Bibliographic management

Using a tool to manage and create references can be helpful, particularly if you need to manage large number of references. Bibliographic management (also known as reference management) tools provide a way to collect and save details of the resources you have used in your work. They can then generate references, reference lists and bibliographies in a variety of referencing styles.

Selecting a tool to manage your references

There are a range of free and paid for tools available.  Many are web-based and free although please note free versions may have limitations, such as the amount of storage space.

• There are websites allow you to instantly generate a single reference, often known as citation generators.
• Word processing software may have plugins which allow you to generate references as you write.
• Other tools provide extensions to your browser which help you easily collect references.
• Several applications allow you to access them online and/or install them onto your device.

The Open University does not endorse a particular product but this Selecting a reference management tool activity will help you choose the right one for you. Wikipedia provide a page containing an extensive comparison of tools you may also find useful.

Support for reference management tools

The library provides a training session that gives an Introduction to reference management tools and an activity that provides help when using Reference management tools with library databases (requires login).

The Library helpdesk does not provide support for these tools but links are provided below to help materials for some of the more popular tools.  If you are still struggling to find an answer to your question, please contact the supplier directly.