Skip to Main Content

Research Tools & Tips

Technology-based tips for leveraging the tools in the library and databases

Manage Citations and Sources

Overview

Citation tools to help you access your saved sources and references from anywhere online. Citation builders generate APA-formatted references from user-submitted information such as author, date, and publication title. While citation builders are convenient, they are not always accurate. Always check your references and citations for APA errors. 

Please note: Many of the below recommendations are third party software providers. As such, the library is limited in the type of technical support we can provide for you with regards to these tools.

RefWorks Lite

The library provides access to the "Lite" version of RefWorks, which can be useful for managing citations. Students who create a RefWorks Lite account will retain access to their account and saved citations even after they graduate from CityU. To set up an account:

  1. From https://cityuseattle.summon.serialssolutions.com/search, click the Saved Items icon (it looks like a bookmark in the upper right of the blue banner)
  2. You should see a My Citations screen saying that you need to create a personal account. Click the "Sign up (free)" button.
  3. Enter your CityU email address and click Check.
  4. You should receive a message saying RefWorks is available at CITYUSEATTLE. Enter your own password and click Sign Up.
    • Do not attempt to use "login from my institution."

Free Recommendations

Other Recommendations

Database Citation Tools

Generators

Each database as well as the library catalog has a citation tool that will automatically generate APA citations on a per-document basis. Like all citation generators, these also must be checked for accuracy. 

Folders

You can also choose to organize your research in the folders offered within the databases and the library catalog. PLEASE NOTE these folders are not connected to your CityU account and they are not connected to each other

Each database folder is independent, which means that you will need to check all of your folders when you are looking for a saved item. Make sure you are logged in to these accounts. If you are not logged in, the folders are temporary and you will lose them when you close the browser. Simply having access through CityU does not mean that (a) you have a specific account with a particular database or (b) saved items will remain accessible after your session has ended. If you choose this option, you must make individual accounts with each database platform.

As always, if you have any questions about the above tools, please ask a librarian.