Reference management software allows you to collect, store and organise your references, and insert them into your documents quickly and easily. Once you have stored a reference, you can use it over and over again in your bibliographies. This can save you a lot of time, as you don't have to manually type a reference each time you cite a particular source.
There are many different reference management software packages available, and you should choose the one that works best for you. The University of Essex supports EndNote, however there are other openly available software options that you'll be able to find online (e.g. Mendley, Zotero).
You may find it helpful to test different reference management software packages to see which one you prefer working with. A few things you might want to consider when choosing your reference manager are:
EndNote is installed on all computers in the IT labs on campus. EndNote, Mendeley and Zotero can be downloaded to your own computer.
EndNote is the officially supported reference management software at the University of Essex. You can find information on what support is available on the ITS EndNote Moodle pages.
Find answers to frequently asked questions on the EndNote FAQ page.
Mendeley is an openly available reference management software. You can download the software from the Mendeley website, and find more information on its features in their help guides.
This may be an alternative software if you find that you do not like EndNote, however please be aware that we are unable to provide 1-1 support for Mendeley.
Please note that there is a known issue with the Mendeley citation plug-in for Microsoft Word. This affects users who have installed Office365 via the University of Essex subscription. If this is the case for you, we would recommend that you look at an alternative reference management software.
Zotero is an open-source reference management software. You can download the software from the Zotero website, and find more information on its features in their detailed documentation.
This may be an alternative software if you find that you do not like EndNote, however please be aware that we are unable to provide 1-1 support for Zotero.
You might use one reference management software and decide that it isn't working for you, and that's okay! If you want to change your reference management software, you don't have to worry about losing all the references you've already saved - these can be easily transferred between software.
Select the software you want to use from the tabs above. You'll find links to guidance on how to transfer your existing library into your new software of choice.
Here's some quick links to help you get started using reference management software:
Getting started with reference management software as an organisation tool requires intermediate information and digital literacy skills. You will need confidence in using Library resources and software, such as Microsoft Word.
Using reference management software to reference sources in your paper requires advanced information literacy skills, and the ability to evaluate and interpret information to form your own ideas and support your arguments. Continue learning with Skills at Library to develop advanced skills.
Want to learn more?
Except where otherwise noted, this work by University of Essex Library and Cultural Services is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence.