How to format works cited on Google Docs

When writing research papers, students frequently collaborate in groups. Because it is free and straightforward to use, in light of this, taking advantage of Google Docs is a popular way to collaborate on shared documents.

Each team member may add citations to the Google Docs file to edit, discuss, and evaluate the final work. All that is left is for you to check through your work one final time before emailing it to your teacher. Well yes! Now you would have understood what this article is about. Yes, the topic is how to format work cited in Google Docs.

But before diving into how to format work cited in Google Docs, let us gain some basic knowledge about what citations are in google docs and how to add and edit citations in Google Docs.

So, let’s get started!

What exactly is a citation in Google Docs?

A “citation” is a technique of informing your readers that some of the information in your work comes from a different source. It also provides your readers with the information they need to locate the source’s location specifics on the reference or Works Cited page. A set of parentheses must be included in a citation.

What are the different kinds of citations?

There are three different kinds of citations:

• The first one is the American Psychological Association (APA) which is used in education, psychology, and science (American Psychological Association).
• The second one is the MLA (Modern Language Association) style used in the Humanities.
• The last one is the Chicago/Turabian style, mostly employed by Business, history, and the fine arts.

how to add citations in Google Docs

To add the google docs citation, follow the below-mentioned steps carefully:

But before, let us have a quick rundown about adding citations in Google Docs.

Adding citations:

It might be difficult and time-consuming to reference and cite sources inside your paper. Google Docs allows you to produce and add citations automatically using the Citations tool or the Explore tool. In this session, you’ll learn how to reference sources, do a web search from within your paper, and create a bibliography.

Taking advantage of the citations feature:

The Citations tool is one way to create and add citations to your work. You may use the citations tool to input your bibliography and cite from a variety of sources, including books and journals.

How to insert a citation source in Google Docs

Step 1: Go to Tools and then click the “Citations” first.

Step 2: You will see a sidebar appear on the screen. You may choose from MLA, APA, or Chicago style guides from the drop-down menu. After that, click Add citation source and choose a source type. 

Step 3: Fill in the suggested boxes with the information and click the “Add citation source.”

Step 4: The sources have been saved and are accessible from the sidebar.

Extra tip: Information for sources should be provided manually and carefully to obtain proper formatting. Make sure you’ve filled out all of the suggested fields.

So, this could be the easiest way to add citations to your google docs. Now let’s discuss how to edit citation sources in Google Docs.

How to edit citation sources in Google Docs

Step 1: In order to edit the source, click the three dots and choose Edit.

And yes! It seems simple enough, doesn’t it?

Let’s get started on adding an in-text citation to your Google Docs now:

To add a Google Docs in-text reference, follow the instructions below.

Step 1: To cite within your paper, simply click where you want the citation to go. Then choose the source in the citations column and click Cite. (You can refer to the above image)

Step 2: You can add the precise page number or remove the number sign.

Step 3: To include a bibliography, choose where you want the bibliography to appear in your document. Insert bibliography from the citations sidebar.

Extra Tip: Changes to your bibliography made after you’ve inserted it into your paper won’t be immediately updated. It’s ideal for creating a bibliography once you’ve listed all of your sources.

Now let’s discuss how to format a works cited in Google Docs?.

How to format works cited on Google Docs

Make sure “Normal” is selected in your formatting options. This is the default configuration. A one-inch margin is created as a result of this.

Next, double-check that your line spacing is set to “double.” Set the font size to 12 points and Times New Roman.

Step 1: Select all of the text you wish to format with a hanging indent in the document.

Step 2: In the ruler, drag the blue triangle to the right until you reach 0.5′′. (standard indent size for APA and MLA)

Step 3: Return the blue rectangle to 0′′ by dragging it back from 0.5′′.

Done! Google docs citation has now been formatted successfully.

Also, yay! You can quickly format work citations in Google Docs this way.

Now let’s look at some of the frequently asked questions about the google docs citation.

How to indent works cited in Google Docs

Hanging indents in Google Docs

Step 1: Highlight the citation(s) you want to indent.

Step 2: Along with the top menu, click on “Format,” then go down to “Align & indent,” then click on “Indentation options.”

Step 3: In the Indentation options menu, under “Special,” select “Hanging.”

Step 4: Lastly, click “Apply.”

What’s the right approach to cite a document?

The author’s name, year of publication, and page numbers, if available, are all included in the citation. If your source does not contain an author, cite the first one or two words of the title. Place “n.d.” after the author’s name if no date is available. Page numbers should be noted: Page numbers are frequently absent from web documents.

What is the right approach to reference a material found on the internet?

Include the following information in the correct order:

• The author (the person or organization responsible for the site)
• The calendar year (date created or last updated)
• The title of the page (in italics)
• The website’s sponsor’s name (if available)
• accessed on the day, month, and year (the day you viewed the site)
• Internet address (URL) (pointed brackets).

For an Internet source, which citation is correct?

The author’s name is the most common form of an Internet source reference. Document’s title. The name of the website.

What does a reference citation serve?

A reference citation is a piece of proof that is required for your article to be accepted for academic reasons. It provides authoritative sources for your assertions, makes it easier for the reader to obtain those sources, and recognizes that the material utilized in the work did not come from the writer.

In-text citations are used for a variety of reasons.

In-text citations indicate when you’ve cited or paraphrased someone else’s work. Always give credit to the original author to avoid plagiarism. The reader is directed to the entire source item in the bibliography, works cited, or reference list via in-text citations.

Top 9 Citation Mistakes to Avoid and How to Avoid Them?

• References or citations are missing from your document.
• Alphabetical List of Citations
• Page numbers aren’t working.
• Not Citing Outdated or Poorly Sourced Information
• Web addresses are excluded.
• Citations that aren’t needed
• Incorrectly Using et al: Incorrectly When an in-text reference for a source has numerous authors, et al. is used. Having to type down the names of more than 20 writers in the text would be tedious. It would also use a significant amount of space in your article’s content. As a result, when to utilize et al. varies by style.
• In-Text Citations with the Author’s Initials or Honorific
• Punctuation erroneous

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And now we have come to the end of the article. Thanks a ton for spending the time to read this article!