I am assuming you are in Google Docs/Google Drive? No, you cannot create a hanging indent in Google Docs the way you would in Word, but there is a work around solution for PC or in the Google App on Mobile device. The steps are different for each, so make sure you look at the right set.
PC
- After entering your citation, hit enter after the end of each line to make it double spaced.
- Highlight all but the first line in your citation and use the increase indent option on the Google docs toolbar.
- Your citation will now be both double spaced and have a hanging indent.
Google App on Mobile Device*
This was tested on an iPhone. If we find that steps are different on on Android devices we will update.
- After entering your citation, hit return at the beginning of each line to make it double spaced.
- Highlight all but the first line in your citation and use the increase indent option on the Google docs toolbar. Depending on the size of your device, you may need to hold it in landscape mode to see the indent option.
- Your citation will now be both double spaced and have a hanging indent.
If you’re in a rush to get your papers finished before the semester is over, Google can help you with some of the tedious stuff. Now, Google Docs can automatically create citations in your paper in your preferred style.
The new feature is part of Google Docs’ Explore feature that lets you do research inside the document you’re editing. Simply pick the link you want to cite and click the citation button. Choose the format that your professors prefer (MLA, APA, or Chicago), and you’re done.
Advertisement
This feature actually went live for regular Docs users a while back, but now it’s going live for G Suite users. If you use Docs with a school account, they’re probably using G Suite, which means you’ve been left out in the cold, but now you can join the proper citation party!
Quickly and easily cite your sources with Explore in Google Docs | G Suite Blog
Advertisement
Google Docs is a great free writing tool with a ton of great hidden features, including the research tool. You can save yourself some time and use the research sidebar to automatically insert the appropriate citations you need for your paper.
The Best Google Docs Features You're Probably Not Using
Many of us already know and love Google Docs for being free, available on the web, and relatively…
Read more ReadAdvertisement
The research sidebar is great for finding studies and academic papers on many subjects, but Chris Hoffman at The How-To Geek suggests taking advantage of the research sidebar's ability to insert perfect citations and footnotes as well. Underground 1 download full game. Here's how:
- Open a document in Google Docs, then select Tools > Research. Or use shortcut Ctrl+Alt+Shift+I.
- Find the paper or study you'd like to cite by selecting Scholar in the search bar, then searching by keyword or author.
- Select the study or paper and click either Cite as footnote or Insert.
Cite as footnote will create a perfect footnote reference at the bottom of your page, and Insert will cite the source like a bibliography. If you click the arrow under the search bar, you can change the formatting for your citations. You can easily cite references in MLA, APA, or Chicago formats. Now you can do your super fun footnotes and bibliographies with minimal frustration.
Advertisement
10 Tips and Tricks for Google Docs | The How-To Geek
You can insert a footnote in a Google Doc on the web, as well as in the Android and iOS Google Docs apps. For academic writers and researchers, a footnote offers a way to cite sources or provide additional details.
You may type footnote information or insert a properly formatted citation with the Google Explore feature. Add-ons and other apps offer additional ways to manage and insert citations.
SEE: G Suite: Tips and tricks for business professionals (free PDF) (TechRepublic)
How to add a footnote in Google Docs
You may manually add footnotes into a Google Doc on the web or in the mobile Google Docs apps.
While using Google Docs in a browser (Figure A):
1. Place your cursor at the point you want to add a footnote.
2. Choose Insert | Footnote, or press Ctrl-Alt-F.
3. Type your footnote text.
2. Choose Insert | Footnote, or press Ctrl-Alt-F.
3. Type your footnote text.
Figure A
Within the Google Docs Android or iOS mobile apps (Figure B):
1. Tap to position your cursor where you want your footnote.
2. Tap the + near the top of the screen to access the Insert menu.
3. Scroll through the menu items that display, then tap on Footnote.
4. Type your footnote text.
1. Tap to position your cursor where you want your footnote.
2. Tap the + near the top of the screen to access the Insert menu.
3. Scroll through the menu items that display, then tap on Footnote.
4. Type your footnote text.
Figure B
How to add a formatted footnote using the Explore feature
The Explore feature includes the ability to add a properly formatted citation footnote in a Google Doc on the web.
1. To access the Explore sidebar, either select the Explore icon (found in the lower right portion of the screen when you have a Google Doc open) or go to Tools | Explore In A Google Doc. The key combination Ctrl-Alt-Shift-I also opens the Explore panel.
2. To cite a source, enter keywords and press Enter to search. If you already know the website you want to cite, paste the link in the Explore search box.
3. Select Web within the Explore sidebar to see web search results instead of Cloud Search results.
4. By default, the system will insert footnotes in Modern Language Association (MLA) style. To change the format, select the three-vertical-dot menu in the Explore panel, then choose MLA, American Library Association (ALA), or Chicago format (developed by the University of Chicago Press).
5. Place the cursor at the point you want to insert a footnote in your Google Doc; typically, this will be at the end of a sentence or immediately following punctuation, such as a period or a quotation mark.
5. Place the cursor at the point you want to insert a footnote in your Google Doc; typically, this will be at the end of a sentence or immediately following punctuation, such as a period or a quotation mark.
6. Move the cursor over the result you want to cite in a footnote in the Explore panel, then select the quote icon displayed. The system will generate and insert a footnote number within your document, and place the footnote at the bottom of the page (Figure C).
Figure C
How to use add-on citation alternatives
At least three major third-party citation services offer Google Docs Add-ons that work with Google Docs on the web. To access these services while in a Google Doc, select Add-ons | Get Add-Ons | then enter 'citations' in the search field.
