RESEARCH INTEGRITY
In the Turkish Language Association dictionary, integrity is defined as “honesty.” For academics and research centers, being able to demonstrate the accuracy of their work is of great importance. Various studies are being carried out on this subject around the world. One of these is the work of the European Federation of Academies of Sciences and Humanities (ALLEA). ALLEA brings together 58 academies from 40 countries within the Council of Europe. One of the Federation’s important works, which addresses various topics concerning academia, is its ethical principles on research integrity. In the document prepared by the Council on this subject, titled “The European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity,” plagiarism is defined as “using other people’s work and ideas without proper acknowledgment of the original source, thus violating the rights of the original author(s) over their intellectual outputs.”
Two types of plagiarism are mentioned. These are:
Verbatim plagiarism
Plagiarism of ideas.
Copying someone else’s work word for word constitutes “verbatim plagiarism.” Plagiarism created by copying passages from multiple sources and blending them together to conceal their sources is called “mosaic plagiarism.” Mosaic plagiarism falls under verbatim plagiarism.
Plagiarism is generally defined as an intentional act and is closely associated with academic misconduct. However, in cases of incorrect or incomplete citation of sources, researchers may face plagiarism allegations even if it was not intentional.
Some Actions That May Lead to Allegations of Plagiarism Include:
Not using quotation marks for direct quotations.
Providing incorrect information about a source.
Translating part of another person’s work into another language without citing the original source.
A large portion of the study having been taken from one or more sources.
Researchers republishing their own work under a different title without citing the original source.
Plagiarism from a Legal Perspective
Allegations of plagiarism can have serious consequences for a researcher’s academic career, including reputational damage, article rejection and retraction from journals, and disciplinary sanctions that may result in dismissal from research institutions. In addition, legal action may be initiated against defendants due to copyright infringement. In Türkiye, intellectual property is protected by the Turkish Copyright Law , which also regulates the use of quotations. At the same time, attribution is also a defining element of open access licenses such as Creative Commons.
According to the İstinye University Code of Ethical Conduct, all members of İstinye University must fulfill their responsibilities with the highest level of honesty and ethical behavior. The İstinye University Code of Ethical Conduct also explicitly states that plagiarism is strictly prohibited.
Plagiarism Prevention and Originality Checks
İstinye University supports its scientific community in preventing plagiarism by adopting Turnitin and iThenticate. Avoiding plagiarism can easily be achieved by correctly quoting and citing sources.
TÜBİTAK Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI)
An important guide has been published by TÜBİTAK to ensure the responsible, ethical, and trustworthy use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) technologies, which have become an integral part of scientific processes: “Guide on the Responsible and Trustworthy Use of GAI in Support Processes.”
Key Highlights of the Guide:
- Transparency Requirement: If GAI is used in the preparation of project applications, it must be declared transparently, together with the manner of such declaration.
- Protection of Confidentiality: Strict rules for the protection of unpublished research data, confidential information, and personal data. Entering such sensitive content into external GAI tools is strictly prohibited.
- Emphasis on Responsibility: Although GAI is a tool, the applicant remains ultimately responsible for the accuracy, originality, and ethical compliance of the generated content.
- Evaluation Processes: The guide also details the strict usage restrictions applicable to evaluators (referees/panelists) in order to preserve the confidentiality of evaluation processes.
As a library, we believe that access to and production of information should progress within the framework of ethical principles. This guide serves as a roadmap for all researchers, project teams, and evaluators involved in TÜBİTAK support processes.
Please click to access the guide: https://tubitak.gov.tr/sites/default/files/2025-10/UYZ_Rehberi_v03_TR.pdf
CITATION GUIDE
Citation refers to a reference or quotation made to a source. Citations have an important place in academic studies. Citations are made according to citation styles. The rules for how to quote from sources in academic writing vary depending on the citation style to be used. Guidelines for a particular citation style (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.), along with examples and instructions, are generally published in the official handbook of the relevant style.
Why Cite?
Citations allow anyone following your work to find the sources you used in your research. The key to a successful citation is providing all the information your reader needs to locate the book, article, or other source you cited.
Citing increases your credibility and shows that your ideas are shared by other experts in the field. Citing scholarly, peer-reviewed sources adds extra credibility to your work.
Citation prevents plagiarism. Properly citing your sources gives credit to the original author.
