Citations
The citation feature allows end users to generate properly formatted bibliographic references directly from the reader. This is essential for academic users who need to cite content in essays, theses, and research papers without manually formatting references.
Business Context
Academic institutions and libraries represent a significant segment of our customer base. Citation support is a core requirement for these tenants, as their end users need to reference content in standardized formats accepted by universities and publishers worldwide.
How It Works
Users access the citation feature from two points in the reader:
| Access Point | Context | Includes Page |
|---|---|---|
| Toolbar button | Cite the entire book | No |
| Context menu | Cite selected text | Yes (auto-detected) |
When triggered, a dropdown menu displays all available citation formats. The user selects a format, and the system generates a properly formatted reference that copies to the clipboard.
There is no default format. The user always selects the desired format explicitly.
Format availability: APA, MLA, IEEE, ISO 690, and Vancouver are always present in the menu regardless of the product's metadata. ABNT and Chicago (all three sub-styles) require specific metadata fields to be valid. If a required field is missing, that format does not appear in the menu. See each format section for its required fields.
Available Formats
| Format | Standard | Primary Use |
|---|---|---|
| ABNT | NBR 6023 | Brazilian academic works |
| APA | 7th Edition | Social sciences |
| Chicago | 17th Edition | Humanities, sciences (3 sub-styles) |
| IEEE | — | Engineering, computer science |
| ISO 690 | ISO 690:2021 | International standard |
| MLA | 9th Edition | Humanities, literature |
| Vancouver | — | Biomedical sciences |
ABNT Format
The ABNT (Associação Brasileira de Normas Técnicas) format follows the NBR 6023 standard, widely used in Brazil for academic work.
Structure
LAST NAME, First Name. Title: subtitle. Edition. City: Publisher, Year.
When citing from a text selection, the page number is appended:
LAST NAME, First Name. Title: subtitle. Edition. City: Publisher, Year. p. 45.
Formatting Rules
| Element | Rule | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Author | Last name in UPPERCASE, first name normal | SILVA, João Carlos |
| Title | Bold or italic, first letter capitalized | Metodologia científica |
| Subtitle | Lowercase, after colon | : técnicas de pesquisa |
| Edition | Number + "ed." (omitted if first edition) | 3. ed. |
| City | City of publication | São Paulo |
| Publisher | Publisher name | Atlas |
| Year | Publication year | 2020 |
| Page | "p." + number (only from text selection) | p. 45 |
Author Handling
| Authors | Format | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | LAST NAME, First Name | SILVA, João Carlos |
| 2 | Separated by semicolon | SILVA, João; SOUZA, Maria |
| 3 | Separated by semicolon | SILVA, João; SOUZA, Maria; LIMA, Pedro |
| 4+ | First author + "et al." | SILVA, João et al. |
Examples
From toolbar (entire book):
GARCÍA, Roberto. Fundamentos de programación. 2. ed. São Paulo: Novatec, 2023.
From text selection (with page):
GARCÍA, Roberto. Fundamentos de programación. 2. ed. São Paulo: Novatec, 2023. p. 127.
Multiple authors:
SILVA, Ana; COSTA, Bruno; LIMA, Carlos. Introdução à análise de dados. Rio de Janeiro: LTC, 2022.
Required Fields
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Author(s) | Yes | Full name and last name |
| Title | Yes | — |
| Subtitle | No | Include if available |
| Edition | No | Omit if first edition |
| City of publication | Yes | Required for ABNT |
| Publisher | Yes | — |
| Year | Yes | — |
| Page | Conditional | Only from text selection |
If the city of publication is missing from the product metadata, the ABNT citation option does not appear in the context menu.
Chicago Format
The Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition) offers three distinct citation styles, each serving different academic disciplines. Chicago is the only format with a submenu in the citation dropdown.
Submenu Structure
┌─────────────────────────────┐
│ ABNT │
│ APA │
│ Chicago › │──┬─────────────────┐
│ IEEE │ │ Notes │
│ ... │ │ Bibliography │
└─────────────────────────────┘ │ Author-Date │
└─────────────────┘
Style Comparison
| Style | Output Format | Typical Use |
|---|---|---|
| Notes | Footnote reference | Humanities, history, arts |
| Bibliography | Reference list entry | All disciplines |
| Author-Date | Inline parenthetical | Social and natural sciences |
Notes Style
Generates a footnote-style reference for inserting in the body of a document.
Structure:
First Name Last Name, Title (Publisher, Year), page.
Examples:
From toolbar:
Charles Yu, Interior Chinatown (Pantheon Books, 2020).
From text selection:
Charles Yu, Interior Chinatown (Pantheon Books, 2020), 45.
