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Citation and Documentation Styles

Find resources on Citation and Documentation Styles. APA, MLA, and Chicago Manual of Style have resources you can find at Forsyth Library and online, as well as a quick guide to the types of sources most often cited.

What is a Citation Manager?

Software called citation managers can help you save, organize, and share research and citations.

A citation manager allows you to:

  • Import and export files
  • Import citation information like author, date, format, and title.
  • Organize personal research libraries.
  • Share resources with classmates and colleagues.

Once you import a citation, you can:

  • Link to the original article.
  • Save and take notes on resources, including annotating PDFs.
  • Organize your sources using tags or folders.
  • Create citations and bibliographies automatically.

There are several brands of citation manager. One free, open-source, citation manager is Zotero. 

Zotero

Zotero is a free, open-source citation management software program with plug-ins for internet browsers and word processors. If you have a lot of references, it can help you track and organize your sources, collect bibliographic information with one click, and automatically generate in-text citations and entire bibliographies in many styles.

Zotero Tutorial using Forsyth Library Databases

Zotero Plugin for Word on Mac

If you are using Zotero on a Mac, the "Insert Citation" feature for Microsoft Word is available in the script menu:

Screenshot of the Script menu in Microsoft Word for Mac

How to use Google Docs to Cite Sources

Using Google Docs for Research Papers: How to Cite Your Sources in 3 Easy Steps! 1. Compile a List of Sources Open a Google Doc, and go to the Tools menu > Citations. In the Citations sidebar, choose the appropriate citation style from the dropdown menu (MLA, APA, or Chicago). Click on "Add Citation Source.” Choose the source type. Choose the method used to access the source. Search for the source or enter the information manually. Click on "Add Citation Source.” 2. Add In-Text Citations Click on the spot in your paper where you want to add an in-text citation, and then hover over the related source in the Citations sidebar. A "Cite" button will appear. Click on it to add an in-text citation to your paper. 3. Create a References List Create a new page at the end of the paper. Click on the "Insert References" or "Insert Works Cited" button at the bottom of the Citations sidebar to add a source list. Designed by Tolulope (Tolu) Noah, Ed.D • @drtolunoah • www.tolunoah.com