School of Public Health: Distance Students Library Research Support Guide

Research builds on research that has been done before and although it is essential that you show that you are aware of the current thinking in an area by referencing key works, you should also but also that you credit sources that have influenced your own work. This allows readers of your work to trace original sources that you have used as a basis for your arguments.. By providing an accurate list of references and properly citing your sources you demonstrate the range and depth of the research that you have done, as well as acknowledging the work of others. Failure to adhere to the basic principles of referencing amounts to plagiarism which is a major disciplinary offence.

In order to create an accurate bibliography, it is essential to keep accurate records of the books, journal articles and other sources that you have used. Trying to recall a reference for something you read several months ago (or even years in the case of a Masters or PhD) is a time-consuming nuisance all researchers have experienced at one time or another. The key to avoiding this is to manage your references as you proceed through your reading and research.

Reference Management Software

One of the key challenges of managing your references is keeping track of them all in an orderly way. Reference management software can be used for recording and utilising bibliographic citations or references.

Referencing software will help you manage your references, but many products also offer the facility to format citations in your document as you are writing. On this page are two reference management tools such as Mendeley and EndNote which will automatically help researchers at all levels easily gather, organize, store and share all types of information and to instantly generate citations and bibliographies