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You are here: Articles --> 2019 --> Literature citations, part 1: inserting citations
Vous êtes ici : Essais --> 2019 --> Literature citations, part 1: inserting citations
By Geoffrey Hart
Previously published as: Hart, G. 2019. Literature citations, Part 1: inserting citations. https://www.worldts.com/english-writing/eigo-ronbun67/index.html
One of the tasks authors dislike most is dealing with literature citations. Finding appropriate references is hard enough, but at least it’s enjoyable: there’s a chance you’ll discover some new and fascinating study that expands your knowledge and restores your excitement about your research. But creating the Literature Cited section and then checking it against the text are tedious, unpleasant jobs.
Fortunately, several solutions can make this task less unpleasant and more efficient. In this two-part article, I’ll briefly review how to use reference-management software, but will not provide details, since the details differ greatly among programs. In case you don’t like such software, I’ll also provide details on how you can do this work manually, with a little help from your word processor.
The easiest solution is to use reference-management software. This software stores references in a database (often called a library), and integrates with your word processor so you can select references from the database and insert them in your manuscript, usually as a field code. (Field codes are instructions that tell your word processor to perform a task, such as updating the inserted citation to agree with any changes in the database of references.) Examples of this category of software (which support both Mac and Windows) include:
Of course, as is the case in any database, it’s necessary to control the quality of the information in the database. (In English, we use the phrase “garbage in, garbage out” to remind us that poor data quality produces poor results.) Many library catalogs and journal Web sites provide an export function that lets you extract reference information from their database and import it into your reference-management software. The most sophisticated software can search a library database and download references automatically.
However, some authors dislike how this software works and prefer to insert citations manually. Others lack the time to learn additional software. In that case, it’s still necessary to control the quality of the information stored in the references database. There are two good solutions:
First, display the paper that you want to cite on the Web page of the journal that published it. (You can also use library Web sites, since librarians are very careful about data entry, but the best source is always the journal that published the manuscript.) Select and copy the information from that page. Because the information’s format differs from that in the Literature Cited section, you will need to edit the copied information (e.g., to change each author’s given name to initials) and to rearrange the information in the correct order (e.g., to move the author names before the year and title). But because you are copying the text, this is much faster and leads to fewer errors than if you retype the information yourself.
Second, examine the Web page that displays the paper to see whether it offers a function that lets you export or copy the reference information. This is sometimes hidden. For example, articles in many Wiley journals display a “Tools” button near the top of the Web page. If you open the menu attached to that button, one option is “Export citation”. Selecting that option opens a new Web page that displays the reference information under the heading “How to cite”, in a format that is compatible with most journal styles. Simply copy the text and paste it into your manuscript.
Once you’ve added all the cited papers in your manuscript, reference-management software will generate the Literature Cited section for you, in correct alphabetical, chronological, or numerical order. If you’ve created the Literature Cited section manually and you’re using the Windows or Macintosh version of Microsoft Word, Word can sort the references into the correct order:
If you’re using reference-management software, the software offers an icon or menu or floating tool palette that lets you choose references from its database. It then inserts a field code at the cursor location that represents the cited reference. If you’re inserting citations manually, store your list of references in a separate document, then keep that document open in a window beside the manuscript as you write so that you can easily see the author and date information for each paper you cite.
If the journal requires numbered citations instead of author/date citations such as “Hart (2019)”, and you’re not using reference-management software, you’ll find it easier to start by inserting your citations using the author/date system. This way, if you add or remove references while you review and revise your manuscript, you won’t need to renumber all citations and references after each change. As the final step before you submit your manuscript for review, save a copy of the manuscript that contains the author/date citations. Then create a new copy that you will submit. Change all the author/date citations to numbers in that new copy. If you keep the list of references open in a window beside the manuscript, initially in alphabetical order, it’s easy to switch to that window, find the reference you’re currently citing, move it to the correct position in the list of references, and then add a number that you will use for subsequent citations.
Why keep a copy of the version with the author/date citations? So that you can revise that version (not the version with the numbered citations) when you respond to review comments. Because that version still contains the author/date citations, it’s easy to add any new citations and delete any old ones that are no longer relevant, without having to renumber all your citations after each change. You can then change these citations to numbers as the last step before you return your revised paper to the journal.
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