5.4 : Tools

Citing sources according to the APA guidelines is often difficult if you have no experience doing so. Microsoft Word can help with this, and there is also bibliographic software - specialist software that can greatly facilitate the proper handling of sources in papers and publications.

5.4.1 : Source citation in Word

Microsoft Word 2013 and 2016 offer the possibility to help you with citing sources according to the APA guidelines via a special menu. The user only needs to enter the the details of the source consulted (book, article, website, etc.). A brief explanation of the use of this option:

Add a quote or paraphrase

  • In your Word document click on the References tab
  • Click on the arrow next to Style and select APA (this is probably already selected)
  • Click Insert Citation and then Add New Source
  • Fill in the citation details (check the example at the bottom of the screen) and click OK
  • Your reference will now appear in your text

Create a bibliography

  • In your Word document click on the References tab
  • Click on Bibliography and then click Insert Bibliography
  • Only the sources that you added by using the Manage Sources button are included in your bibliography.

For more information, click the Microsoft Office Help button (the question mark in the upper right of your document) and type in APA in the search box. To see some examples, you can take a look at this pdf file.

Pay attention to the following: the references Word uses are not always done strictly according to the APA guidelines as stated on this website. This is partly because the Dutch translation sometimes is too literal. For instance, Word sometimes uses different terms and puts the month before the day when listing dates. Make sure you enter your citation details correctly, because mistakes are not automatically corrected by Word.

5.4.2 : Bibliographic software

Mendeley is a reference management tool thal allow you to organize your literature references and PDF-s. Furthermore, the programs help you to create in-text citations and reference lists in your Word documents in any format you like.

Mendeley is a free-web and desk-based reference manager and an academic social network. Mendeley can help you to organize your research and to collaborate with other researchers. Mendeley has several special features, including syncing between Mendeley desktop and the Mendeley web account; always access from another computer, Iphone of Ipad; importing and organizing PDFs and sharing articles and PDFs with other Mendeley users.

Mendeley
Source: Mendeley

Web Importer

From www.mendeley.com you can install the "Web Importer". With the Web Importer you import your literature references from a large number of websites and databases easy into your Mendeley library.

Word

On Mendeley Desktop you'll find an easy to install plug-in for Word. So you can bring your citations and bibliographies in a Word document based on the data you have saved in Mendeley.

Mobile devices

Mendeley has its own apps for iPhone and iPad, while third-party apps for Android. In order to use these apps, you have a Mendeley Web account.

Collaborate and share

When you're with a group of more than three people working together on a report you can create a team account à € 49.00/month, a cheaper (free) alternative is to one personal account as a group (e.g. with a Gmail address), all group members can then with that account login.

More information

Mendeley Video Tutorials