Learn how CiteCount automatically detects and manages citations in your academic writing. This comprehensive guide covers citation formats, detection methods, troubleshooting, and best practices for accurate word counts.
🔍 Understanding Citation Detection
What Are In-Text Citations?
In-text citations are references to sources within the body of your text. For academic word counts (especially IB), these citations are typically excluded from the official word count.
Example text: According to recent studies (Smith, 2020), climate change is accelerating faster than previously predicted (Jones & Davis, 2019, p. 45).
Why exclude citations?
IB Standard: IB explicitly excludes in-text citations from word counts
Academic Fairness: Citations are required but not original content
Consistency: Ensures fair comparison across different citation styles
Focus on Content: Word limits should measure your analysis, not references
📖 CiteCount Philosophy: We follow IB and most academic standards by automatically excluding in-text citations but INCLUDING the text content around them. Only the parenthetical/bracketed references are excluded.
📝 Supported Citation Formats
CiteCount automatically detects citations in multiple academic formats:
Author-Date Formats (APA, Harvard, Chicago)
Format
Example
Detection
Single Author
(Smith, 2020)
✅ Automatic
Two Authors
(Smith & Jones, 2020)
✅ Automatic
Three+ Authors
(Smith et al., 2020)
✅ Automatic
With Page Number
(Smith, 2020, p. 45)
✅ Automatic
Page Range
(Smith, 2020, pp. 45-50)
✅ Automatic
Multiple Citations
(Smith, 2020; Jones, 2019)
✅ Automatic
Author in Text
(2020)
✅ Automatic
Numeric Formats (IEEE, Vancouver)
Format
Example
Detection
Single Number
[1]
✅ Automatic
Multiple Numbers
[1, 2, 3] or [1,2,3]
✅ Automatic
Number Range
[1-5]
✅ Automatic
Mixed Format
[1, 3-5, 7]
✅ Automatic
Superscript/Footnote Formats
Format
Example
Detection
Superscript Number
Example text¹ continues here²
✅ Automatic
Multiple Superscripts
Text¹'² or Text¹⁻³
✅ Automatic
⚠️ Format Limitations:
Footnotes at bottom of page are NOT excluded (they're references, not in-text citations)
Bibliography/Works Cited sections are NOT automatically excluded
Non-standard or custom citation formats may not be detected
Citations with unusual spacing or special characters may be missed
⚙️ How Citation Detection Works
Automatic Detection Process
Pattern Recognition: CiteCount scans your text using sophisticated regex patterns that match common citation formats.
Context Analysis: The system analyzes surrounding text to confirm detected patterns are actually citations, not regular parenthetical statements.
Real-Time Highlighting: Detected citations are immediately highlighted in the editor—green for excluded, red for included.
Word Count Calculation: The counter automatically excludes green-highlighted citations from your word count.
Visual Indicators
🟢
Green Highlighting
Citation is EXCLUDED from word count (default for most citations)
🔴
Red Highlighting
Citation is INCLUDED in word count (manually toggled by you)
⚪
No Highlighting
Text is not recognized as a citation
💡 Detection Timing: Citations are detected in real-time as you type. If you paste large amounts of text, detection may take 1-2 seconds to complete.
🎛️ Managing Citations
Accessing the Citations Panel
Desktop: The Citations panel appears on the right side of the screen automatically.
Mobile: Tap the "Citations" button in the toolbar to open a full-screen panel.
Citations Panel Features
1. Citation List
View All Citations: See every citation detected in your document
Citation Preview: Each citation shows its full text
Occurrence Count: See how many times each citation appears
Word Count: View words per citation
Click to Jump: Click any citation to scroll to its location in the text
2. Toggle Inclusion/Exclusion
Click on any citation in the panel to toggle whether it's included in the word count:
Default State: Citations are excluded (green)
Click Once: Include in count (turns red)
Click Again: Exclude from count (turns green)
✨ Use Case: If CiteCount incorrectly detects something as a citation (like a year in parentheses), click it in the Citations panel to include it back in your word count.
3. Search Citations
Use the search box at the top of the Citations panel
Search by author name, year, or citation text
Results filter in real-time as you type
4. Sort Citations
Alphabetical: Sort by author name (A-Z)
Chronological: Sort by year of publication
Appearance: Sort by order in document (default)
Frequency: Sort by number of occurrences
📋 Common Citation Scenarios
Scenario 1: Citation Not Detected
Problem: You have a citation that should be excluded, but it's not highlighted.
Solutions:
Check Format: Ensure your citation follows a standard format
Fix Spacing: Remove extra spaces within parentheses
Verify Punctuation: Use standard punctuation (commas, periods)
Manual Exclusion: If it still doesn't detect, count it manually
Problem: CiteCount marks something as a citation that isn't one (e.g., "(2020 was a difficult year)").
