There is no point searching for references, reading books and articles, and taking notes if you can't easily find a quotation or page reference when you are writing an essay or thesis.
It is also essential that you keep a record so that you can give proper accreditation to any sources you use to build your written argument. If you don't cite an idea or direct quotation, you could be accused of plagiarism. This has serious consequences for your degree. Find out more about avoiding this on the Plagiarism LibGuide.
*If you use LaTeX, you may find the following guide from the University of Melbourne useful for deciding whether to use Zotero, Medeley or BibTeX: LaTeX and Reference Management Tools
Below you will find a series of videos introducing you to reference management software and two popular reference managers: Zotero and Mendeley. The Reference Management video will introduce you to some of the benefits of using a reference manager and some of the standard features available in Zotero and Mendeley. The How to Videos will walk you through downloading the reference manager of your choice and help you get started using it. You can view the videos in full screen by selecting the "Full screen" option on the bottom right of the YouTube video once you have pressed play.
Below are a set of tasks to help you get started using a reference manager. If you
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