This, unfortunately, makes these suites a poor choice for academic papers but, if you have to use it for one reason or another, here are the steps to take in OpenOffice: The process, at least in native OpenOffice and LibreOffice, is highly convoluted and doesn’t provide out-of-the-box support for the most common citation styles. Though, for the most part, they’ve built a comprehensive and powerful word processor that’s a decent replacement for Microsoft Word, they are unfortunately lacking when it comes to adding citations. OpenOffice ,as well as its LibreOffice fork, are well-known free, open source alternatives to Microsoft Office. Add Citations and Bibliography in OpenOffice and LibreOffice All you need to do is have your sources at the ready and be able to answer a few basic questions about them. The source manager also allows you to see which sources you have cited in your paper, marking them with a check, making it easy to delete and remove ones you don’t need.Īll in all, the process is simple and Word can take most of the work out of adding citations to your papers. When you’re done adding adding all of your citations and sources, you can then add a bibliography simply by clicking the “Bibliography” button in the group and selecting the type you want.Īnother great feature in the group is the source manager, which is accessed by clicking “Manage Sources”. With it, you can edit, add, and manipulate your sources.Once you’ve added a source, to add another citation to it, you simply select it from the dropdown when you click the “Insert Citation” button.Once you click “Ok” the citation should be added.Choose the type of source that it is and then fill out all available information on it.Choose “Add New Source” (Note: You can choose to add a placeholder, but remember about writing in a cleanroom before doing so.).Put your cursor where you want to add a citation in your text (usually at the end of a quote or a fact you wish to cite).Under the “Citations & Bibliography” group, select the citation style you want to use.Microsoft Word easily has the most robust citation and bibliography tool. While it’s certainly the most flexible and powerful tool, it can also be a bit intimidating, especially for those who are new to it. Add Citations and Bibliography in Microsoft Word
So here’s a look at how to add citations to your work, regardless of the word processor you use. Not only can it save you a lot of time with your writing, but it can help make sure that your citations are accurate and complete. Whether you are a student or researcher, you should not have to sit there with a style guide trying to figure out how to add a citation for book, journal article or website.Īs such, it’s worth taking a moment to understand how the citation system in your word processor works and how to best take advantage of it. With multiple styles and every style being its own standard, it’s easy to see why students are intimidated and confused when it comes to adding citations and bibliographies to their work.įortunately though, technology now takes most of the leg work out of citing your work. One of the most intimidating for any new or returning student is adding proper citation to their work.