Citation Styles
The choice of citation style varies according to the discipline of the study. For example, APA (American Psychological Association) is mostly used in education, psychology, and business studies; MLA (Modern Language Association) in the humanities; Chicago author-date in the natural and social sciences; and Chicago notes and bibliography in history.
Official APA Style website – Includes guides and FAQs.
APA Style Blog - You can browse the official APA Style blog.
Citation Guide
APA style uses the author-date citation system. The author’s surname, year of publication, and page numbers referring to the quotation or paraphrased content should be given in parentheses within the main text.
A full reference should be provided in the reference list. Quotation marks should be used for direct quotations, while quotation marks are not required for paraphrased content.
If you mention the author’s name in the main sentence, only the year of publication will appear in parentheses. If the author’s name is not included in the main sentence, both the author’s name and the date should be shown in parentheses. For direct quotations, sources should also include page numbers.
Example:
- Coymak (2019) found that different learning environments did not affect students’ competency levels regarding learning outcomes.
- A recent study revealed that different learning environments did not affect students’ competency levels regarding learning outcomes (Coymak, 2019).
- A recent study revealed that “students who received structured self-learning assignments had the same level of competence in learning outcomes regardless of learning environments” (Coymak, 2019, p. 100).
A full reference should also be provided in the reference list as shown below.
- Coymak, A. (2019). An Experimental Study on the Effect of Computer-Assisted Learning on the Development of Metacognitive Performance in Psychology Teaching. Contemporary Educational Technology, 10, 94-105. Doi:10.30935/cet.512539
Reference Guide
Basic Book Format
- Surname, Initial of First Name. (Year of publication). Title of the book. Place of publication: Publisher.
Single Author
- Nabokov, V. (1955). Lolita. New York, NY: Putnam.
Two to Seven Authors
- Macintosh, F., & McConnell, J. (2020). Performing Epic or Telling Tales. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Eight or More Authors
- List the names of the first six authors, followed by an ellipsis and the name of the last author.
Multivolume Work
- Dewey, M. Dewey decimal classification and relative index. (Vols 1-4). Dublin, OH: OCLC, 2011.
Book Chapter
- Pateman, C. (1989). The civic culture: a philosophic critique. In G.A. Alimond, & S. Verba (Eds.), The civic culture revisited (pp. 57-102). Newbury Park: Sage.
E-Book
- Gilroy, P. (1993). The Black Atlantic: modernity and Double Consciousness. [Kindle version]. Retrieved from https://www.amazon.com.
Journal Article
- Surname, Initial of First Name. (Year of publication). Title of the article. Title of the journal, Volume, page(s).
Online articles should include a DOI after the page numbers.
- Coymak, A. (2019). An Experimental Study of the Effect of Computer Assisted Learning on Metacognitive Performance Development in Psychology Teaching. Contemporary Educational Technology, 10, 94-105. Doi:10.30935/cet.512539.
Newspaper Article
- Harlan, J. (2020, January 16). When the past roars into the present. New York Times, p. A2.
Electronic Newspaper Article
- Widmer, T. (2020, April 8). What Will the Next Decade Bring? The 1920s Offer an Answer. New York Times. Retrieved from: https://www.nytimes.com.
MLA Citation Center - The official MLA Style website including guides and other FAQs.
Citation Guide
MLA format uses the author-page system. Accordingly, a brief in-text citation identifies the cited work by the author’s name and page number.
Quotation marks are used for direct quotations, but they are not required for paraphrased content.
The author’s surname and the page number(s) referring to the quotation or paraphrased content appear in parentheses.
If you mention the author’s name in the sentence, only the page number(s) will appear in parentheses at the end of the quotation or paraphrase. If the author’s name does not appear in the main sentence, both the author’s name and page number(s) should be shown in parentheses.
Example:
- Many descriptions of race in literature “range from the sly, the nuanced, to the pseudo-scientifically ‘proven’” (Morrison 3).
- Morrison stated that many descriptions of race in literature “range from the sly, the nuanced, to the pseudoscientifically ‘proven’” (3).
A full reference should also be provided in the bibliography as follows:
- Morrison, Toni. The Origin of Others. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2017.
Reference Guide
Basic Book Format
- Surname, First name. Title of the book. Place of Publication*, Publisher, Year of Publication.
- *Place of Publication should only be used if the book was published before 1900, if the publisher has offices in more than one country, or if the place is not widely known.
