Citation and referencing tools
There are several tools available that can assist you with your referencing. Although you’ll need to determine where to put your in-text citations, these tools can help with formatting your references.
A good example of this can be found when searching in the Library collection or on a search engine like Google Scholar. With your search results there is often a "Cite" button you can click on to auto-generate a citation. But always check the details and format of the citation because the machine-generated data can be wrong or missing pieces.
Note
Check the reference against the style you’re using – there may be variations within tools, and you may need to make some minor manual edits to your document. Although Deakin doesn’t formally support all these tools, they are simple to use.
Common citation and referencing tools
Explore this list of citation and referencing tools that you're likely to come across during your time studying.
- Deakin Library Search Cite
When you open up a resource record in Library Search you have the tool option of Cite. It will generate a citation format report for that resource that includes a number of referencing styles including APA 7. It also reminds you to review the auto-generated citation and make corrections as needed. Pay special attention to personal names, dates and capitalisation when checking the formatting.
- Cite this for me
Cite this for me is an online tool which helps to build in-text citations and references using a variety of styles, including APA 7.
- Microsoft Word References
Microsoft Word has a simple in-built referencing tool. You can choose your style, insert citations into the text, then complete the details for your source to build the reference list. Not every style is available, so some manual editing may be needed.
- Zotero
If you’re after something with a few more features, Zotero is free software which allows you to download references into a library, organise them into folders, and create references in your chosen referencing style.
- Databases cite function
Simplest of all, many databases provide a ‘cite’ option to display the reference for a particular source in different styles. You can choose your style, then copy and paste the reference into your reference list. You need to check the format against your referencing style. You also need to manually match your in-text citations to your reference list.
- Google Scholar cite function
Google Scholar also has a ‘cite’ function. You will find this in the options under the reference in your results list. It only provides the reference in a limited number of styles, so manual checking will be required.
- EndNote
EndNote is a sophisticated bibliographic management software tool. It is designed for researchers, honours and research students with complex referencing requirements when writing theses and for publications. Due to the complexity and time required to learn the software, it is not recommended for use with undergraduate student assessments.