How to Use Citation Machine for APA Citations

Summary

This tutorial introduces Citation Machine, a free tool for students to create APA citations. Unlike EasyBib, it doesn't require a premium subscription for APA format. The video demonstrates how to select the correct source type, input a URL, and verify citation details. It also highlights the importance of accurate citation to give credit to authors and concludes with tips on managing citations and exporting a references page.

Takeaways

• 📚 Citation Machine is a free tool for creating citations, including APA style citations for science and social sciences.
• 💻 It is accessible to everyone and generates citations without requiring a premium subscription.
• 🔍 The default citation style is APA, which is suitable for many academic purposes.
• 📝 To create a citation, users select the type of source they are citing, such as a website or journal article.
• 🌐 For website citations, users must enter the URL of the source into the Citation Machine.
• 🔎 Citation Machine automatically generates a citation based on the URL provided, but users should verify the accuracy of the information.
• ✏️ Users can edit the automatically generated citation to correct any errors, such as the author's name or publication date.
• 📝 After verifying the citation details, users can copy the citation, create an in-text citation, or export the entire references page.
• 🔗 The tool allows for easy addition of multiple citations in one session, streamlining the research process.
• ⚠️ It's important to periodically save the citations to avoid losing work, as Citation Machine does not automatically save progress.

Q & A

What is Citation Machine and how does it differ from EasyBib?

Citation Machine is a free website for creating citations, similar to EasyBib. However, it allows users to create APA citations without having to pay a premium price, which is particularly useful for science and social science students.

Why might students prefer Citation Machine over EasyBib?

Students might prefer Citation Machine because it offers free APA citation creation, which is often required for science and social science classes, without the need for a premium subscription.

How does one begin the process of creating a citation on Citation Machine?

To begin creating a citation, a user should click on 'Create Citation' on the Citation Machine homepage and select the type of source they are citing, such as a website or journal article.

What is the default citation style on Citation Machine?

The default citation style on Citation Machine is APA, which is suitable for many academic disciplines.

How does Citation Machine handle the citation of online journal articles?

Citation Machine treats online journal articles as journal articles for citation purposes, despite being accessed online. Users should select 'journal' as the source type and input the article's URL.

What should users do if the automatically generated citation information is incorrect?

Users should manually check and correct any automatically generated citation information to ensure accuracy, such as the author's name or publication date.

How can users avoid duplicate citations on their references page?

Users can manually delete any duplicate citations from their references page using the provided buttons on the Citation Machine interface.

What feature does Citation Machine offer for in-text citations?

Citation Machine allows users to create in-text citations by clicking on the appropriate button after generating a full citation.

How can users export their completed references page from Citation Machine?

Users can export their entire references page by clicking 'Export All' after completing all their citations, which will create an alphabetized and properly formatted list.

What precaution should users take while using Citation Machine to avoid losing their work?

Users should periodically copy and paste their citations into a separate document to avoid losing their work, as Citation Machine does not automatically save progress when navigating away from the page.

How does Citation Machine ensure its service remains free for users?

Citation Machine is free for users because it generates revenue through ads displayed on the website, allowing the service to be offered at no cost.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Introduction to Citation Machine

The speaker introduces Citation Machine as a free tool for students, including those from OCDSB, to create citations. Unlike EasyBib, Citation Machine allows for free APA citations, which are essential for science and social science papers. The tutorial begins with accessing the Citation Machine website and selecting the 'Create Citation' option. The default citation style is APA, which is suitable for the intended audience. The speaker guides viewers on how to choose the correct source type, such as 'website' or 'journal,' and demonstrates the process of entering a URL to generate a citation. An example is given using an article from a science class, where the speaker copies the URL and pastes it into Citation Machine to generate an APA citation. The tutorial emphasizes the importance of verifying the automatically generated citation details, such as the author's name and publication date, to ensure accuracy.

05:02

🔍 Completing and Exporting Citations

The second paragraph continues the tutorial by explaining how to complete the citation process in Citation Machine. After verifying the citation details, the speaker shows how to continue to the next step and copy the citation for use in a references page. The tutorial also covers how to create in-text citations and export the entire references page once all citations are complete. The speaker advises viewers to periodically save their work in a separate document to prevent losing progress if the Citation Machine page is accidentally closed or navigated away from. The speaker concludes by emphasizing the ease of use of Citation Machine and encourages viewers to use the tool for their research projects.

