LIBRARY

Research Integrity

RESEARCH INTEGRITY

 

The "European Code of Conduct for Research Integrity" defines plagiarism as "using other people's work and ideas without proper attribution to the original source, thus violating the rights of the original author(s) to their intellectual output".

There are two main types of plagiarism.

  • Verbatim plagiarism
  • Plagiarism of ideas

Copying someone else's work verbatim constitutes verbatim plagiarism.  Mosaic plagiarism is plagiarism that involves copying text fragments from more than one source and mixing them to disguise their source. It is below verbatim plagiarism.

Plagiarism is defined as stealing someone else's original ideas, research theories, data, interpretations and passing them off as one's own. This type of plagiarism also occurs when the stolen ideas are paraphrased.

Plagiarism is usually defined as a deliberate act and is closely associated with academic misconduct. However, if sources are incorrectly or incompletely cited, researchers may be subject to plagiarism charges even if it is not intentional.

Some actions that lead to plagiarism charges include

  • Not using quotation marks for direct quotations.
  • Reporting false information about a source.
  • Translating part of someone else's work into another language without citing the original source.
  • Taking so much content from one or more sources that it constitutes the majority of the work, whether the sources are cited or not.

Plagiarism is usually defined as an intentional act and is closely associated with academic misconduct. However, in the case of incorrect or incomplete citation of sources, researchers may be subject to plagiarism charges even if it is not intentional.

Some of The Actions That Lead to Plagiarism Accusations Include

  • Not using quotation marks for direct quotations. 
  • Reporting false information about a source. 
  • Translating part of someone else's work into another language without citing the original source. 
  • Taking a large part of the work from one or more sources. 
  • Researchers republishing their own work under a different title without citing the source.

Plagiarism from a Legal Perspective

Accusations of plagiarism have severe consequences on a researcher's academic career, such as a loss of reputation, rejection of manuscripts and withdrawal from journals, disciplinary sanctions that can result in expulsion from research institutions. It can also lead to legal action against defendants for copyright infringement. In Turkey, intellectual property is protected by the Turkish Copyright Law, which also regulates the use of citations. However, attribution is also a defining element of open access licenses such as Creative Commons. 

According to the Istinye University Code of Ethical Conduct, all members of Istinye University must fulfill their responsibilities with the highest level of integrity and ethical behavior. Istinye University Code of Ethical Conduct also states that plagiarism is strictly prohibited.

Plagiarism Prevention and Originality Checks

Istinye University supports its scientific community in plagiarism prevention by adopting Turnitin and iThenticate. Avoiding plagiarism is easily achieved by citing and attributing sources correctly.

 

CITATION GUIDE

 

A citation is a reference or quotation to a source. Citations have an important place in academic studies. Citations are made according to the citation style. How to cite sources according to the citation style to be used in academic writing varies according to a set of rules. Guidelines, examples and instructions for a particular citation style (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.) are usually published in an official handbook for that 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 to provide all the information your reader needs to find the book, article or other source you cite. 
  • 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 styles depends on the discipline in which the work is done. For example, APA (American Psychological Association) is mostly used in education, psychology and business studies; MLA (Modern Language Association) in the humanities; Chicago author-history in science and social sciences; Chicago notes and bibliography in history.

Resmi APA stili sitesi – Includes guides and FAQs.
APA Stili Blog - Check out 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 citation or paraphrased content should be given in parentheses in the main text. 
A full reference should be given in the bibliography. Quotation marks should be used for direct quotations; it is not necessary to use quotation marks for paraphrased content. 
If you write the author's name in the main body, only the year of publication will appear in parentheses. If the author's name is not in the main sentence, the author's name and date should appear in parentheses. References for direct quotations should also include page numbers.
Example:  
- Coymak (2019) found that different learning environments do not affect students' competence levels on learning outcomes. 
- A recent study found that different learning environments did not affect students' competence levels on learning outcomes (Coymak, 2019). 
- A recent study found that "students who took structured self-directed learning assignments had the same level of competence on learning outcomes regardless of their learning environment" (Coymak, 2019, p. 100). 
A full reference should also be given in the bibliography as follows. 
- Coymak, A. (2019). An Experimental Study on the Effect of Computer Assisted Learning on the Development of Metacognitive Performance in Psychology Teaching. Contemporary Educational Technologies, 10, 94-105. Doi:10.30935/cet.512539
 
Bibliography Guide
 
Basic Book Format
- Surname, initials (year of publication). Book title. 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 and Over Authors
- List the names of the first six authors, then add an ellipsis and the name of the last author.
 
