Skip to Main Content

Research Tutorials

Use a Citation Generator Safely

Ask a Librarian

Profile Photo
Research Librarians
chat loading...

Why You Should Check Your Citation

The citation generators found in the Library catalog and in most databases will save you a lot of time—but they're not perfect! You should always check the citation you get from any of these tools against the examples found in our citation guides.

Generating a Citation in the Library Catalog

When you've found materials you want to use in the Library catalog (need help with that? check out our guide to searching) and need to cite them, all you have to do is:

 

1. Click the title of what you want to cite.

An article in the Library catalog with an arrow pointing to the title

 

2. In the "Send To" section, click the "Citation" button.

An article in the Library catalog with an arrow pointing at the citation button

 

3. Click the name of the citation style you're using.

The citation interface in the Library catalog with the "APA 7th edition" option selected from the left hand menu

 

4. Click "Copy Citation to Clipboard," then paste it into your reference list.

The citation interface in the Library catalog with an arrow pointing to the "copy citation to clipboard" button below the citation

 

5. You're done! Be sure to check the citation and make any necessary edits before you move on, so you don't have to go back and do it later (check the generated citation against the examples in our citation guides).

Generating a Citation in a Database

When you've found an article you want to use in one of our databases (need help with that? check out our guide to searching) and need to cite it, the process will vary a little bit depending on the database, but the basic steps will be:

1. Click the title of what you want to cite.

An article in the results list of a database search with an arrow pointing to the title

 

2. Find where the citation button would be. This depends on the database, but some examples are:

An article in the Academic Search Premier database with an arrow pointing to the "cite" button under "tools" on the right side of the page

An article in the Academic OneFile database with an arrow pointing to the "cite" button at the top of the article page under the page header

An article in the Research Library database with an arrow pointing to the "cite" button on the right side of the page next to the title under the header

 

3. Scroll to the name of the citation style you're using (they're listed alphabetically).

A generated APA citation in the Academic Search Premier database

 

4. Select the citation given and copy it, then paste it into your reference list.

5. You're done! Be sure to check the generated citation against the examples in our citation guides and make any necessary changes before you move on to the next one.