Managing references properly is part of the scientific process. By using a reference management program, your references will be formatted correctly according to the selected reference style.
Save time & create correct references with a reference management program
Writing references can be a time-consuming task. You save time if you use a reference management program and your references are formatted correctly. There are several different reference management programs that help you organize and use your references. Some examples are EndNote, Zotero, Mendeley and BibTex. Some are license-based and others are freely available online.
By using a reference management program you can create your own library, collect and sort your references, create reference lists and make reference in your text. Which program to choose depends on your needs. For example, if you write your thesis in Word, it works well with, Zotero, Mendeley or Endnote. Writing in Google Drive works well with Zotero. Basic features found in most reference management programs allow you to:
Collect references from databases and library directories
Organize the references in your own library
Use the references in a text document, such as Word or LaTex
Install Cite While You Write plug-in to insert references.
Install the Capture Reference button to your Bookmarks bar. With Capture Reference you can save references directly from your browser to your EndNote library.
Start to fil your library and you can do it in different ways: by importing references, exporting from databases and adding manually.
Don’t forget that as writer/ citation user, you are always responsible for quality and credibility of your references. You don’t lose this responsibility by downloading a reference from a database and submitting it in a reference management application.
Remember that the information above is for using Web EndNote and not EndNote Desktop. Do you have problem with getting started? Try to find a description to the problem in EndNote Online FAQs.
Proxy link – settings for full text
In order for full text functions such as Endnotes Find full text to work, settings for proxy and journal list need to be filled in.
Mendeley is free software which consists of two components: desktop software and a web application.
Mendeley Works with Windows, Mac and Linux and offer 2GB of free online storage. It is of course possible to purchase additional storage if it is needed.
PDF organizer: drag and drop, add note and highlighting to PDFs
Allows discovering statistics on own and other articles
Allows to run searches in sites such as Google Scholar and PubMed to complete any missing information
Two options for sharing collections:
Create public reading lists that are available to all Mendeley users
Totally open public group that anyone can join
Share private collections with up to three colleagues
Users are responsible for their own copyright awareness
Create a Mendeley account: Download Word Processor Integration (for Windows, Mac, Linux). And start with collecting, organizing, citing and collaborating within your Mendeley library.
For details on downloading and working with Mendeley:
Zotero is a free open source plug-in, developed in 2006 by George Mason University’s Centre for History and New Media (CHNM).
Zotero consists of two components: desktop software and a web application, offer free storage 300 MB, and it is possible to purchase additional storage if it is needed.
The file Storage is a cloud-based syncing and storage solution for PDFs, images, web snapshots, and any other files attached to your Zotero libraries.
Zotero allows users to create groups and share references.
Users are responsible for their own copyright awareness
Click here to create a Zotero account, download Word Processor Integration (for Windows/ Mac/ Linux). And start with collecting, organizing, citing and collaborating within your Zotero library.
For details on downloading and working with Zotero:
You can format your citations according BibTex, if you are LaTeX user. And you do not really need to do anything but learning work with commands. You create a database (.bib) with your references (bibliographic information) when you type them.
The style of all your references will be consistent. Don’t forget to define which style you want to apply to your references: \bibliographystyle{stylename}.
There is a lot of reference management software, both as license based and freely available. Most of them offer three basic functions: collect references, organize them and cite in your manuscript. Which one to use depends on the needs and workflow of the individual user. Please read this article in Wikipedia on how the different reference management works and try to find own strategy: Comparison of reference management software
Tips & advice
Choose a software which works for your purpose.
One document, one reference management software. It’s not possible to connect a document to both EndNote and Zotero or BibTex and Mendeley.
It could be problematic to have two libraries of the same software. Using groups or folders is recommended for sorting sources belonging to different ongoing projects.
