Zotero is a bibliographic citation manager; it keeps track of your citations and creates a bibliography for you. Zotero is especially useful for larger research projects when you are citing many different sources. Zotero includes a plugin to easily create in-text citations within Microsoft Word and Google Docs. Schedule a library research appointment to get one-on-one assistance with Zotero.
Using a Different Citation Manager?
If you use a different citation manager, like BibTex, Easybib, Mendeley, or EndNote Web, librarians can try to troubleshoot some basic questions but may not be able to provide the same level of support as we do with Zotero.
The "Cite" Feature (instructions below): The CSB and SJU Libraries’ catalog and many journal databases include a “Cite” feature that lets you select a citation style and then copy and paste a computer-generated citation into your bibliography.
ZoteroBib: Enter the URL, DOI, or ISBN and ZoteroBib will format a citation for you in the style you choose.
The library catalog, many library databases, and resources like Google Scholar have built-in citation generators or "Cite buttons." These tools or buttons provide a quick and easy way to create draft citations for your sources. Since computer-generated citations may contain formatting errors, though, it's important for you to check any computer-generated citations against an online or print style guide to make sure they "follow the rules" for the particular citation style you are using.
In the library catalog, look for the Cite button in the listing for your book or article - it's often in the upper right-hand corner.
When you select the Cite button, a pop-up box will let you select the citation style you're using. Then you can copy and paste the provided citation into your assignment or draft bibliography.
Different databases might put their Cite icons or links in different places. In an EBSCO database like Academic Search Premier, article records include a Cite option under the Tools menu on the right-hand side of the page:
The Cite button displays a pop-up window listing computer-generated citations for the article in several citation styles. Scroll through the list to find the style you want and then copy and paste the citation into your draft bibliography:
