Google launched their new Explore feature back in September. This is a great tool that works in Docs, Slides, and Sheets to bring the power of Google search into whatever you (or your students) happen to be working on.

One of the lesser known Explore features is the ability to quickly insert a footnote citation into a Google Doc. MLA, APA, and Chicago style citations are supported. Keep reading below the fancy moving picture to learn how!

Citing a website using the Explore sidebar

In order to use the Explore feature in Docs to automatically insert a citation, the webpage you are citing must show up in the Explore sidebar as a “Web Result.” If you want to cite an article you’ve found elsewhere, you can always paste the link into the sidebar like so:

Changing the format of the citation

This tool uses MLA format by default. To change to either APA or Chicago, simply click on the three dots next right next to Web Results as seen below. Bear in mind that you will need to change this setting to the desired format before inserting the citation:

Any questions?

Don’t be a stranger. If you have any questions about this post or how you can integrate similar tools into your classroom, please let me know in the comments section below.