Educator Guide
Your students become better researchers
Citation tool helps prevent plagiarism
 Citing is intuitive, encouraging students to cite while they write, properly
crediting sources and avoiding plagiarism
 Instructional features teach information literacy – students grasp what they
are researching and learn to evaluate online sources
Easily create a bibliography in MLA, APA, and Chicago styles
Export to Word or Google docs fully formatted
Create in text citations, and tag and sort citations. Cite/autocite 58 source types
Instructional Website evaluation, Citation guide, Source guide, and LearnCite features
Notebook improves critical thinking and research habits
 Notebook teaches students to meaningfully organize their notes helping
them become organized and effective researchers
Two systems: virtual note cards and Cornell Note taking
Create a dynamic outline that lets student fluidly move data points to improve flow
Group, color, and tag notes, and associates them with your outline and sources
Used by over 28 million students!
The EasyBib experience
“My interest in EasyBib stems from my users’ interest in it:
I’ve been getting feedback from students that the amount of
time and effort required to learn and use some other citation
tools is greater than students need, or want, to invest. They
find EasyBib to be easier to use.”
-Cheryl LaGuardia
Harvard University
Research Librarian
Getting started…
Use EasyBib to promote library resources
Once you sign
up for an
account, your
school’s logo
will be displayed
here
Here students can
find links to their
library homepage,
databases, and other
library resources
Create a two way flow between your library resources and EasyBib
*Many of your students may be familiar with the free version of EasyBib
Registering - Using IP authentication
1. Click the
register link
3. Or register with
an existing third
party service like
Google
2. Register
and create an
account with
EasyBib
Registering from IP authenticated school computers instantly gives
students premium feature access. Register at any point to create a
premium account, save your work, and access it from anywhere!
Registering – Using a coupon code
Give your students a unique coupon code to register
with EasyBib and access premium features
Registering – Using a coupon code with a third
party service
Register with a third party
service
Click coupon
codes link at
account page
to upgrade
Add coupon code to
access premium features.
IP authenticated
computers will have
immediate access
Getting started
This is the project management page. Students
can create, manage, and view projects.
Each project has a bibliography, a notebook and a
paper attached to it.
Start by clicking “create a new project.”
Creating a New Project
First name the
project
Next, select the
desired citation style
(students can always
change this later)
Then click “create”
Starting a bibliography or notebook
The new
project
has been
created
and
appears at
the bottom
To start creating citations for this project, just click
“Bibliography.” Click “Notebook” to create notes and
an outline. Click “Paper” to open a Google doc.
Associate your project with a Google document
Click the paper link
Easily produce a draft
Quickly add parenthetical citations and footnotes
Associate with a new Google document
or an existing one, and grant access
Copy and paste from outline
and notes
Using the citation and
bibliography tool
Teaching the best practices of research
EasyBib’s citation tool improves research
 By making citations intuitive and easy, students are no longer intimidated
by the citation process
 Students are encouraged then to cite while they write, instead of waiting to
put together their bibliography at the end of their paper, properly crediting
sources and preventing plagiarism
Improving information literacy
 Website evaluation tool indicates which online sources should and should
not be used in research. By providing robust criteria and examples,
students learn to critically think about what they are reading online
 Source guide makes students understand what they are researching by
providing source definitions, examples, and alternatives
 Citation guide reviews best research practices and techniques, plus
visually teaches bibliographic data location
 LearnCite dynamically shows students how data is formatted while
providing style specific help
Selecting a source type to cite
Here is the bibliography start page. Students
can easily select the most popular sources to
cite, or they can click all 59 options to see all
the sources EasyBib supports
Viewing all source types
Students can
cite almost any
source. This
encourages
students to
explore
different
sources types
and cultivates
a diverse
research
approach
Search and cite up to 22 of the 59 sources
Citing a book
Students can
automatically
format book
citations by simply
entering a title,
keyword or ISBN
Simply enter a search term, find the
appropriate edition from the list, click
‘select’, and...
Citing a book
The fields automatically fill in, saving students time to focus on research!
EasyBib encourages students to check
the information
Select the correct medium, such as
website, and add additional info
Click the “Create citation”
button, and...
