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Managing references: Basic referencing tools

A guide to some of the systems you can use to help with referencing

There are a large number of basic referencing tools available on the Internet. These range from simple reference generators, to those which allow you to create bibliographies in a range of styles. These will be sufficient for most assignments. If you are doing a dissertation or project we recommend using a more fully featured reference manager such as EndNote or Mendeley.


MyBib and ZoteroBib

These tools are free to use, you don't need to create an account and they are ad-free. Both allow you to search for items you want to cite and create references and in-text citations in a wide range of styles. 

Always check references generated by these tools against your department guidelines and the information is complete and correct to ensure you don't lose marks for your referencing.

MyBib

Getting started
  1. Search for the source you want to cite:
    • Paste in a link for a website or PDF
    • Select 'Book' to search by ISBN or book title
    • Select 'Journal' to search by DOI or article title
    • Select 'Video' to search by video title or link
    • Click on 'More' if you want to cite something else e.g. a chapter
  2. Click on the resulting reference and check it - does it have all the right bits of information and is all correct? MyBib will alert you to things you might need to add/change, but these might not match the style you are using, so use with care.
  3. Click 'Save' and it will start to build a reference list.
  4. Repeat the above steps until your reference list is complete. It is also possible to add entries manually if the automatic generator doesn't cover what you need.
Changing reference list style

At the top of the reference list there is a pick-list of styles. The default is 'Harvard'. To change to another style click on the style name and search for the style you need. To find the version of Harvard used at the University search for 'Cite Them Right Harvard' and select '12th edition (no "et al.")'. Your references will be reformatted and re-ordered (if applicable) according to the rules of the selected style.

You can also change the font style and text size by clicking on the font name 'Times New Roman' at the top of the reference list.

Exporting the reference list 

Once you have finished adding all your references click the 'Download Reference List' button. Click 'Copy & Paste' to copy the list into an existing document. 

Generating in-text citations

For name-year styles such as Harvard and APA you can generate a correctly formatted in-text citation for each reference by clicking on the three dots to the right of the reference and selecting 'Copy in-text citation'. Paste this into the correct sentence in your assignment.

Checking and editing references

Check the references generated by MyBib against the guidance issued by your Department. Look out for:

  • missing information e.g. page numbers for journal articles;
  • capitalisation of titles and journal names.

Find out which style you should be using by checking our list:

You can edit the reference in MyBib prior to downloading the list, or correct any errors in the list once it is in your document.

ZoteroBib

Getting started
  1. Search for the source you want to cite by web link, ISBN (International Standard Book Number), DOI (Digital Object Identifier) or title. It is also possible to add references manually for other types of publication e.g. chapters. 
  2. The reference will be generated. Check it and edit if it necessary. It will also be added to a Bibliography further down the page.
  3. Repeat the above steps until your Bibliography is complete.
Changing reference list style

At the top of the Bibliography there is a pick-list of styles. The default is 'MLA'. Select from the short list of key styles or search for the style you need. To find the version of Harvard used at the University search for 'Cite Them Right Harvard' and select '12th edition (no "et al.")'. Your references will be reformatted and re-ordered (if applicable) according to the rules of the selected style.

Exporting the reference list 

Once you have finished adding all your references click the 'Copy to Clipboard' button and paste into an existing document. 

Generating in-text citations

For name-year styles such as Harvard and APA you can generate a correctly formatted in-text citation for each reference by clicking on the double quote 'Copy Citation' button to the right of the reference. Paste this into the correct sentence in your assignment.

Checking and editing references

Check the references generated by ZoteroBib against the guidance issued by your Department. Look out for:

  • missing information e.g. page numbers for journal articles;
  • capitalisation of titles and journal names.

Find out which style you should be using by checking our list:

You can edit the reference in ZoteroBib prior to downloading the list, or correct any errors in the list once it is in your document.