Multiple authors:
Amy Binder and Jeffrey Kidder, The Channels of Student Activism (University of Chicago Press, 2022), 78.
| Element | Format |
|---|---|
| Author | First Name Last Name |
| Title | Italic |
| Publisher, Year | In parentheses, separated by comma |
| Page | After parentheses (only from text selection) |
| Author separator | "and" |
Bibliography Style
Generates a reference list entry. Never includes page numbers, even when citing from a text selection.
Structure:
Last Name, First Name. Title. Publisher, Year.
Examples:
One author:
Yu, Charles. Interior Chinatown. Pantheon Books, 2020.
Multiple authors:
Binder, Amy, and Jeffrey Kidder. The Channels of Student Activism. University of Chicago Press, 2022.
| Element | Format |
|---|---|
| First author | Last Name, First Name (inverted) |
| Additional authors | First Name Last Name (normal order) |
| Title | Italic followed by period |
| Publisher | Followed by comma |
| Year | Followed by period |
| Page | Never included |
| Author separator | ", and" before the last author |
Author-Date Style
Generates a short parenthetical reference for inline citation in the text body.
Structure:
(Last Name Year, page)
Examples:
From toolbar:
(Yu 2020)
From text selection:
(Yu 2020, 45)
Multiple authors:
(Binder and Kidder 2022, 78)
| Element | Format |
|---|---|
| Author | Last name(s) only |
| Year | No extra parentheses |
| Page | After comma (only from text selection) |
| Everything | Wrapped in parentheses |
| Author separator | "and" |
Chicago Author Handling
| Authors | Notes | Bibliography | Author-Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charles Yu | Yu, Charles | Yu |
| 2 | Charles Yu and Jane Doe | Yu, Charles, and Jane Doe | Yu and Doe |
| 3 | Charles Yu, Jane Doe, and John Smith | Yu, Charles, Jane Doe, and John Smith | Yu, Doe, and Smith |
| 4+ | Charles Yu et al. | List all (up to 6, then et al.) | Yu et al. |
Chicago uses "and" to connect authors. Never "&" or ";".
Required Fields
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Author(s) | Yes | Full name |
| Title | Yes | In italic |
| Publisher | Yes | Full name |
| Year | Yes | 4 digits |
| City | No | Not required in Chicago 17th ed. (CMOS 14.30) |
| Page | Conditional | Only from text selection (except Bibliography) |
If author, publisher, or year is missing from the product metadata, none of the Chicago sub-styles appear in the citation menu.
APA Format
The APA (American Psychological Association) format follows the 7th Edition standard, widely used in social sciences, education, and psychology.
Structure
Author 1, Author 2 (Year). Title of book (Edition). Publisher. URL
When citing from a text selection, the selected passage is shown above the reference:
"selected text"
Author (Year). Title. Publisher. URL
Formatting Rules
| Element | Rule | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Author | Shown as stored in product metadata, no transformation | Roberto García |
| Year | In parentheses, followed by period | (2023). |
| Title | Sentence case, italic | Fundamentals of programming |
| Edition | In parentheses after title, before period | (2nd ed.) |
| Publisher | Name only (no city in APA 7th) | Novatec |
| URL | Direct link to the reader position | https://... |
Author Handling
Our reader displays authors exactly as they appear in the product metadata, joined by commas. No name inversion, no initial reduction, and no truncation are applied.
APA 7th edition requires the format Last, F. M. and & before the final author. Our implementation does not transform author names. The quality of the output depends on how the publisher entered the metadata. For example, if the metadata contains John Smith, Jane Doe, Carlos Rivera, the citation displays John Smith, Jane Doe, Carlos Rivera.
Examples
From toolbar (entire book):
John Smith. Fundamentals of programming. (2nd ed.) Novatec. https://store.example.com/reader/123
From text selection:
"Learning to code begins with understanding basic algorithms."
John Smith. Fundamentals of programming. (2nd ed.) Novatec. https://store.example.com/reader/123
Multiple authors:
John Smith, Jane Doe, Carlos Rivera. Introduction to data analysis. LTC. https://store.example.com/reader/456
Required Fields
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Author(s) | No | Omitted if not in metadata |
| Year | No | Omitted if not in metadata |
| Title | Yes | Falls back to store title |
| Edition | No | Omitted if not in metadata |
| Publisher | No | Omitted if not in metadata |
| URL | Yes | Always included; points to reader position |
MLA Format
The MLA (Modern Language Association) format follows the 9th Edition standard, commonly used in humanities and literary studies.