Single Author
- Nabokov, Vladimir. Lolita. Putnam, 1955.
Two Authors
- Macintosh, Fiona, and Justine McConnell. Performing Epic or Telling Tales. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2020.
Three or More Authors
- Garreton, Manuel Antonio, et al. Latin America in the Twenty-First Century: Toward a New Sociopolitical Matrix. North-South Center Press, 2003.
Multivolume Work
- Dewey, Melvin. Dewey Decimal Classification and Relative Index. OCLC, 2011. 4 vols.
Book Chapter
- Pateman, Carol. “The Civic Culture: A Philosophic Critique.” The Civic Culture Revisited. Edited by Gabriel A. Alimond and Sidney Verba. Newbury Park: Sage, 1989, pp. 57-102.
E-Book
- Gabbin, Joanne Veal. Shaping Memories: Reflections of African American Women Writers. University Press of Mississippi, 2009. (Ebscohost)
Journal Article
- Surname, First name. "Title of the article." Title of the journal, Volume, Issue, Year, page(s).
- Gateau, Thierry. “The role of open licences and free music in value co-creation: the case of Misteur Valaire.”
- International Journal of Arts Management, Vol. 16, no. 3, 2014, pp. 49-59.
Online articles should include a DOI after the page numbers.
Newspaper Article
- Harlan, Jennifer. “When the Past Roars into the Present.” New York Times, 16 January 2020, p. A2.
Online Newspaper Article
- Widmer, Ted. “What Will the Next Decade Bring? The 1920s Offer an Answer.” New York Times, 8 April 2020.www.nytimes.com/2020/02/08/opinion/what-will-the-next-decade-bring-the-1920s-offer-an-answer.html. Accessed 10 April 2020.
Chicago Style - The official online version of the 17th edition of the Chicago guide.
Citation Guide
According to Chicago author-date style, the author’s surname and year of publication referring to the cited or paraphrased content should appear in parentheses in the main text. A full reference should be provided in the bibliography.
Quotation marks are used for direct quotations, while quotation marks are not required for paraphrased content.
If you mention the author’s name in the main sentence, only the year of publication should appear in parentheses without punctuation in between. If the author’s name does not appear in the main sentence, the author’s name and year of publication should be shown in parentheses. To cite a specific passage, page numbers should be included in the in-text citation.
Example:
- Anderson (1991) argued that a nation is an imagined political community.
- As imagined political communities, nations differ only in the style in which they are imagined (Anderson 1991).
- A nation can be defined as “an imagined political community – and imagined as both inherently limited and sovereign” (Anderson 1991, 6).
A full reference should also be provided in the bibliography as follows.
- Anderson, Benedict. 1991. Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origins and Spread of Nationalism. New York: Verso.
Reference Guide
Basic Book Format
- Surname, First name. Year of publication. Title of the book. Place of publication: Publisher.
One to Three Authors
- Anderson, Benedict. 1991. Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origins and Spread of Nationalism. London & New York: Verso.
Four to Ten Authors
- If there are four or more authors, up to ten authors should be listed in the reference list; in the text, only the first author should be listed, followed by et al.
More Than Ten Authors
For more than ten authors, list the first seven authors in the reference list, followed by et al. This rule applies to both books and articles.
Multivolume Work
Dewey, Melvin. 2011. Dewey Decimal Classification and Relative Index. 4 vols. Dublin, OH: OCLC.
Book Chapter
Pateman, Carol. 1989. “The Civic Culture: A Philosophic Critique.” In The Civic Culture Revisited, edited by Gabriel A. Alimond and Sidney Verba, 57-102. Newbury Park: Sage.
E-Book
Gilroy, Paul. 1993. The Black Atlantic: Modernity and Double Consciousness. London & New York: Verso. Kindle.
Journal Article
Surname, First name. Year of publication. “Title of the article.” Journal title Volume (Issue): page(s).
Gateau, Thierry. 2014. “The Role of Open Licences and Free Music in Value Co-Creation: The Case of Misteur Valaire.” International Journal of Arts Management 16 (3): 49-59.
Online articles should include a DOI after the page numbers.
Newspaper Article
Harlan, Jennifer. 2020. “When the Past Roars into the Present.” New York Times, January 16, A2.
Online Newspaper Article
Widmer, Ted. 2020. “What Will the Next Decade Bring? The 1920s Offer an Answer.” New York Times, April 8. www.nytimes.com/2020/02/08/opinion/what-will-the-next-decade-bring-the-1920s-offer-an-answer.html.