The LearnCite box dynamically shows
where different elements are placed
within a citation as information is entered,
and highlights specific rules such as
those around capitalization, helping
students understand the citation process
Building a bibliography
The citation is
automatically
formatted and
added to the
student’s list.
They continue
the process to
build a works
cited
Citing a website
Automatically cite a
website by simply
entering a URL. EasyBib
will grab the data from
the site and automatically
fill in the form
*EasyBib cautions to
check that all of the
information is correct and
to fill in any empty fields
Information literacy for websites
EasyBib has analyzed
the most cited websites
and alerts students on
which sources are
credible to cite, which
aren’t, and which ones
are in the middle
EasyBib shows students the
robust criteria used to evaluate
the website, and if not
evaluated, provides criteria and
questions to help them
evaluate the website as a
credible source to use in
research
Information literacy for websites
EasyBib provides visual
examples and guidelines so
students learn to find and
analyze criteria used in
evaluating online sources.
Examples show credible,
questionable, and non-credible
websites
Source guide – Choosing the right source
If uncertain
about a
source, a
student can
click the help
link, which is
on all 59 forms
and the tab
menu
The Source guide helps students understand and distinguish
what type of source they are citing by providing definitions,
examples, and suggestions of different source types, and
guides them to the correct form
Citation guide
The Citation guide,
found at the tab
menu, provides
definitions of key
sources, and
shows where
bibliographic data
is found and
formatted, helping
students
understand the
fundamentals of
research and
information
gathering
Manual entry and annotations
If preferable or if
information cannot
be automatically
found, students can
manually enter their
citation data.
EasyBib will properly
format whatever is
entered
You can add
annotations to any
citation
Importing citations from databases
Select “Upload citations”
from the “All 58 options”
menu
Upload citations to any list.
EasyBib supports Bibtex
and Endnote files
If your students frequently use databases, they can easily
upload citations from databases into EasyBib
Direct citation export from databases
Numerous databases
support a direct export to
EasyBib, making it easy for
students to export their
citations. The number of
supported databases is
growing
Parenthetical citations and footnotes
Create parenthetical citations
in MLA and APA and adjust
information included. Click the
rules link on the bottom right
to see the parenthetical
citation guide
Create and save footnotes
in Chicago style
Switching citation styles, sorting, and tagging
Manage citations and move
them between projects
Sort alphabetically, by
source, by tag, and date
created
Transitioning
between MLA, APA,
and Chicago is
seamless and
automatic
Add tags to
organize
citations
Understanding the quality research
Bibliography Analytics teach students to evaluate their own work
and identify areas for improvement before submitting assignments.
Exporting your bibliography
Exporting your work is easy
Students can export their fully formatted works cited to Word or
Google Docs. They can also copy & paste and e-mail their work.
Sharing your bibliography
Sharing your work is easy
Students share their
work with classmates
for group projects or
with their instructors.
Students can invite
others from the
bibliography page or
from the Projects
screen by clicking
Share.
Students and
teachers can view
projects that have
been shared with
them in the Shared
Projects area.
Sharing your bibliography
Students can set
different levels of
permissions: view, edit,
comment.
They can also change
permissions or delete
members.
Scan and cite with the EasyBib App
for iPad, iPhone, and Android
•Scan barcodes or
search for titles to
cite books instantly
•Compile a list of
cited books
•Email citations and
then export them
to an EasyBib
bibliography list
The app offers an interactive and fun way to approach citations
Using the notebook
Notebook promotes effective research
Structured note taking…
 Students can link notes to sources so they can remember where
information comes from, helping prevent plagiarism
 Quotes area where students can copy and paste and track content
 Paraphrasing area encourages students to synthesize and understand
information
 Comments area pushes students to think aloud and explore ideas
 Ability to associate notes with the outline helps students trace information
and properly credit sources within their paper
Fluid organization…
 Organize and identify ideas, themes, and concepts by grouping, tagging,
and coloring notes
Easily moveable virtual notes cards promotes brainstorming
 List view help students understand notes and content along the various
organizational means
 Outline helps students dynamically conceptualize paper ideas
Notebook
Create virtual note cards, associate notes with your
outline, and manage your notes in list format
Access the notebook through project management page
or by clicking the notebook tab
Notebook – Creating a New Note
Title your note
Associate the note
with a source in the
bibliography
Click the
“New note”
button or
double click
anywhere
within the
note pane to
add a note
Students can differentiate
between quotes,
paraphrasing and their own
comments/thoughts
Organize notes by
creating groups, adding
tags and/or color-coding
Add a page number,
paragraph number, or
URL, to better track
information
Notebook – Managing virtual notes
Use the
organize
button to
add colors to
notes or
groups, and
to manage
tags
Students can create
virtual notes and
arrange them within
the space by dragging
and dropping
Bird’s-eye-view navigation provide ample
room to arrange notes
The Notebook allows students to fluidly manage and
organize information as they research
Notebook – Using groups
Group notes by
dragging notes, or
groups on top of one
another. Change the
group name by
double clicking it
Double click the
group to expand it.