Structure
Last, First. Title. Publisher, Year. Website Name, URL
When citing from a text selection, the selected passage is shown above the reference:
"selected text"
Last, First. Title. Publisher, Year. Website Name, URL
Formatting Rules
| Element | Rule | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Author | Last, First — inverted for first author | García, Roberto |
| Title | Title case, italic | Fundamentals of Programming |
| Publisher | Followed by comma | Novatec, |
| Year | Followed by period | 2023. |
| Website Name | Name of the platform (hardcoded) | publica.la, |
| URL | Direct link to the reader position | https://... |
Author Handling
| Authors | Format | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Last, First. | García, Roberto. |
| 2 | Last, First, and First Last. | García, Roberto, and Ana Silva. |
| 3+ | First author + ", et al." | García, Roberto, et al. |
Examples
From toolbar (entire book):
García, Roberto. Fundamentals of Programming. Novatec, 2023. publica.la, https://store.example.com/reader/123
From text selection:
"Learning to code begins with understanding basic algorithms."
García, Roberto. Fundamentals of Programming. Novatec, 2023. publica.la, https://store.example.com/reader/123
Multiple authors:
Silva, Ana, et al. Introduction to Data Analysis. LTC, 2022. publica.la, https://store.example.com/reader/456
The website name is set to publica.la and is not configurable per tenant in the current implementation.
Required Fields
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Author(s) | No | Omitted if not in metadata |
| Title | Yes | Falls back to store title |
| Publisher | No | Omitted if not in metadata |
| Year | No | Omitted if not in metadata |
| Website Name | Yes | Localized platform name |
| URL | Yes | Always included; points to reader position |
IEEE Format
The IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) format is the standard reference style for engineering, computer science, and related technical disciplines.
Structure
A. Author, Title. Country: Publisher, Year. [Online] Available in: URL
When citing from a text selection, the selected passage is shown above the reference:
"selected text"
A. Author, Title. Country: Publisher, Year. [Online] Available in: URL
Formatting Rules
| Element | Rule | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Author | Initial(s). Last name | R. García |
| Title | Sentence case, italic | Fundamentals of programming |
| Country | Country of publication, followed by colon | Brazil: |
| Publisher | Publisher name, followed by comma | Novatec, |
| Year | 4-digit year, followed by period | 2023. |
| Online | [Online] label appended to reference | [Online] |
| URL | Prefixed by localized "Available in:" label | Available in: https://... |
IEEE citations always include the [Online] marker and an "Available in:" URL, since our reader is a digital platform.
Author Handling
The system lists all authors separated by commas. No "et al." truncation is applied regardless of author count.
The IEEE canonical standard recommends truncating to the first six authors and appending "et al." when there are seven or more. Our implementation does not apply this truncation; all authors are listed as stored in the product metadata.
Examples
From toolbar (entire book):
R. García, Fundamentals of programming. Brazil: Novatec, 2023. [Online] Available in: https://store.example.com/reader/123
From text selection:
"Learning to code begins with understanding basic algorithms."
R. García, Fundamentals of programming. Brazil: Novatec, 2023. [Online] Available in: https://store.example.com/reader/123
Multiple authors (3):
A. Silva, B. Costa, and C. Lima, Introduction to data analysis. Brazil: LTC, 2022. [Online] Available in: https://store.example.com/reader/456
Multiple authors (8 — all listed):
A. Silva, B. Costa, C. Lima, D. Rocha, E. Ferreira, F. Alves, G. Mendes, and H. Torres, Advanced data systems. Brazil: LTC, 2022. [Online] Available in: https://store.example.com/reader/789
Required Fields
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Author(s) | No | Omitted if not in metadata |
| Title | Yes | Falls back to store title |
| Country | No | Omitted if not in metadata |
| Publisher | No | Omitted if not in metadata |
| Year | No | Omitted if not in metadata |
| URL | Yes | Always included; points to reader position |
ISO 690 Format
The ISO 690 format follows the ISO 690:2021 international standard (4th edition), which provides guidelines for bibliographic references to information resources of all types.
Our reader applies the author-date variant with uppercase last names, as recommended by the standard.
Structure
LAST NAME, First name. Year. Title [Online]. Edition. Country: Publisher. ISBN. [Generated: YYYY-MM-DD]. Available in: URL
When citing from a text selection, the selected passage is shown above the reference:
"selected text"
LAST NAME, First name. Year. Title [Online]. Edition. Country: Publisher. ISBN. [Generated: YYYY-MM-DD]. Available in: URL
Formatting Rules
| Element | Rule | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Author | LAST NAME in uppercase, followed by first name | GARCÍA, Roberto |
| Year | 4-digit year, followed by period | 2023. |
| Title | As published, followed by [Online] marker | Fundamentals of programming [Online]. |
| Edition | In parentheses | (2nd ed.) |
| Country | Country of publication, followed by colon | Brazil: |
| Publisher | Publisher name, followed by period | Novatec. |
| ISBN | Prefixed by ISBN: | ISBN: 978-85-7522-000-0 |
| Generated date | ISO 8601 date in brackets | [Generated: 2026-04-23] |
| URL | Prefixed by localized "Available in:" label | Available in: https://... |
The [Generated: YYYY-MM-DD] date is inserted automatically at citation time. It reflects when the user generated the citation, not the publication date.