Solution:
Open the Citations panel
Find the false positive in the list
Click it to toggle it red (included in count)
The text will remain in your word count
Scenario 3: Multiple Authors Citation
Formats:
Two authors: (Smith & Jones, 2020) or (Smith and Jones, 2020)
Three+ authors: (Smith et al., 2020)
All authors: (Smith, Jones, & Davis, 2020)
✅ All Detected: CiteCount recognizes all standard multiple-author formats automatically.
Scenario 4: Citations with Page Numbers
Formats Detected:
(Smith, 2020, p. 45)
(Smith, 2020, pp. 45-50)
(Smith, 2020: 45)
(Smith, 2020, page 45)
Scenario 5: Narrative Citations
What are narrative citations? Author name in your text, year in parentheses.
According to Smith (2020), climate change is accelerating.
How CiteCount handles them:
The year (2020) is excluded from count
The author name "Smith" is INCLUDED (it's part of your sentence)
This follows IB guidelines
🚀 Advanced Citation Features
Citation Settings
Customize citation detection in Settings (Cmd/Ctrl + ,):
Detection Sensitivity
High: Detects more patterns (may have false positives)
Medium (Default): Balanced detection
Low: Only obvious citations (may miss some)
Default Citation State
Excluded (Default): New citations are automatically excluded
Included: New citations count toward total (manual exclusion required)
Citation Highlighting
Toggle citation highlighting on/off
Customize highlight colors
Adjust highlight opacity
Batch Operations
Select All Citations
In the Citations panel, use the "Select All" option to:
Include all citations in word count
Exclude all citations from word count
Export citation list
Filter by Citation Type
Author-Date: Show only (Author, Year) citations
Numeric: Show only [1], [2] citations
Superscript: Show only ¹, ² citations
All: Show all detected citations
🔗 Built-in Citation Generator
Generate Properly Formatted Citations
CiteCount includes a citation generator to help you create correctly formatted in-text and bibliography citations.
How to Use
Open Generator: Click the "Citation Generator" button or press Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + C
Select Style: Choose APA, MLA, Chicago, or Harvard
Choose Source Type: Book, Article, Website, etc.
Fill Details: Enter author, title, year, etc.
Generate: Get both in-text and reference list citations
Insert: Copy or insert directly into your document
Supported Citation Styles
APA 7th Edition: Psychology, Education, Social Sciences
MLA 9th Edition: Literature, Arts, Humanities
Chicago 17th Edition: History, Arts
Harvard: UK Universities
💡 Pro Tip
Generated citations are automatically detected by CiteCount when inserted into your document. No need to manually mark them!
🎓 IB-Specific Citation Guidelines
What IB Excludes from Word Count
According to IB guidelines, the following are EXCLUDED:
✅ In-text citations (parenthetical references)
✅ Footnotes/endnotes that are citations only
What IB INCLUDES in Word Count
❌ Author names when part of your sentence (narrative citations)
❌ Bibliography/Works Cited/References section
❌ Footnotes with substantive content (not just citations)
❌ Quotations (the quoted text itself counts)
IB Extended Essay Example
According to Smith (2020), "climate change is accelerating" (p. 45).
Word Count: According to Smith climate change is accelerating = 7 words
Excluded: (2020) and (p. 45)
📚 IB Resources: CiteCount automatically follows IB standards. For subject-specific word count requirements, check our IB word count guides for Extended Essays, TOK Essays, and Internal Assessments.
🔧 Troubleshooting Citation Issues
Problem: No Citations Detected
Possible Causes:
Citation detection is disabled in Settings
Citations use non-standard formatting
Text was imported from a source with encoding issues
Solutions:
Go to Settings → Citations → Enable "Automatic Detection"
Check citation formatting matches standard formats
Try retyping a citation to see if detection works
Adjust Detection Sensitivity to "High"
Problem: Wrong Word Count
Possible Causes:
Some citations are marked red (included) instead of green
False positives detected as citations
Citations contain substantive content
Solutions:
Open Citations panel and review all detected citations
Toggle any false positives to red (included)
Toggle any missed citations to green (excluded)
Check "Words without Citations" counter for accurate count
Use Standard Formats: Stick to APA, MLA, Chicago, or Harvard citation styles
Consistent Formatting: Use the same citation style throughout your document
Review Detection: Always check the Citations panel after importing or pasting text
Manual Verification: For critical assignments, manually verify a few citations
Early Detection: Add citations as you write (easier to catch errors)
For Better Citation Management
Use Citation Generator: Generate correctly formatted citations from the start
Name Your Sources: Keep track of which citations belong to which sources
Check Before Submitting: Review Citations panel one final time before submission
Export Citation List: Save your citation list for reference
Keep Bibliography Separate: Don't include references section in the main text
🎯 Pro Workflow
Write your draft → Use Citation Generator for sources → Check Citations panel → Toggle any errors → Export with accurate word count → Submit with confidence!