Three of the most used and reviewed add-ons are EasyBib Bibliography Creator, Paperpile, and ProQuest Refworks (Figure D).
Figure D
EasyBib Bibliography Creator lets you search for a book, journal article, or website, then add items to a bibliography list for your document. When you're done, select the Add Bibliography To Doc button and all the citations from EasyBib will be added to the end of your Google Doc. EasyBib also offers a paid version ($9.95 per month).
Paperpile offers a single-stream search, so there is no need to differentiate between sources. Enter your terms, then scroll through the results. When you see the reference you want, choose Cite. Paperpile inserts a reference with a link to your resource stored on the company's website, and adds a citation to the item in your document. You can follow the link to edit the details of the citation. Paperpile offers paid versions for both academic and business users.
ProQuest RefWorks requires that you sign in to use the RefWorks add-on. If you are a student, faculty member, or staff of a college or university that has an active agreement with ProQuest, you may be able to create a RefWorks account to use the service to manage citations.
Additional citation management apps
For additional citation management capabilities, consider Zotero or Citationsy (Figure E).
Figure E
Zotero is a free and open source citation management app, with versions you can install and work with browser connectors, add as bookmarklets, or use solely in a browser.
Citationsy is a simple, ad-supported citation tool available to use on the web as a Chrome extension or on Android or iOS.
Citation: More than a link
A web link isn't the same thing as a citation; over time, links on the web often break. When a link no longer works, the additional information that a citation provides—such as author, publisher, and publication date—makes it possible to track down a cited work. Equally important, a citation also acknowledges another person's work and helps protect a creator against potential plagiarism charges. To learn more about the merit of citations, see Kathleen Fitzpatrick's article for the Los Angeles Review of Books, The Future of Academic Style: Why Citations Still Matter in the Age of Google.
Your thoughts?
Google Drive
What methods do you use to insert and manage footnotes and citations in Google Docs? Which citation management add-on or app works best for you? Let me know in the comments or on Twitter (@awolber).
Also see
- DevOps: A cheat sheet (TechRepublic)
- 10 free alternatives to Microsoft Word and Excel (TechRepublic download)
- Choosing your Windows 7 exit strategy: Four options (Tech Pro Research)
- Microsoft Office 365 for business: Everything you need to know (ZDNet)
- The 10 most important iPhone apps of all time (Download.com)
- It takes work to keep your data private online. These apps can help (CNET)
- How-To Tips: More easy-to-follow tutorials (TechRepublic on Flipboard)
Google Slides
When you’re writing a paper it can be frustrating to get your citations sorted. Knowing what to cite, when, and in what style can add more undue stress to writing a paper. Thankfully, over the years, many online services have been created that automate the citation process. Google Docs takes it a step further, however, by allowing you to do your research and citing all within the document itself! This makes for an easier time finding and citing sources that relate to what you’re trying to say.
Opening the Explore Panel
At one stage in Google Doc’s life, it had a panel called “Research” that allowed you to do just that. These days it has the somewhat confusing name “Explore” but still fills the niche of doing research within Google Docs. To open the Explore panel, click on “Tools” at the top, then “Explore.”
An Explore panel will open on the right side.
Performing Research
Now that the Explore panel is open, you can use it to perform research. The easiest way to think about Explore is like a personal Google you can have open on the side of your document as you’re writing. As such, whenever you need to look something up, you can type it into the Explore panel as you would into Google. Explore will show you a list of results.
Click on the one you like the look of the most, and it will appear in a new tab for you to read. If you already have a website in mind that you’d like to cite, you can simply enter the URL into the search box and Explore will do the rest.
If you notice, along the top is the option for images. By clicking on each image, you can see a larger version of it, as well as details on its usage license. Clicking “Insert” adds the image to your document. Make sure it has the correct license, and always cite work if needed!
Citing Research
Once you’ve found a website that you’d like to cite, write about it in your paper. Then, put the blinking cursor at the point in the document where you would like to add a citation.
Hover over the result you’d like to cite here. Click the quotation button will appear to the top right of the result.
Once clicked, two things will happen. First, Google Docs will add a superscript number where your cursor is to identify it. Then, Google will cite it at the bottom of the document. It’s worth noting that this citation isn’t written into the footer, so you can still use it for page numbers and other options.
Changing Citation Format
Institutes often enforce specific citation formats. If you want to change the formatting of the citations, click the three dots beside the search box. Here you can choose between MLA, APA, and Chicago formats.
Making a Bibliography
For papers that require a bibliography, Explore may not be ideal. Instead of having the citations at the bottom of the page, bibliographies are typically put at the very end of the paper. If your institute requires a bibliography instead, there’s two ways you can get around this.
Cut and Paste the Citations
There’s no way to set Explore to make a bibliography automatically, so you’ll have to make one yourself. Cite sources as you would above, then shift all the footnotes it creates into a bibliography section. Make sure the citation style matches what is required for the bibliography.
Use an Addon
Alternatively, Google Docs has some nice addons which automate the process for you and generate a bibliography on the fly. One such addon is EasyBib Bibliography Creator. It can be installed into Docs and used to create a full bibliography. Once installed, access it using the “Addons” menu at the top of Google Docs.
Google Classroom
In My Cites
Arranging and formatting citations can be a major time sink. By using Google Doc’s explore feature, you can automate an otherwise monotonous part of writing a paper. If it’s not up to your standards, there are addons to help get the perfect citations.
Do you find citing papers a chore? Let us know below!