Multi-Volume Study
- 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, initials (year of publication). Article title. Journal title, Volume, page(s). 
Online articles should include DOI after 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 Atıf Merkezi  - The official MLA Style Website with guides and other FAQs.
Citation Guide
MLA format uses an author-page system, whereby a short in-text citation identifies the cited work by author and page number.
Quotation marks are used for direct quotations, but quotation marks are not necessary for paraphrased content.
The author's surname and the page number(s) referring to the quoted or paraphrased content appear in parentheses.
If you include 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, the author's name and page number(s) should appear 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 be given in the bibliography as follows:
- Morrison, Toni. The origin of others. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2017. 
 
Bibliography Guide
 
Basic Book Format
- Last name Book Title. 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 it 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 and More Authors
- Garreton, Manuel Antonio, et al. Latin America in the twenty-first century: toward a new sociopolitical matrix. North-South Center Press, 2003. 
 
Multi-Volume Study
- 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
- Last name "Article title." Journal name, 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 Stili  - The official online version of the 17th edition of the Chicago Manual.
Citation Guide
According to the Chicago author-date style, the surname and year of publication of the author citing the quoted or commented content should appear in parentheses in the main text. A full reference should be given in the bibliography.
uotation marks are used for direct quotations, while quotation marks are not necessary 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. If the author's name does not appear in the main sentence, the author's name and year of publication should appear 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 for the style in which they are imagined (Anderson1991). 
- A nation can be defined as “an imagined political community – and imagined as both inherently and sovereign” (Anderson 1991, 6). 
A full reference should be given in the bibliography as follows.
- Anderson, Benedict. 1991. Imagined communities: Reflections on the origins and spread of nationalism. New York: Verso. 
 
Kaynakça Rehberi 
 
Basic Book Format
- Surname, First Name. Year of publication. Book title. 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; only the first author should be listed in the text, followed by et. al.
 
Over 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.
 
Multi-Volume Study
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. "Article title." 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 DOI after 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 www.nytimes.com/2020/02/08/opinion/what-will-the-next-decade-bring-the-1920s-offer-an-answer.html
Citation Guide 
According to the Chicago Notes and Bibliography style, sources should be cited using footnotes or endnotes and providing a bibliography entry for each.  
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.
 
Quotes-Bibliography Guide
 
Basic Book Format
Note: Name, Surname, Book title (Place of publication: Publisher, Year of publication), page(s).
Abbreviated Note: Surname, Abbreviated title, page(s).
Bibliography Entry: Surname, 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. 
Abbreviated 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. 
Abbreviated Note: Macintosh and McConnell, Performing Epic, 56-57.
Kaynakça Girişi: Macintosh, Fiona ve Justine McConnell. Performing Epic or Telling Tales. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2020.
 
Three and More 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.
 
Multi-Volume Study
You should only refer to a specific volume in the note:
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. Alimond and Sidney Verba (Newbury Park: Sage, 1989), 57-59. 
Abbreviated 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. Alimond 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 
Abbreviated 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: Name, Surname, "Article title," Journal title Volume, Issue (Publication date): page(s).
Abbreviated Note: Surname, "abbreviated title," page(s).
Bibliography Entry: Surname, first name. "Article title." Journal title Volume, Issue (date of publication): 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. 
Abbreviated 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 DOI after page numbers.
 
Newspaper Article 
Note: Jennifer Harlan, “When the past roars into the present,” New York Times, January 16, 2020, A2. 
Abbreviated 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. 
Abbreviated 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 1920soffer-an-answer.html
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) - Law 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 - Law 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 - Law Studies
NLM (National Library of Medicine) - Medicine - Citing Medicine 

TwItter  

MLA (Modern Language Association) 
- Surname, First Name [or single username]. (account name). "Full text of the tweet." Day, month, year, time of posting. Tweet.
Example- ISU BKD | Library (isukutuphane). "How the use of open data is vital in planning before emergencies such as floods, fires and especially earthquakes, in organization and solidarity afterwards, and how it is vital during disasters will be discussed with the theme "If There Is No Data, There Is Crisis!"." May 25, 2023, 08:58. Tweet.
 
