The Google Docs Citations sidebar stores source details for later citations and a bibliography. Enter accurate source information first; an automatic-looking citation can still be wrong if its underlying author, date, or title is incorrect.
Add the source record
- Choose Tools > Citations on a computer.
- Select the supported citation style required by your assignment.
- Choose Add citation source and identify the source type and access method.
- Enter or verify the available fields, then save the source.
The documented styles include MLA eighth edition, APA seventh edition, and Chicago Author-Date seventeenth edition. Check your required style and edition before assuming one of these matches a publisher’s current instructions.
Verify imported metadata
The tool can search websites by URL and books by ISBN. Compare any suggested metadata with the actual source. A search result is not proof that the title, contributor, publication date, or edition is correct.
Add multiple contributors when needed, and use the organization option for a corporate author where appropriate. Do not invent missing information merely to fill a recommended field.
Check what appears in the document
Saving a source does not by itself place an in-text citation at the right statement. Insert citations where they support the wording, and inspect the bibliography separately.
Google notes that automatically generated elements appear in English even when the entered source text uses another language. Review those labels for the document’s requirements. Keep a record of the actual source consulted, and check quotations and page references independently; citation software formats information but does not establish that the source supports your claim.
References
Reviewed against the linked official product guidance on November 3, 2026. Features, limits, screen labels, and access can vary by account, platform, region, and organization policy.