Skip to Main Content
Lloyd Sealy Library
John Jay College of Criminal Justice

Citing Sources: APA, MLA & Chicago Styles

An Overview of Common Citation Styles

Citation Tools in Databases

Many databases have copy-and-paste citation tools, including OneSearch, Academic Search Complete, and more. This means that you may be able to get your references formatted by the database where you found them. Be aware that you will often need to modify these formatted references to ensure they follow the APA, MLA, and other citation style accurately.

When checking if a database provides this kind of help, look out for words and phrases such as...

  • Cite
  • Citation
  • Cite this source
  • Citation tools
  • Export
  • An icon, like quotation marks or a piece of paper

Citation Help on the Web

Citation Help in GoogleScholar

GoogleScholar now allows you to get a formatted citation for your results in one of the popular documentation styles (APA, Chicago, MLA, and others).

Under the title and abstract, look for the word Cite. Click on it and choose your docmentation style from the list.

Take a quick look at the feature here.

Refworks and Other Citation Managers

The library provides you with access to RefWorks, an advanced citation management software.

There are other services (not provided by our library) similar to RefWorks. EndNote (30 day free trial, then paid subscription), Mendeley (free) and Zotero (free) are some of the most popular ones among researchers.

 

How to Use Citation Tools in Databases

Creating Flawless Citations