Add and remove
notes from the
expanded group
Notebook – List view
Click list view to
see notes in a
more expanded,
scrolling format.
Create and
organize new
notes in this view
as well.
List view is
interchangeable
with visualize
view, and
modeled after
Cornell Note
taking
View and manage notes based on groups,
tags, notes associated with sources, or by
the date notes were created
Students can easily disseminate notes along
numerous dimensions helping organization
Notebook – Creating an outline
Drags and drop bullets or use
the navigation bar
Students can drag notes or
groups from the notes pane to
the outline to associate notes
with parts of their paper (drag
and drop from both visualize
and list view)
Using the outline tool, students can dynamically structure
and connect notes with their paper ideas as they research
Notebook – Printing and backing up notes
Students choose how data will display.
Students can click print to export and
back up their notebook.
Working from the
outline, students
can review their
paper’s flow,
continuity, and
substance.
Notebook – Commenting
Click on Open Comments to
leave feedback
Students and teachers can
easily interact. Instructors can
provide feedback and answer
questions along side of student
work.
Writing the Paper
Students simply tab back to projects to open up their paper.
Administrative Panel
By designating, librarians and educators as admins, they are able
to view student information, usages statistics, and edit the
subscription customization.
Admins can access the administrative panel from the School link.
Student Information
Admins can:
• email students
their
passwords,
• reset them
directly,
• and even view
all student
projects.
Admins can view a list of all users registered from the Students
tab. Searching by last name, first name, and email address
makes it easy to see who has registered and assist students.
Usage Statistics
From the Statistics tab,
admins can see usages
metrics such as the number
of accounts created,
citations, and notes on a
monthly and annual basis.
Graphs make it easy to see
when research is happening
and when EasyBib is being
utilized the most.
Customization
Promote your school and library resources
Customization empowers you to create a
two-way flow between library resources and
EasyBib.
Simply upload your logo as a jpeg.
Enter a URL to link to and the text
you would like it to display as.
Click Add a Link to create as many
links as needed.
Save when done.
The EasyBib experience
“Because the Web site is so intuitive and quick, they can focus on
using reliable sources and documenting them properly instead of
worrying about formatting the citations correctly.”
-MaryAnne Karre
This is fantastic and exactly the type of application the Net was
created for. I'm going to suggest it to every student I have.“
-Professor, Penn State University
"I tell all of my students about this service. I teach at a university
and this is the most accurate service I have found!“
-Maria, Professor
Give your students the tools to embrace better research!
Gives your students a tool they will love
“I love your website. I don't know how I would make it through all these
papers without you! Thanks so much!”
– Matthew, College Student
“Thank you so much for this website, I absolutely LOVE it. I have one
teacher who is really picky about bibliographies and using this website I
got an A. I told a couple friends about this and now most of the eighth
grade uses it, even my English teacher uses it to check things. You are
geniuses thanks a trillion”
-Taylor, Junior high student
“EasyBib, I love you! Can we get married? Haha, I just felt like shooting
you all a note to tell you how much I really appreciate the service you
offer. It is incredibly helpful, makes me feel extremely organized, and is
also quite aesthetically appealing. Thanks again!!”
-Michelle , student
Over 100,000 fans on Facebook!
Learn more about our institutional
products, and request a personal webinar
or trial at:
http://www.easybib.com/products/bib4school