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Citation Guide
According to the Chicago Notes and Bibliography style, sources should be cited using footnotes or endnotes, and a bibliography entry should be provided for each source.
Quotation marks are used for direct quotations, while quotation marks are not required for paraphrased content. If a direct quotation is 100 words or longer, you should use block quotations.
Notes-Bibliography Guide
Basic Book Format
Note: First name Last name, Book title (Place of publication: Publisher, Year of publication), page(s).
Shortened Note: Last name, Shortened title, page(s).
Bibliography Entry: Last name, First name. Book title. Place of publication: Publisher, Year of publication.
One Author
Note: Benedict Anderson, Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origins and Spread of Nationalism (London & New York: Verso, 1991), 6.
Shortened Note: Anderson, Imagined Communities, 6.
Bibliography Entry: Anderson, Benedict. Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origins and Spread of Nationalism. London & New York: Verso, 1991.
Two to Three Authors
Note: Fiona Macintosh and Justine McConnell, Performing Epic or Telling Tales (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2020), 56-57.
Shortened Note: Macintosh and McConnell, Performing Epic, 56-57.
Bibliography Entry: Macintosh, Fiona, and Justine McConnell. Performing Epic or Telling Tales. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2020.
More Than Three Authors
For a book with more than three authors, all authors should be listed in the bibliography. In notes, only the first listed author should be cited, followed by et al.
Multivolume Work
In the note, you should cite only the specific volume:
Melvin Dewey, Dewey Decimal Classification and Relative Index (Dublin, OH: OCLC, 2011), 1:1-12.
Bibliography Entry: Dewey, Melvin. Dewey Decimal Classification and Relative Index. 4 vols. Dublin, OH: OCLC, 2011.
Book Chapter
Note: Carol Pateman, “The civic culture: a philosophic critique,” in The Civic Culture Revisited, ed. Gabriel A. Almond and Sidney Verba (Newbury Park: Sage, 1989), 57-59.
Shortened Note: Pateman, “The civic culture,” 57-59.
Bibliography Entry: Pateman, Carol. “The civic culture: a philosophic critique.” In The Civic Culture Revisited, edited by Gabriel A. Almond and Sidney Verba, 57-102. Newbury Park: Sage, 1989.
E-Book
Note: Paul Gilroy, The Black Atlantic: Modernity and Double Consciousness (London & New York: Verso, 1993), 25-26, Kindle.
Shortened Note: Gilroy, The Black Atlantic, 25-26.
Bibliography Entry: Gilroy, Paul. The Black Atlantic: Modernity and Double Consciousness. London & New York: Verso, 1993. Kindle.
Journal Article: Basic Format
Note: First name Last name, “Article title,” Journal title Volume, Issue (Publication date): page(s).
Shortened Note: Last name, “Shortened title,” page(s).
Bibliography Entry: Last name, First name. “Article title.” Journal title Volume, Issue (Publication date): page(s).
Journal Article Example
Note: Thierry Gateau, “The role of open licences and free music in value co-creation: the case of Misteur Valaire,” International Journal of Arts Management 16, no. 3 (2014): 49-52.
Shortened Note: Gateau, “The role of open licences,” 49-52.
Bibliography Entry: Gateau, Thierry. “The role of open licences and free music in value co-creation: the case of Misteur Valaire.” International Journal of Arts Management 16, no. 3 (2014): 49-59.
Online articles should include a DOI after the page numbers.
Newspaper Article
Note: Jennifer Harlan, “When the past roars into the present,” New York Times, January 16, 2020, A2.
Shortened Note: Harlan, “When the past roars,” A2.
Bibliography Entry: Harlan, Jennifer. “When the past roars into the present.” New York Times, January 16, 2020.
Online Newspaper Article
Note: Ted Widmer, “What Will the Next Decade Bring? The 1920s Offer an Answer,” New York Times, April 8, 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/02/08/opinion/what-will-the-next-decade-bring-the-1920s-offer-ananswer.html.
Shortened Note: Widmer, “What Will the Next Decade Bring?”
Bibliography Entry: Widmer, Ted. “What Will the Next Decade Bring? The 1920s Offer an Answer.” New York Times, April 8, 2020. www.nytimes.com/2020/02/08/opinion/what-will-the-next-decade-bring-the-1920s-offer-ananswer.html.