Keywords

💡Citation Machine

Citation Machine is a free online tool designed to help students and researchers generate citations in various academic formats. In the context of the video, it is presented as an alternative to EasyBib, emphasizing its free access for students and its ability to create APA citations without a premium subscription. The video script demonstrates how to use Citation Machine to generate citations for academic sources, such as journal articles and websites, which is crucial for students who need to properly credit their sources in research papers and assignments.

💡EasyBib

EasyBib is another free citation management tool, often used by students to create citations and bibliographies. The video script mentions EasyBib as a familiar resource for students, comparing it with Citation Machine to highlight the unique features of each tool. EasyBib is used as a point of reference to introduce Citation Machine, emphasizing that both tools serve the same fundamental purpose of aiding in academic citation creation.

💡APA Citation

APA (American Psychological Association) citation is a widely used citation style in the social sciences, particularly in psychology and education. The video script focuses on teaching how to create APA citations using Citation Machine, which is essential for students in science and social science classes where APA format is often required. The script provides a step-by-step guide on how to input source information to generate accurate APA citations.

💡Journal Article

A journal article refers to a scholarly work published in a periodical or journal, often containing research findings or academic discussions. In the video, the script instructs viewers on how to cite a journal article using Citation Machine, even if the article was accessed online. The example provided in the script involves selecting 'journal' as the source type and inputting the article's URL to generate the citation.

💡URL

URL stands for Uniform Resource Locator, which is the web address of a specific webpage. In the context of the video, the script guides users to input the URL of the source they wish to cite into Citation Machine. This is a crucial step in the citation process, as the URL provides the tool with the necessary information to generate an accurate citation for the source.

💡Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the act of using another person's work or ideas without proper attribution, which is considered academic dishonesty. The video script briefly mentions that Citation Machine is not used for checking papers for plagiarism, clarifying its primary function as a citation generator. The mention of plagiarism serves as a reminder of the importance of proper citation practices in academic work.

💡In-Text Citation

An in-text citation is a brief reference to a source within the body of a text, typically including the author's name and the publication date. The video script explains that Citation Machine can generate in-text citations in addition to full reference citations. This feature is useful for students who need to include direct references to sources within their written work.

💡References Page

A references page is a list of all the sources cited in an academic paper, formatted according to a specific citation style. The video script demonstrates how to use Citation Machine to create a full references page, which is alphabetized and properly formatted. This is an essential component of academic writing, as it provides readers with a comprehensive list of sources consulted in the research.

💡Sponsored Message

A sponsored message refers to an advertisement or promotional content that is integrated into the user experience of a free service. In the video, the script mentions that Citation Machine may ask users to view sponsored messages as a way to support the free service. This is a common monetization strategy for free online tools, allowing them to provide their services without charging users.

💡Export

In the context of Citation Machine, exporting refers to the process of saving or downloading the generated citations or references page. The video script explains that once all citations are completed, users can export their entire references page, which can then be inserted into documents like Google Docs. Exporting is a crucial final step in the citation process, allowing students to incorporate their citations into their academic work.

Highlights

Introduction to Citation Machine as a free citation tool for students.

Comparison with EasyBib, highlighting Citation Machine's free APA citation feature.

Explanation of how to access the Citation Machine website and create citations.

Default setting in Citation Machine is APA, which is beneficial for science and social sciences.

Guidance on selecting the correct source type for citations, such as journal articles.

Emphasis on using the correct citation type even if the source is accessed online.

Step-by-step guide on entering the URL of the source into Citation Machine.

Demonstration of how to copy and paste a URL into Citation Machine for citation generation.

Process of verifying and correcting automatically generated citation information.

Importance of ensuring the correct author's name is credited in the citation.

Instructions on how to complete the citation and check for accuracy.

Mention of the option to view sponsored messages to support the free service.

Feature to create in-text citations within Citation Machine.

Advantage of exporting all citations to create an alphabetized and formatted references page.

Advice on copying citations to a separate document to avoid losing work.

Caution about Citation Machine not saving work if the user navigates away from the page.

Final summary of how to use Citation Machine effectively for citation creation.

