Use of Reference Management Software in Social Sciences

V. SriramV. Sriram

Chief Librarian, K.N. Raj Library

Centre for Development Studies

Thiruvananthapuram

email: vsrirams@gmail.com

Contents

� Literature – What and How to manage

� Basics of referencing – What and Why

� Reference management software

� Zotero – Features

� Zotero – Word integration� Zotero – Word integration

Literature

Research requires engagement with literature at each and every stage starting from exploring the topic to submission of the paper / theses / report.

Researchers gather a huge mound of literature in the research process and are literature in the research process and are often shocked to find that they are not able to manage it well.

Making literature manageable involves assessing their relevance, systematically keeping track of the sources, and maintaining notes / annotations

Managing Literature

Systematic gathering of sources:

Using proper tools to gather literature –Google Scholar, Journal Databases, …

Creating bibliographic records and making it error freeerror free

Organizing by topic, subject, research area…

Linking the soft copy full text for easy retrieval

Assigning a unique primary-key for print items.

Managing Literature

Annotation / Notes:

Incorporating the following -

Author and the audience

SummarySummary

Critical comments

Notes on relevance

Referencing

What is referencing?

It is a method used by the researchers to demonstrate that they have conducted a thorough and appropriate literature search, and reading. To accurately acknowledge and reading. To accurately acknowledge other people's work and ideas when writing your own work, you need to use a referencing style. There are many types of referencing style such as Chicago Style, MLA, MPA …

Referencing

Need for referencing

Accurate referencing reflects good academic practice and enhances the presentation of your work: it shows that your writing is based on knowledge and informed by appropriate academic reading.

You need referencing to ensure that anyone reading your work can trace the sources you have used in the development of your work, and give you due credit for your research efforts and quality.

If you do not acknowledge another writer's work or ideas, you could be accused of plagiarism.

Reference management software

To record the details of all the information you find. You will need these details to provide accurate references, and to enable you to locate the information again at a later date

Benefits:Benefits:

search easily for a particular reference to which you need to refer back

print or save lists of references

insert citations into your document and automatically produce a bibliography in whatever style you require

Reference management software - Evolution

Proprietary / Free Open Source

1980s – Reference Manager, End Note, Bookends

1990s – Pybliographer, Biblioscape, 1990s – Pybliographer, Biblioscape,

2000s – 25 new software – Mendeley, Zotero

Comparison -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_reference_management_software

Reference management software - Evolution

� MS Word: References. Citation and Bibliography

� Beginner: Zotero

� Advanced: Mendeley� Advanced: Mendeley

� LaTex users: JabRef

Zotero

Free – Open Source

Platform independent

Works Offline and Online

Over 6700 referencing styles Over 6700 referencing styles

Data Sharing

26 fields

34 Types of Sources

Linking full text / pdf

Integration with MS-Office / Open Office

Conclusion

Organizes your research materials

Long term storage

Reduces data entry and formatting

Helps to develop your researchHelps to develop your research

Thank you!Thank you!Thank you!Thank you!

V. Sriramemail: vsrirams@gmail.comMob: 9447251892

Firefox - Installation

Zotero - Installation

Zotero - Installation

Open Zotero

Collecting References

Collecting References

Adding items

Organizing items

Drag & Drop Items

Notes

Tags

Searching Items

Zotero – Word Add - in

Insert Citation

Insert Bibliography

Create Zotero Account

Zotero Login

Synchronize

Settings

Backup