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ACS (American Chemical Society) - Chemistry - The ACS Guide to Scholarly Communication
AIP (American Institute of Physics) - Physics - AIP Style Manual
ALWD (Association of Legal Writing Directors) - Legal Studies
AMA (American Medical Association) - Medical Sciences
AMS (American Mathematical Society) - Mathematics - AMS Author Handbook
APSA (American Political Science Association) - Political Science, International Studies - Style Manual for Political Science
ASA (American Sociological Association) - Sociology
AP (Associated Press) - Journalism, Public Relations
Bluebook - Legal Studies
CSE (Council of Science Editors) - Biology
Harvard Business School - Business - Harvard Business School Citation Guide
LSA (Linguistic Society of America) - Linguistics - Unified Style Sheet for Linguistics
Maroonbook - Legal Studies
NLM (National Library of Medicine) - Medicine - Citing Medicine
MLA (Modern Language Association)
- Last name, First name [or single username]. (account name). "Full text of the tweet." Posted day month year, posting time. Tweet.
Example - İSÜ BKD | Library (isukutuphane). "The vital importance of open data use in planning before emergencies such as floods, fires, and especially earthquakes, in organization and solidarity afterward, and during the disaster itself, will be discussed under the theme ‘No Data, No Crisis!’" 25 May 2023, 08:58. Tweet.
APA (American Psychological Association)
- @account name. (Year, month, day posted). Full text of the tweet. [Twitter post]. Retrieved from URL.
Example- @isukutuphane. (2023, May 25). The vital importance of open data use in planning before emergencies such as floods, fires, and especially earthquakes, in organization and solidarity afterward, and during the disaster itself, will be discussed under the theme “No Data, No Crisis!” [Twitter post]. Retrieved from https://twitter.com/isukutuphane/status/1661612567771455489?t=4CyQsScVwzWpOfjSAMyE7w&s=19
Chicago Manual of Style
Last name, First name [or single username] (@account name). Year. "Full text of the tweet." Twitter, Month day, year, posting time. URL.
Example - İSÜ BKD | Library (@isukutuphane). 2023. "The vital importance of open data use in planning before emergencies such as floods, fires, and especially earthquakes, in organization and solidarity afterward, and during the disaster itself, will be discussed under the theme ‘No Data, No Crisis!’" Twitter, May 25, 2023, 08:58. https://twitter.com/isukutuphane/status/1661612567771455489?t=4CyQsScVwzWpOfjSAMyE7w&s=19
MLA (Modern Language Association)
- Last name, First name. "The first few words of the Facebook post..." Posted day month year, posting time. Facebook.
Example – İstinye University | Library. "International Museum Day on 18 May is being celebrated this year with the theme ‘Museums, Sustainability and Well-being.’ All museums and archaeological sites affiliated with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism may be visited free of charge during visiting hours." 18 May 2023, 11:18. Facebook.
APA (American Psychological Association)
- Last name, First name. (Year, month, day posted). The first few words of the Facebook post... [Facebook update]. Retrieved from URL.
Example - İstinye University | Library (2023, May 18). International Museum Day on 18 May is being celebrated this year with the theme “Museums, Sustainability and Well-being.” All museums and archaeological sites affiliated with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism may be visited free of charge during visiting hours. [Facebook post]. Retrieved from https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid032h1eeKUCgXcKApSqJMF7v7j8jGHpD1t6mW8trUJ9RSxNvpsYxv56RT1C6A4STRwJl&id=100054662400607&mibextid=Nif5oz
Chicago Manual of Style
- Last name, First name. Year. "Text of the first sentence or phrase of the Facebook post." Facebook, Month day, year posted. URL.
Example - İstinye University | Library. 2023. "International Museum Day on 18 May is being celebrated this year with the theme ‘Museums, Sustainability and Well-being.’ All museums and archaeological sites affiliated with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism may be visited free of charge during visiting hours." May 18, 2023. https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid032h1eeKUCgXcKApSqJMF7v7j8jGHpD1t6mW8trUJ9RSxNvpsYxv56RT1C6A4STRwJl&id=100054662400607&mibextid=Nif5oz
YouTube or Other Online Video
MLA (Modern Language Association)
- Last name, First name [or single username]. "Title of the YouTube Video." Online video. Day month year published. YouTube.