Transcripts

okay hi everyone i'm going to teach you

how to use citation machine

okay i know that a lot of you are

familiar with easybib and easybib is a

great resource that is

free for ocdsb students but citation

machine

is also free for us it's it's a website

that is free for students or for

everybody really

um they have some different ways of

making money and that's why you see

different ads on the side but citation

machine is different from easybib in

that it allows you to create

apa citations without having to pay a

premium price

so for science and for social sciences

you may want to use apa i know in my

science class you

have to use apa for your citations so

that's what we're going to use

here and i'm just going to show you how

to use the actual citation machine

itself so we have um this this is the

page that you get to when you first

click on the citation machine link

you'll see create citations and check

your paper you do not want to check your

paper you don't want to scan your paper

and get it checked for plagiarism that's

not what we're here for we're here to

make citations

so you're going to click create citation

once you click create citation i believe

the default setting is actually apa

which is fantastic but if not we'll

change it in

at the end right now all you need to do

is take a look at

what you think is most like the source

that you're going to use

so if you are actually using a journal

article which is great

then you do need to click journal rather

than website even though let's say you

accessed it online

it's still considered a journal article

as far as citation is concerned so you

need to click

journal um there may be other things

here like you have newspaper online

database

film etc okay most of what you're going

to be citing will be a website so that's

what we're going to use

so once you click on website you are

going to then

go to the website that you are using and

put the url

right into there so uh i'm going to give

you an example here

today this is one of the articles that

you had to use for this fluor

enemy u ami pulido was one of the

articles that you had to use for your

shimi tasche da la monte considering if

you're in the grade 9 science so

this is an article that the grade 9

science students are reading or may have

been reading

and let's say we want to make a citation

of that so i'm going to put my cursor

into here and i'm going to copy it

and plop it into citation machines so

here is the website i've just copied and

pasted it i'm not going to search

it takes a second okay it will now give

me depending on what the

results are from citation machine it

will give me a couple of different

sources so if this is the in fact the

source and i'm looking for then i'm

happy i'll go cite

i check all of the information and i

click

continue now the last step is to make

sure that the information that they have

automatically gathered is actually

correct

so you'll notice that the article name

is correct um but here

this is saying that the person who wrote

this article has the last name of

lyfigogosante now we know that lefigero

is actually the name of the newspaper

and not the name of the person who

actually wrote it not name the name of

the journalist

so we're going to go over to our page

and make sure that we have

the actual journalist's name properly

written and cited

so this person the person who wrote this

article his name is machiato

so we will actually go in and type in

autumn

as her last name mahi as her first name

to make sure that she gets credit for

her work once we do that we're going to

complete the citation all the rest of

this is fine so you're going to get the

published

the publication date so when it was

actually put online and the date that

you

accessed it so that happens to be today

that's fine

and then you're going to complete

citation sometimes it will ask you to

view a sponsored message and that's fine

you just need to view the sponsored

messages to keep it free

citation machine plus lets you scan for

accidental pleasure

okay so now i've arrived i've

finished going through all the steps to

make my citation i've arrived and now i

can

now i have my references page so i've

actually already cited this

um once before and i don't want to

duplicate the citation on my references

page so i'm going to just delete that

citation that was really easy to

use the little buttons on the side if

i'm done and i only need one citation

i can go ahead and just click copy

citation and that will give me the

references page

version of that citation if i'm doing an

activity where you have been asked if

you're doing an activity where i have

asked you to create in-text citations

you can do that by clicking here what's

really cool about citation machine is if

you continue

kind of having this this um window open

and working through your citations

you'll notice that every time you need

to create a new citation you can just

click this button you go through the

same steps

and once you've gotten all of your

references completed

you can then just export all and that

will create for you a references page

that is alphabetized

and properly formatted that you can then

put into any of your google docs

if i'm asking you for a full out

references page

sometimes i'll just ask you for a single

reference in which case you can put that

wherever it is that i've instructed you

to do so but if you're looking for a

full references page you would want to

export all

after you have completed all of your

citations

i would warn you that you may want to

periodically copy and paste these

citations into a separate document just

to make sure that you don't lose any

work on the way

the reality is that this does not

require a citation machine does not

require me to log

in in any way so it has no way of saving

my work

if i navigate away from this page

sometimes it remembers

sometimes it doesn't so you would hate

to lose all of that hard work on your

citations if you happen to go away

for a little bit other than that

that's that's pretty much how citation

machine works so again

you click through the citations you

input your information your url your

journal article

you make sure that all the information

is exactly how it should be and then you

arrive at this references page where you

can either

copy your citation create an in-text

citation or export your entire

references page i hope that this

has been helpful for you and happy

researching