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PolyU Library

Citation & Avoiding Plagiarism

A quick guide to reach library resources and tools for academic integrity

Built-in Citation Generators

You will often come across citation generators embedded in platforms used to search information, like in our Library's OneSearch or other subscribed databases. These citation generators can help make citation formatting for your reference list very effortless. As a good practice, you should still make it a point to check the accuracy of citations generated by these platforms before including them in your work.

Below are some examples of citation generators in OneSearch and other databases:

To use the citation generator in OneSearch, you can refer to the steps below:

  1. Click on the Citation Button on the result page after searching in OneSearch.
  2. Select a citation style.
  3. Copy the citation to clipboard and paste it to the reference list of your assignment.

To use the citation generator in EBSCOhost, you can refer to the steps below:

  1. Select the articles you would like to cite on the result page after searching.
  2. Click on the Cite button on the sidebar.
  3. Copy and paste the citation to the reference list of your assignment.

To use the citation generator in Google Scholar, click on the Citation Button on the result page after searching. You can then copy the citation and paste it to the reference list of your assignment.

To use the citation generator in ProQuest, you can refer to the steps below:

  1. Select the articles you would like to cite on the result page after searching.
  2. Click on the Citation Button.
  3. Select a citation style.
  4. Copy and paste it to the reference list of your assignment.

Online Citation Generators

Alternatively, you can consider using online tools to generate citations for you, especially if you just need to cite a few references. Again, we strongly recommend you check the accuracy of citations generated by these tools before including them in your work.

ZoteroBib is an online citation generator developed by Zotero. It helps you build a bibliography instantly from any computer or device, without creating an account or installing any software. 

To generate a citation, you can refer to the steps below:

  1. Visit zoterobib and search with the URL, ISBN, DOI, or title of the material you wish to cite.
  2. Select a citation style.
  3. Click to edit the auto-generated information if necessary.
  4. Click to copy the in-text citation.  You may include a page number and/or omit the author in the in-text citation if you wish.
  5. Click to copy the reference list.  You can generate multiple records and copy all of them at once.


You may also learn more from the short video below:

Creative Commons License

Except where otherwise noted, the content of this guide is licensed under a CC BY-NC 4.0 License.