Example – İstinye University. "Prof. Dr. Ali Nesin | World Mathematics Day | Pi Day" Online video. 14 March 2023. YouTube.
APA (American Psychological Association)
- Last name, First name [or single username]. (Year, month day posted). Title of the YouTube Video. [Video file]. Retrieved from URL.
Example- İstinye University. (2023, March 2023). Prof. Dr. Ali Nesin | World Mathematics Day | Pi Day [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1kNEZHLUBI
Chicago Manual of Style
- Last name, First name [or single username]. "Title of the YouTube Video." Video, video length, Month day, year published. URL.
Example - İstinye University. "Prof. Dr. Ali Nesin | World Mathematics Day | Pi Day" YouTube video, 4:14, August 25, 2015. https://youtu.be/0dXw2RWqzpk.
MLA (Modern Language Association)
- Last name, First name [or single username]. (account name). "The first few words of the Instagram post, if any..." Posted day month year. Instagram.
Example – İSÜ BKD | Library (isukutuphane). "In order to contribute to the studies conducted under the umbrella of IFLA regarding sustainability..." 11 May 2023. Instagram.
APA (American Psychological Association)
- Account name (day month year posted). The first few words of the Instagram post, if any.... [Instagram post]. Retrieved from URL.
Example - isukutuphane. (2023, May 11). In order to contribute to the studies conducted under the umbrella of IFLA regarding sustainability.. [Instagram post]. Retrieved from https://www.instagram.com/p/CsGUCyMM5-c/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
Chicago Manual of Style
- Last name, First name [or single username] (@account name). Year. "Text of the first sentence or phrase of the Instagram post." Instagram, Month day year posted. URL.
Example- İSÜ BKD | Library (@isukutuphane). 2023. "Our posters, prepared in Turkish and English in order to contribute to the sustainability-related studies conducted under the umbrella of IFLA, were accepted and published on IFLA’s ‘Environment, Sustainability and Libraries - Green Library Poster’ page." Instagram, May 11, 2023. https://www.instagram.com/p/CsGUCyMM5-c/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
Citation Management Support
There are many citation management programs and web tools that allow users to import and manage bibliographic information according to different citation styles. Some of them are:
Mendeley : A management tool for bibliographic information as well as a social network for research. Mendeley consists of an online version and a desktop version. The two versions are synchronized.
Zotero : Open-source software that collects and organizes citations. It also creates bibliographies according to different citation styles.
EndNote Basic : A web tool for managing bibliographic citations. Registration is required.
Not Sure Which Citation Style You Should Use?
The citation style to be used is determined either by the instructor assigning the work or, if you are submitting an article, by the journal or publisher. However, each discipline tends to use one or two styles. Below are citation styles by field.
| Anthropology: Chicago | Law and Legal Studies: Bluebook, Maroonbook or ALWD |
| Art History: Chicago or Turabian | Linguistics: APA, MLA or LSA |
| Arts Management: Chicago | Literature: MLA |
| Biology: CSE | Mathematics: AMS |
| Business: APA, Chicago or Harvard | Medicine: AMA or NLM |
| Chemistry: ACS | Music: Turabian or Chicago |
| Communication: MLA | Philosophy: MLA or Chicago |
| Computer Science: Chicago | Physics: AIP |
| Criminology: APA or Chicago | Political Science: APSA |
| Education: APA | Psychology: APA |
| History: Chicago or Turabian | Religion: MLA or Chicago |
| International Studies: APA, APSA or Chicago | Sociology: APSA |
| Journalism: AP or APA | Theatre: MLA or Chicago |
Citation Programs and Software
What Is Citation Management Software?
Citation management software, also called “bibliography software,” allows you to organize, store, and retrieve information such as citations for books, articles, and websites. With these tools, you can import records and PDFs from databases at the same time. You can add abstracts, keywords, and other functions that improve and enhance the efficiency of your project. A citation manager works together with word processing software to insert properly formatted footnotes or citations into a paper and to generate a bibliography.
What Does It Not Do?
It does not always create a perfect bibliography or reference list according to your preferred style. You still need to know APA, MLA, Chicago, or Turabian and check your results. It does not correct errors or omissions in the databases from which you obtained the references. It also cannot always determine what type of material you have imported from a database, for example, it cannot always distinguish a conference paper from a book chapter.
What Are Online Citation Generators?
