Reference management software (sometimes called citation management software or bibliographic management software) is software you can use to collect, store, and organize references to the bibliographic/citation information about books, articles, and other information sources you use when conducting research for any assignment.
The software provides you with a personal database you can use to generate bibliographies in a preferred citation style and to incorporate references into your papers as you write them. In most cases you can add citations to your database through an automated process, without any typing.
This guide covers two of the best free reference management tools, Zotero and Mendeley Reference Manager. Both Zotero and Mendeley offer web-accessible versions, and the Cheng Library recommends you use one of these to keep track of your references for assignments both large and small. For additional assistance in getting started with Zotero or Mendeley, please contact the Cheng Library - we'll be happy to help.
