Some online resources automatically generate citations for you in APA, MLA, and other formats. Take a look at the boxes below to see where to find these automatically generated citations in different library resources. *Be aware that these citations may or may not be formatted 100% correctly. Always check your MLA or APA guide to clean up an automatically generated citation.*
EBSCO databases include MILO, Academic Search Complete, CINAHL, and others. When viewing an article or its details, look on the right side of the screen for the "Tools" icons, then look for the "Cite" icon as shown here:
The citation will appear in a box above the article, in many formats. Scroll down to find the one you need, then copy, paste, and check for accuracy.
Google Scholar will also generate citations for you. Be sure to access Google Scholar through the library's list of Databases A-Z to see links to full text from our library. When viewing a list of search results, look for the quotation marks icon under each article, as shown here:
Click these quotation marks to bring up the citation in several formats. Choose the one you need, then copy, paste, and check for accuracy.
Gale databases include the encyclopedias in Gale Virtual Reference Library, Opposing Viewpoints in Context, Literature Resource Center, and others. Look on the right side of the screen for a list of "Tools," then click on "Citation Tools," as shown below:
A box will pop up. Use the drop-down to select the citation format you need, then copy, paste, and check for accuracy.
There are a variety of free citation tools available. Some are web-based, and some must be downloaded and installed on your computer. Here are a few you might want to try:
As with the database-generated citations, be aware that these tools may not format citations correctly. They also may require you to input the parts of each citation yourself, which requires you to identify the correct source of things like author, article title, journal title, editor, etc.