Citations play a pivotal role in the workflow of researchers and contribute significantly to an author's academic merit. At the forefront of citation formats are in-text citations and footnote citations, both serving as essential tools in scholarly communication.
In a recent announcement about the inclusion of footnote citation styles in Mendeley Cite, we recognized the scarcity of readily available information on citation styles. Committed to contributing to the research community, we've decided to share our findings.
Entering this research phase, the expectation was that in-text citations would dominate, given their widespread use. However, our exploration of Mendeley Cite's data for October 2023 yielded some intriguing results.
Top 15 Citation Styles in Mendeley Cite (October 2023) Percentage Share (%)
- APA (American Psychological Association) 56%
- IEEE 10%
- Vancouver 8%
- Nature 3%
- American Medical Association (AMA) 2%
- Cite Them Right – Harvard 2%
- Vancouver (Superscript) 1%
- Associacao Brasileira De Normas Tecnicas 1%
- Chicago Manual of Style (Author Date) 1%
- Elsevier – Harvard (with titles) 0.5%
- American Sociological Association (ASA) <0.5%
- American Chemical Society (ACS) <0.5%
- Elsevier – Vancouver <0.5%
- American Political Science Association (APSA) <0.5%
- Royal Society of Chemistry <0.5%
While our assumptions aligned with the dominance of in-text citations, what stood out was the fact that only 1% of citation styles in Mendeley Cite comprised footnote citations. Surprisingly, "Chicago Manual of Style 17th edition (full note)" emerged as the most popular footnote citation style, according to October 2023 data.
The supremacy of APA, IEEE, and Vancouver as the top three overall citation styles was expected, given their widespread use. However, contrary to expectations, MLA (Modern Language Association) did not make it to the top 15, despite its frequent recognition as one of the most popular citation styles.
Whether you prefer in-text or footnote citation styles, regardless of your field of study—be it Chemistry, Economics, or Law—Mendeley Cite offers a comprehensive range of citation styles. Simplify your workflow and save time by downloading Mendeley Cite today.
