How to Use Footnotes and Citations in Google Docs

Writing a research paper, essay, or article often requires you to cite sources and provide references. While Microsoft Word has built-in tools for adding footnotes and citations, Google Docs requires a few extra steps. In this guide, I’ll walk you through the process of adding footnotes and citations in Google Docs, so you can properly attribute information in your documents.

Why Citing Sources is Important

Citing sources serves multiple important purposes:

• It gives credit to the original creator and shows readers where you obtained the information. This helps avoid plagiarism allegations.
• It allows readers to verify the accuracy and credibility of the content by checking the original source.
• It strengthens your work by linking to expert research.
• It shows readers you have conducted thorough research on the topic.

In short, providing citations helps establish authority and trust. Readers know your content is well-researched and not just based on your own opinions.

How to Add Footnotes in Google Docs

Footnotes allow you to annotate specific parts of a document, providing supplementary information without breaking up the flow of writing. Here are the steps for adding footnotes in Google Docs:

1. Place cursor where you want the footnote reference number to appear (usually at the end of a sentence).
2. Select Insert > Footnote. This adds a superscripted number where your cursor is placed.
3. Scroll down to the bottom of the page. This is where your footnote text will go.
4. Click after the corresponding number and type your footnote text.
5. Repeat steps 1-4 to add additional footnotes. The numbers automatically update sequentially.

That covers the basics! Now let’s look at how to add citations.

Adding Citations in Google Docs

Citations allow readers to quickly locate the original sources referenced in your work.

Option 1: Add Bookmark Citations

If you want to cite a specific web page, use bookmark citations:

1. Copy the page URL you want to cite.
2. In your Google Doc, select Insert > Bookmark.
3. Paste the URL in the pop-up box and click OK.
4. Place cursor where you want the citation to appear.
5. Click Insert > Bookmark again and select the bookmark you just created. This inserts the title of the web page.

Option 2: Add Manual Citations

If you want to cite a book, journal article, or other offline source, you’ll need to create manual citations:

1. Place cursor where you want the in-text citation to appear (usually at the end of a quote or paraphrased content).
2. Type the author’s last name and year of publication, enclosed in parentheses. For example: (Doe, 2017).
3. At the end of your document, create a References or Works Cited section with full publication details for each source cited. List entries alphabetically by the author’s last name.

This method allows readers to match each in-text citation with its corresponding entry on the references page.

Formatting Considerations

To ensure your footnotes and citations format properly:

• Use superscripted numbers for footnote references. Select the number and click the Superscript button (or press CTRL + .).
• Use consistent formatting for in-text citations – author’s last name, year in parentheses – no matter how many times you cite a source. This helps avoid confusion.
• Pay attention to citation style guides. Different fields have their own conventions, like APA style or Chicago style. Follow the appropriate formatting.
• Place citations before punctuation, like periods or commas. The citation is part of the sentence.

Additional Tips

• Add footnotes and citations as you write. It becomes more difficult to keep track of sources afterwards. Identify content that needs attribution right away.
• Maintain an organized list of sources you use, whether websites, journal articles, or books. You’ll need the publication details handy when adding citations manually.
• Use the Explore function in Google Docs to check citations. Click on an in-text citation to see the corresponding entry in the references section.
• For managing long research papers with extensive footnotes and citations, consider using citation management software like Zotero, Mendeley, or EndNote. These programs allow you to store citations, insert them into documents, automatically generate bibliographies, and more. The learning curve is higher, but they can save huge amounts of time if you write research papers regularly.