LibGuides: Reference Management Software: About Referencing Software

About Referencing Software

There are various software packages that you can use to help compile and manage your references into your own personal database or library. They include templates for many different referencing styles such as MLA and also the preferred styles for many of the leading academic journals. They allow you to import your references directly into your own database from many online sources such as bibliographic databases, electronic journals and library catalogues. They also allow you to work in conjunction with a word processing package to insert in-text citations, your footnotes and bibliography into a document and then automatically format to your preferred style.

The main packages highlighted in this guide are: Endnote, Endnote Web, Mendeley and Zotero. It is worth spending some time to find which one best meets your needs as the styles included won’t be exactly the same as the Exeter styles of referencing, and may therefore need to be amended.

If your discipline requires you to use BibTeX, please use the format generated by that; no further amendments are required.

Microsoft Word also offers a basic referencing function: if you decide to use this, you will need to check that the references it produces match the formats required by the University of Exeter styles described in this guide.

It's worth considering whether using reference management software will be beneficial for the specific assignment you are working on. For assignments where fewer references are required, it may be quicker to create your references manually.

If you use reference management software it is important to ensure that the references you add to your library do not have any missing information. This is particularly important if you import references directly from a database or search engine as reference information can often be incomplete.

Please note that there can be many variations of a referencing style (e.g. Harvard), so you are likely to need to edit the references in your reference library to ensure that they are accurate and consistent with the specific style in use by your department. There are currently no approved Cite Them Right specific styles for reference management software. It is recommended that you select the export style that most closely matches the formatting on Cite Them Right e.g. Harvard, Vancouver and then edit this style on your reference manager / final document to ensure consistancy with the Cite Them Right style.