APA (American Psychological Association) 
- @account name (year, month, day of posting). Full text of the tweet. [Twitter post]. Retrieved from URL.
Example- @isukutuphane. (2023, May 25). With the theme of "If There is No Data, There is a Crisis!", it will be discussed how the use of open data is of vital importance in planning before emergencies such as floods, fires and especially earthquakes, in organization and solidarity afterwards, and during disasters.  [Twitter post]. Retrieved from https://twitter.com/isukutuphane/status/1661612567771455489?t=4CyQsScVwzWpOfjSAMyE7w&s=19
 
Chicago Manual of Style 
Surname, First Name [or single username] (@account name). Year. "Full text of the tweet." Twitter, Month day, year, when sent. URL.
Example- ISU BKD | Library (@isukutuphane). 2023. "How the use of open data is of vital importance in planning before emergencies such as floods, fires and especially earthquakes, in organization and solidarity afterwards, and during disasters, will be discussed with the theme "If There Is No Data, There Is Crisis!"." Twitter, May 25, 2023, 08:58. https://twitter.com/isukutuphane/status/1661612567771455489?t=4CyQsScVwzWpOfjSAMyE7w&s=19
 

Facebook

MLA (Modern Language Association) 
- Surname, first name. "The first few words of a Facebook post..." Day, month, year, time of posting. Facebook.
Example– Istinye University | Library. " May 18th Museum Day is celebrated this year with the theme "Museums, Sustainability and Prosperity". All museums and archaeological sites affiliated to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism can be visited free of charge during visiting hours. " May 18, 2023, 11:18. Facebook.
 
APA (American Psychological Association) 
- Surname, First Name (year, month, day of the post). The first few words of the Facebook post... [Facebook update]. Retrieved from URL
Example - Istinye University | Library (2023, May 18). May 18th Museum Day is celebrated this year with the theme "Museums, Sustainability and Prosperity". All museums and archaeological sites affiliated to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism can 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 
- Surname, First Name. Year. "Text of the first sentence or phrase of the Facebook post." Facebook, Month day, year posted. URL.
Example -  Istinye University | Library. 2023. "May 18th Museum Day is celebrated this year with the theme "Museums, Sustainability and Prosperity". All museums and archaeological sites affiliated to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism can 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 ya da Diğer Çevrim İçi Video  

MLA (Modern Language Association) 
- Surname, First name [or single username]. "Title of YouTube Video." Online video. Published day month year. YouTube
Example– Istinye University. " Prof. Dr. Ali Nesin | World Mathematics Day | Pi Day " Online video. March 14, 2023. YouTube.
 
APA (American Psychological Association) 
- Surname, First Name [or single username]. (Year, month day submitted). Title of YouTube Video. [Video file]. Retrieved from URL
Example- Istinye 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 
- Surname, First Name [or single username]. "Title of YouTube Video." Video, length of the video, month day, year published. URL.
Example- Istinye University. "Prof. Dr. Ali Nesin | World Mathematics Day | Pi Day" YouTube video, 4:14, August 25, 2015. https://youtu.be/0dXw2RWqzpk.
 

Instagram

MLA (Modern Language Association) 
- Surname, First Name [or single username]. (account name). "The first few words of the Instagram post (if any)..." Day month year posted. Instagram.
Example– ISU BKD | Library (isukutuphane). "With the aim of contributing to the studies on sustainability under the roof of IFLA..." May 11, 2023. Instagram.
 
APA (American Psychological Association) 
- Account name (Posted day month year). First few words of the Instagram post (if available).... [Instagram post]. Access address URL
Example- isukutuphane. (2023, May 11). With the aim of contributing to the work on sustainability under the umbrella of IFLA. [Instagram post]. Retrieved from https://www.instagram.com/p/CsGUCyMM5-c/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
 
Chicago Manual of Style 
- Surname, First Name [or single username] (@account name). Year. "The text of the first sentence or phrase in the Instagram post." Instagram, Month day year posted. URL.
Example - ISU BKD | Library (@isukutuphane). 2023. " Our posters, which we prepared in Turkish and English in order to contribute to the studies on sustainability under the roof 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: It is both a management tool for bibliographic information and a social network for research. Mendeley consists of an online version and a desktop version. The two versions are synchronized.
  • Zotero: An 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 required.

 

Don't Know Which Citation Style You Should Use?

The citation style to be used is determined by the academic giving the assignment, or by the journal or publisher if you are submitting an article. However, each discipline tends to use one or two styles. Below are citation styles by discipline.

