Creating Citation Styles

The basic procedure for creating a citation style is as follows:

First, you create a new citation style file using the Citation Style Editor. The new file has the extension .ccs4 and must be saved in Documents\Citavi 4\Custom Citation Styles.

You then use the citation style editor to define the style, covering each use case (book, journal article, etc.) and rule set (in-text or footnote citation, and bibliography entry).

You should also create a test Citavi project with just the reference types that you actually use in your work. Your test project should include several examples of each reference type, with various combinations of completed and empty fields and variations (for example, one, two, or three or more authors, or a missing year).

To save time, we recommend starting by editing a copy of a citation style similar to what you need.

The Citation Style Editor is an advanced feature and requires a solid understanding of the principles of citation... and a great deal of patience! Please keep this in mind as you read this chapter.