Citation generators are free online sites that allow you to quickly create citations and bibliographies, but they do not allow you to store information or connect to word processing software. İSÜ students are encouraged to learn how to use citation management software instead of relying on citation generators.
How Do I Know Which Tool to Use?
At present, there is no single program that works best to support everyone’s needs. Online citation generators are helpful when you are in a hurry and have only a small number of sources to manage. Citation software requires more time to learn, but it is extremely useful for handling larger volumes or more complex citations and for word processor compatibility. A variety of citation software tools are available, and each has its own strengths. The Library officially recommends and supports Zotero, and also supports Mendeley and EndNote Basic. Please see the citation software comparison chart below.
Citation Software Capabilities
İSÜ Library primarily supports EndNote Basic, Zotero, and Mendeley, so we will focus on comparing these three. Other popular tools include RefWorks and ProCite.
What I Need to Do | Which Software? | Why? |
...work from multiple computers or locations. | ZoteroMendeleyEndNote Basic | Zotero stores your citation library on your local computer, but synchronizes with multiple computers so that you can work from home, work, or school.Mendeley is a program that lives on your local computer but syncs with a web account.EndNote Basic is fully cloud-based, so you can access it from any device. |
...work without an internet connection. | ZoteroMendeley | Zotero and Mendeley store your citation libraries locally on your computer. |
...archive web pages and import citations from sites such as Amazon, Flickr, and ArtSTOR. | Zotero | Zotero allows you to easily save snapshots of web pages and annotate them in your citation library. It is a great tool for scraping citation information from web-based publications and some commercial and social networking sites. |
...work on a group project or share my citations with others. | ZoteroMendeleyEndNote Basic | Zotero allows you to share your citations through shared folders -- you can allow individuals or groups to add and edit citations in the shared folder.Mendeley allows you to share citations and documents with a group of up to 2 users or create a public reading list for everyone.EndNote Basic allows you to share with up to 1,000 users. |
...work with unusual or complex citation styles, cite unusual document types, or create my own document type | Any | Zotero and Mendeley use .csl (citation style language) scripts drawn from the citationstyles.org repository, which contains more than 10,000 styles or style variations. EndNote uses .ens files, which are a proprietary format, and its repository contains more than 7,000 styles or style variations. |
...work extensively with PDFs | Mendeley, Zotero | Both Mendeley and Zotero have the ability to automatically extract citation information from PDFs in the application, search full text within PDFs, and read/annotate PDFs. Mendeley also has a social networking component to help you see what other people in your field, especially in the sciences, are reading and commenting on. |
Adapted from the American University Library.
Citation Manager Comparison Table
Criteria | Zotero | Mendeley | EndNote Basic |
Download from: | https://www.zotero.org/ | https://www.mendeley.com | https://endnote.com/product-details/basic/ |
Must it be online? | NO | NO | Yes |
Is it web-based? | It has a web version; the desktop app syncs with the online account; connectors are available for Firefox, Chrome, Safari, and Opera. | Not primarily, but it can be synchronized with an editable online account | Yes |
Must it be online? | NO | NO | Yes |
Cost | Free for a basic account, with some cost for more online storage | Free for a basic account, with some cost for more online storage | Free |
Word processor compatibility | MS Word, OpenOffice, Google Docs | MS Word, OpenOffice, LaTeX | MS Word |
Import from databases | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Import citation information from web pages | Yes, and you can also archive the page and add annotations. | Yes, with a bookmarklet for a limited number of sites, mostly publishers or databases | Yes, with the Reference Capture tool |
Storage capacity | Unlimited local storage and data synchronization; 300 MB free Zotero file synchronization, larger sync plans can be purchased | Unlimited local storage and data synchronization; 1 GB personal and 100 MB shared online space, with larger online storage plans available for purchase | Limited to 50,000 citations and 2 GB of attachment storage |
Attach associated files, PDFs, etc. | Yes, it automatically attaches with the browser connector and can highlight and annotate PDFs | Yes, and it can highlight and annotate PDFs | Yes |
Search full text in PDFs | Yes | Yes | NO |
Create group or shared libraries | Yes, it uses the group creator’s storage space | Yes, free for up to 3 group members, with larger group plans available for purchase | Yes |
Generate bibliographies in different styles | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Automatic citation extraction from PDFs | Yes | Yes | NO |
Other features | Synchronize the library across multiple computers | Synchronize the library across multiple computersSynchronize with the Zotero library |
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