# Frequently Asked Questions
# How to cite references
# Why can't I see the references
After opening the plugin, please click on the menu in the upper left corner. The menu contains a preview of the references. If there are no issues, please select the location where you want to insert the references in your paper, and then click the insert button at the bottom of the plugin.
References are not inserted automatically. It is not necessary to include a long list of references if the paper is not yet complete. You can wait until the paper is finished, adjust the formatting, and then insert the references.
# The format of the references is not what I want
After opening the plugin, please click on the menu in the upper left corner and select "Set Citation Style". The default citation style is APA, and there are several commonly used formats available for selection.
If the desired format is not available in the common formats, you can click on "Add New Style", then search for the name of the journal you want, and select it. Currently, we support the majority of English journals and some Chinese journals.
If the desired format is not available, please contact the administrator at the bottom of the screen.
# How to insert notes
Switch to the "Notes" tab on the home page, then select the note you want to insert and click "Insert".
We do not provide a method to import notes into Word all at once. The reason for not providing this is that it would make the article very long and difficult to edit.
We recommend inserting the notes as needed. When you click "Insert Note", we have already prepared the corresponding reference for the note, which is presented at the top of the note list. You can also click "Cite".
# After citing references, it shows "{...}"
If you are using Word on Mac, check the version of MacOS. If the Mac version is lower than 10.14, this is a known issue. Please upgrade MacOS and use it. If you do not want to upgrade but still want to use the plugin, there is currently no better solution. Please wait for our future updates.
If a similar issue occurs in WPS, please make sure to only have the plugin open in one tab, and do not open multiple tabs.
If you are using Windows, this indicates a data issue. Please follow the steps below to troubleshoot:
- Create a new document and try to cite a reference. If it is successful, it means that only the current document has a problem.
- Delete the current citation and try to insert it again to see if it is successful.
- If step 2 is not successful, check the document for any mention of "Citation Error" (in red and bold). If there is, it means there is missing data. Please contact the administrator.
# After deleting a cited reference, the reference list does not automatically update
After deleting a cited reference, the program cannot detect it in real-time. It will be automatically updated after inserting a new reference. If you want to update immediately, you can close the plugin and reopen it. Then go to the menu and select "Update References".
# What is the final version? Can references be modified after the final version?
The final version removes all controls and converts them into regular text. Therefore, it is obvious that references cannot be added, modified, or deleted after the final version. All operations need to be done manually. To continue modifying the references, please save a copy of the document as a separate docx or WPS file (with a different file name) before finalizing it.
# After finalizing, how to convert the references in a table to plain text?
Instructions for Word documents:
First, click on the table editing box to select the table, then go to the "Layout" tab in the Word options.
Click on "Convert to Text" in the ribbon.
Choose the delimiter for the conversion.
Instructions for WPS:
Select the table, then go to the "Table Tools" tab and find the "Convert to Text" option.
Click on "Convert to Text".
If WPS displays unconventional characters after converting the table to text, go to the "File" tab, select "View", and uncheck the option for displaying spaces.
# How to customize the citation format?
ivySCI currently supports over 10,600 journals, the Chinese national standard GB/T 2015/7714 format, various variants, and the formats of most universities' theses and journals.
Please search for the desired journal format directly in the citation style options of ivyCite. If you cannot find it, ivySCI provides custom format services, but this feature is only available to paid members due to the high resource consumption.
Creating a new format usually takes up to a week, so it is recommended to prepare in advance. The administrator may ask you to submit a form, which typically includes the format name, journal name, and the journal's guidelines. If you are unsure what the journal's guidelines are, you can search for them on the journal's website.
# How to delete imported references
# How to perform the deletion
Simply delete the imported references. When new references are inserted, the deleted references will be removed. Alternatively, after deleting the references, reload the plugin.
# How to remove the numbering of the deleted references
After deleting the references, if you refresh the plugin, you may find that the numbering of the deleted references reappears. In this case, you need to close the plugin when deleting the references, and then reopen it.
# When citing references, it prompts that there is no author?
You need to supplement the author information in ivySCI. The method is to click on "Edit" in the reference information, and then you can automatically supplement it by searching in Chinese or English. When searching, enter the title or DOI. We have a video on Bilibili that teaches you how to do it: How to Supplement Reference Information (opens new window)
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