stale immediatelyFaculty publish new papers. The website doesn't know. Visitors see outdated information.
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Existing WordPress solutions are outdated and unmaintainedThe alternatives are outdated, unsupported, insecure, and incompatible with modern WordPress.
PubRef Pro solves this
Connect to PubMed's database once. Every page load pulls the latest publications automatically. Add a new shortcode for a new author or year in seconds.
No more copy-pasting. No more stale lists. No more chasing faculty for their latest publications.
[pubref-pro key="smith-j" limit="20" style="NIH"]How it works
Three steps.
Live in minutes
Install & activate
Upload PubRef Pro to your WordPress site, activate your license, and you're ready to go. No API key required to get started.
Create a query key
In Tools → PubRef Pro, add a key (like "2026" or "smith-j") and paste in your PubMed search string. We'll handle the rest.
Masonic[Affiliation] AND Utica AND 2026[Date - Publication]
Add the shortcode
Drop the shortcode anywhere on your site — pages, posts, widgets, or inside any page builder. Publications appear automatically.
[pubref-pro key="2026" limit="99"]
Features
Everything you need.
Nothing you don't.
Live PubMed data
Pulls directly from NCBI's E-utilities API. New publications appear automatically without any manual intervention.
24-hour smart caching
Results are cached for 24 hours via WordPress transients, keeping your site fast without hammering the NCBI API.
Multiple citation styles
Built-in NIH, ASM, Cell, and PNAS formats. Create your own custom citation templates with simple placeholder tokens.
Powerful query logic
Combine multiple author queries with OR logic. Nest query keys inside each other for complex institutional searches.
Manual extras field
Add citations that aren't in PubMed — preprints, book chapters, conference papers — directly in the admin panel.
Automatic updates
Updates deliver directly to your WordPress dashboard — just like any plugin. No manual downloads, ever.
See it in action
Real citations. Real format.
PubRef Pro formats citations using your chosen style — NIH for federal grant pages, ASM for microbiology departments, Cell or PNAS for life sciences labs.
Author lists are automatically truncated with et al. per style rules. Species names are italicized. DOIs and PMIDs link directly to PubMed.
The same shortcode, different style attribute, completely different output format.
Pricing
Simple, honest pricing.
One plugin, three tiers. Annual billing keeps your site updated. Lifetime means pay once, own it forever.
Single Site
For individual researchers and small departments.
Pay once, use forever
- 1 WordPress site
- All citation styles
- Up to 5 query keys
- Automatic updates
- Email support
- 14-day money-back guarantee
Professional
For departments managing multiple WordPress sites.
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- Up to 5 WordPress sites
- All citation styles
- Automatic updates
- Unlimited query keys
- Author highlighting
- Citation count shortcode
- Sort order control
- Priority Email support
- 14-day money-back guarantee
Agency
For universities, hospital networks, and agencies.
Pay once, use forever
- Unlimited WordPress sites
- All citation styles
- Unlimited query keys
- Everything in Professional
- Abstract display
- ORCID iD support
- Gutenberg block
- Automatic updates
- Priority email support
- 14-day money-back guarantee
All plans include a 14-day satisfaction guarantee. Questions? Contact us.
FAQ
Common questions.
Do I need an NCBI API key?
No. PubRef Pro works out of the box without any API key. Anonymous requests are capped at 3/second by NCBI, which is more than enough given our 24-hour caching. An optional API key raises that to 10/second for high-traffic scenarios.
How do I query publications for a specific author?
Use PubMed's author field: Smith JR[Author] AND Harvard[Affiliation]. You can also query by ORCID iD: 0000-0001-2345-6789[auid]. Any valid PubMed search string works.
What happens if my license expires?
Reference lists stop displaying to site visitors. Logged-in admins see a clear renewal notice with a direct link. All your saved query keys and settings are preserved. Everything resumes immediately upon renewal.
Can I show publications from multiple authors on one page?
Yes - use multiple shortcodes, or combine queries using || OR logic. You can also nest query keys inside each other for complex searches: [pubref-pro key="cardiology-dept"]
Does it work with the Gutenberg block editor?
Yes - use the built-in Shortcode block in Gutenberg. A dedicated Gutenberg block with visual configuration is on the roadmap for a future release.
What citation formats are supported?
Built-in styles include NIH, ASM, Cell, and PNAS. You can also create fully custom citation templates using simple placeholder tokens like _Author, _Title, _Journal, and more.