Google Docs add-on
Mosaic for Google Docs
Cite the papers in your Mosaic library from a sidebar beside your draft. Each citation goes in at your cursor, and the reference list at the end of the document updates itself.
Get it on Google Workspace Marketplace
How it works
Step 1
Install the add-on
Get the add-on from Google Workspace Marketplace. You need a Mosaic account to use it, and accounts are by invite from the waitlist during the beta.
Step 2
Open it and sign in
In a document, open Extensions, Mosaic, "Open Mosaic", then choose "Sign in". A Mosaic tab opens. If you are already signed in there, it finishes on its own.
Step 3
Pick a project and search
On the "Cite" tab, choose the project whose library you want and search by title, author or journal.
Step 4
Insert citations
Choose "Insert" on a paper. The citation goes in at your cursor and the reference list is added at the end of the document.
Step 5
Choose your style
Open the gear and pick the citation style for the document. Every citation and the reference list change to match.
What it does
Your library beside the draft
The sidebar searches the papers in the project you choose, so the sources you cite are the ones you saved and read.
A reference list that keeps itself current
Adding or removing a citation updates the list. Its heading follows the style, for example "Works Cited" for MLA.
Nine citation styles
APA 7th edition, MLA 9th edition, Chicago (author-date), Chicago (notes), Harvard, Vancouver, IEEE, AMA and Nature.
Find a source for a sentence
Highlight a sentence of at least five words and choose "Find in library" to look for supporting passages in your papers, or "Find on web" to search academic databases.
Refresh from your library
If you correct the details of a paper in Mosaic, "Update from your library" on the "References" tab brings every citation up to date.
Clean removal
Remove every citation of one source, or choose "Clear all citations" to remove them all and keep your text.
Good to know
- Where it runs
- Google Docs in a web browser on a computer, in a sidebar beside the document.
- What you need
- A Mosaic account with papers in a project library. Access is by invite from the waitlist during the beta.
- What Google asks you to allow
- Seeing and editing your Google Docs documents, which is how it inserts citations, footnotes and the reference list; access to Drive files you open or create with Mosaic; and showing a sidebar.
- Citation styles
- Nine. You cannot add your own style file.
- Price
- Free during the beta.
- Data use
- A sentence you highlight is sent to Mosaic when you ask it to find a source. Your research content is not used to train AI models. See how we protect your data.
Questions
Which citation styles can I use in Google Docs?
APA 7th edition, MLA 9th edition, Chicago (author-date), Chicago (notes), Harvard, Vancouver, IEEE, AMA and Nature.
Can I change the style after I have written the paper?
Yes. Pick another style in the gear menu and the citations and reference list are rewritten in it.
What happens if I copy and paste a citation?
A pasted citation becomes plain text that Mosaic no longer updates. Insert it from the sidebar again if you want it managed.
Can I cite a paper that is not in my library yet?
Add it to the project first, by DOI, PubMed ID, link or PDF, or with the Chrome extension. "Find on web" can also suggest sources for a highlighted sentence.
The sign-in window does not open. What should I do?
Allow pop-ups for docs.google.com in your browser, then choose "Sign in" again.
Can I use my Zotero or Mendeley references?
Yes, after you import them into a Mosaic project. See importing from Zotero or from Mendeley.