Managing Your References

As you search for literature in your field it is a good idea to keep track of relevant articles by importing them into citation management software. By doing so you are creating your very own searchable database.

There are several tools that can help you keep track of your references, share them with collaborators and help you cite the evidence as you write your research papers. Scroll down to learn more about specific tools.

EndNote Guide (short videos on all topics) - University of Hawaii at Manoa Library

Guide to using Reference Manager

Saving and importing citations (online tutorial) - Duke University Medical Center Library

EndNote and EndNote Web Basics

Advanced EndNote Handout

Citation management tools

EndNote and Reference Manager are two popular citation management tools.

Use these tools to:

• keep track of bibliographic information about research materials (articles, books, tables, images etc.).
• link to full text.
• create bibliographies and cite your sources (Cite While You Write or CWYW)**.
• manage resources for different research projects.
• share references with other researchers.

You must install the programs on your individual desktop or laptop, unless you are using the online version (see below). Instruction in how to use these tools is available either one-on-one or in groups. Please contact Francesca Frati, Instruction Librarian, x2438.

Free access for current McGill faculty and students

Both EndNote and ReferenceManager can be downloaded for free here by current McGill faculty and students.

Online tools:

EndNote Web
Accessible from anywhere you have Internet access. Search Pubmed using EndNote Web and import references directly. Citations include the  button  that links you to the full text article subscribed to by McGill (works only at the hospital or if you are signed in to McGIll VPN). Share your citations with other users. Once you download a plugin you can cite-as-you-write. Completely compatible with regular EndNote.

Connotea
Free online citation management tool designed especially for clinicians and scientists. Easy to sign up and use. Import references with a single click and link directly to full text. No cite-as-you-write capabilities, but you can export your references into Reference Manager and EndNote and cite-as-you-write from there. 

RefWorks
An online research management, writing and collaboration tool ($100 USD per year, free 30 day trial). Import references the same way you do with Reference Manager and EndNote. Manage your references and cite-as-you-write on the go.

**As with the desktop versions of citation management tools such as EndNote and Reference Manager, the Cite-While-You-Write features of online citation management tools will only work if you have Microsoft Office installed on your hard drive (at home or at JGH) i.e. not on the Citrix Network. Citrix does not allow these programs to communicate with Office. To have Office installed on your JGH hard drive contact CSIT. There is a charge for each individual license.

Updated July 28 2011