Reference managers are different kinds of software you can use to import bibliographic information about sources and export your references to a variety of bibliographic formats. While these can seem complicated to learn to use at first, they do save a great deal of typing time in the long run.
- RefWorks – http://library.bilkent.edu.tr > Finding Resources > Research Tools > RefWorks. The “legacy” edition of RefWorks is available to all Bilkent students for free. Set up your account in a few minutes and import references from library databases direct from your browser and export bibliographies to a variety of styles and formats. Most databases have an “export to RefWorks” option. See this RefWorks Quick Start Guide for more details:
- Zotero – https://www.zotero.org/ open source software, freely available to all. You can install add-ins to your web browser to grab referencing information straight from webpages, and also store snapshots and pdfs of your sources in the “standalone” desktop versons for windows, mac and Linux. Zotero uses the RIS format so choose this when exporting. See this Zotero Quick Start Guide for more details. Highly recommended.
General tips when using bibliographic software:
- make sure the software is running on your browser and find the “export” function on the bibliographic record
- if you can’t find a bibliographic record for your source in the Bilkent library, try the OCLC WorldCat database – a massive database connecting all the world’s libraries: http://www.worldcat.org/
- always check the database record after importing to check there are no human errors in the data – these will affect how your reference displays