Author Handling
| Authors | Format | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | LAST NAME, First | GARCÍA, Roberto |
| 2 | LAST NAME, First and LAST NAME, First | GARCÍA, Roberto and SILVA, Ana |
| 3+ | First author + ", et al." | GARCÍA, Roberto, et al. |
Examples
From toolbar (entire book):
GARCÍA, Roberto. 2023. Fundamentals of programming [Online]. (2nd ed.). Brazil: Novatec. ISBN: 978-85-7522-000-0. [Generated: 2026-04-23]. Available in: https://store.example.com/reader/123
From text selection:
"Learning to code begins with understanding basic algorithms."
GARCÍA, Roberto. 2023. Fundamentals of programming [Online]. (2nd ed.). Brazil: Novatec. ISBN: 978-85-7522-000-0. [Generated: 2026-04-23]. Available in: https://store.example.com/reader/123
Multiple authors:
SILVA, Ana, et al. 2022. Introduction to data analysis [Online]. Brazil: LTC. [Generated: 2026-04-23]. Available in: https://store.example.com/reader/456
Required Fields
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Author(s) | No | Omitted if not in metadata |
| Year | No | Omitted if not in metadata |
| Title | Yes | Falls back to store title |
| Edition | No | Omitted if not in metadata |
| Country | No | Omitted if not in metadata |
| Publisher | No | Omitted if not in metadata |
| ISBN | No | Included when externalId is present |
| Generated date | Yes | Auto-inserted at citation time |
| URL | Yes | Always included; points to reader position |
Vancouver Format
The Vancouver format follows the NLM (National Library of Medicine) style, used primarily in biomedical sciences, clinical medicine, and life sciences.
Structure
Author Last Initial. Title [Online]. Country: Publisher, Year [Generated date]. Available in: URL
When citing from a text selection, the selected passage is shown above the reference:
"selected text"
Author Last Initial. Title [Online]. Country: Publisher, Year [Generated date]. Available in: URL
Formatting Rules
| Element | Rule | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Author | Last Initial(s) — no comma between last and first | García R |
| Title | Sentence case, followed by [Online] marker | Fundamentals of programming [Online] |
| Country | Country of publication, followed by colon | Brazil: |
| Publisher | Publisher name, followed by comma | Novatec, |
| Year | 4-digit year | 2023 |
| Generated date | Short date in brackets appended to year | [23 Apr 2026] |
| URL | Prefixed by localized "Available in:" label | Available in: https://... |
The generated date is appended automatically at citation time in the format [D Mon YYYY]. It records when the user accessed the resource, following Vancouver's convention for online sources.
Author Handling
The system lists all authors separated by commas. No "et al." truncation is applied regardless of author count.
The Vancouver canonical standard recommends truncating to the first six authors and appending "et al." when there are seven or more. Our implementation does not apply this truncation; all authors are listed as stored in the product metadata.
Examples
From toolbar (entire book):
García R. Fundamentals of programming [Online]. Brazil: Novatec, 2023 [23 Apr 2026]. Available in: https://store.example.com/reader/123
From text selection:
"Learning to code begins with understanding basic algorithms."
García R. Fundamentals of programming [Online]. Brazil: Novatec, 2023 [23 Apr 2026]. Available in: https://store.example.com/reader/123
Multiple authors (3):
Silva A, Costa B, Lima C. Introduction to data analysis [Online]. Brazil: LTC, 2022 [23 Apr 2026]. Available in: https://store.example.com/reader/456
Multiple authors (8 — all listed):
Silva A, Costa B, Lima C, Rocha D, Ferreira E, Alves F, Mendes G, Torres H. Advanced data systems [Online]. Brazil: LTC, 2022 [23 Apr 2026]. Available in: https://store.example.com/reader/789
Required Fields
| Field | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Author(s) | No | Omitted if not in metadata |
| Title | Yes | Falls back to store title |
| Country | No | Omitted if not in metadata |
| Publisher | No | Omitted if not in metadata |
| Year | No | Omitted if not in metadata |
| Generated date | Yes | Auto-inserted at citation time |
| URL | Yes | Always included; points to reader position |
Related Documentation
- Reader Feature Overview - Feature availability by content type and device
- Manage Highlights and Notes - Notebook panel reference, including Citation Copy from annotations