Anthropology: Chicago  Law and Law Studies:Bluebook , Maroonbook or ALWD 
Art History: Chicago or Turabian  Linguistics: APA, MLA veya LSA 
Art Management: Chicago  Literature: MLA 
Biology: CSE  Mathematics: AMS 
Business: APA , Chicago veya Harvard Medicine: AMA veya NLM 
Chemistry: ACS  Music: Turabian veya Chicago 
Communication: MLA  Philosophy: MLA veya Chicago 
Computing Science: Chicago  Physics: AIP 
Criminology: APA veya Chicago  Political Science: APSA 
Education: APA  Psychology: APA 
History: Chicago or Turabian  Religion: MLA veya Chicago 
International Studies: APA , APSA veya  Chicago  Sociology: APSA 
Journalism: AP veya APA  Theater: MLA veya 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 Web sites. The software allows you to import records from databases and PDFs at the same time. You can add summaries, keywords and other functions that increase and improve the efficiency of your project. The citation manager works with word processing software to add properly formatted footnotes or citations to an article and create a bibliography.

What Doesn't?

It does not always create a perfect bibliography or reference list according to your favorite style. You will need to know APA, MLA, Chicago or Turabian and check your results. It will not correct errors or omissions in the database from which you get the references. It will not always know what kind of material you put into it from a database (for example, it cannot always distinguish a paper from a book).

What Are Online Citation Generators?

Citation generators are free, online sites that allow you to quickly create citations and bibliographies, but do not allow you to store information or link to word processing software. ISU 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?

There is currently no single program that works best to support everyone's needs. Online citation generators help when you are in a hurry and have few sources to manage. Citation software needs more time to learn, but is extremely useful for processing larger amounts or more complex citations and for word processing compatibility. There are various citation software tools 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 table below.

Citation Software Capabilities

ISU 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 Should Do
Which Software?
Why?
…work from multiple computers or locations.
Zotero 
 
Mendeley      
 
EndNote Basic 
Zotero saves your citation library on your local computer, but syncs with multiple computers so 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 internet connection. 
Zotero 
Mendeley 
Zotero stores your Mendeley citation libraries locally on your computer.
…archive web pages and import quotes from sites like 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 quotes with others.
Zotero       
 
Mendeley  
 
EndNote Basic 
Zotero allows you to share your quotes via shared folders -- you can give individuals or groups permission to add and edit quotes in the shared folder.
Mendeley allows you to share citations and documents with a group of up to 2 users or create a public public reading list.
EndNote Basic lets you 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 one
Zotero and Mendeley use .csl (citation style language) scripts taken from the citationstyles.org repository, which contains over 10,000 styles or style variations. EndNote uses .ens files, a proprietary format, and has over 7,000 styles or style variations in its reposi
...work extensively with PDFs
Mendeley, Zotero 
Mendeley and Zotero both have the ability to automatically extract citation information from PDFs in the app, PDF full text search and PDF read/annotations. Mendeley also has a social network component to see what others 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 Temel 
Download from here:
https://www.zotero.org/ 
https://www.mendeley.com 
https://endnote.com/product-details/basic/ 
Should it be online? 
NO
NO
Yes
Is it web-based? 
It has a web version; the desktop application synchronizes with the online account; connectors are available for Firefox, Chrome and Safari and Opera.
Not primarily, but can be synchronized with an editable online account
Yes
Should it be online? 
NO
NO
Yes
Cost
Free for basic account, some cost for more online storage
Free for basic account, some cost for more online storage
Free
Word processor compatibility
MS Word, Açık Ofis, Google Documents
MS Word, Açık Ofis, Latex 
MS Word 
Importing from databases
Yes
Yes
Yes
Import citation information from web pages
Yes, you can also archive the page and add annotations.
Yes, with a bookmark for a limited number of sites (mostly publishers or databases)
Yes, with the Reference Capture tool
Storage capacity
Unlimited local storage and data sync; 300MB free Zotero file sync (larger sync plans available for purchase)
Unlimited local storage and data synchronization; 1 GB personal and 100 MB shared online space (larger online storage plans available for purchase)
Limited to 50,000 quotes and 2 GB of additional storage
Include associated files (PDFs, etc.)
Yes, it automatically connects with the scanner connector and can highlight and annotate PDFs
Yes, and can highlight and annotate PDFs
Yes
Search full text of 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 (larger group plans can be purchased)
Yes
Create bibliographies with different styles
Yes
Yes
Evet 
Automatic quote extraction from PDFs
Yes
Yes
NO
Other features
Synchronize the library with multiple computers 
Use tags and "related" items to organize/search
Synchronize library with multiple computers 
Synchronize with Zotero library