Managing your information
Managing your information
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How do I keep track of the stuff I find?
How do I keep track of the stuff I find?
When you search for information and start to gather resources for your assignments, it's helpful to have a system in place for keeping track of what you have found, and where you found it. This is really important when it comes to referencing - you need to know where your information is from in order to reference it.
This section explores:
This section explores:
Ways to manage your information
The importance of referencing your work
Citation tools that can help you
Saving items in Library Search
Reference management tools
Citation and referencing
Citation and referencing
If you draw upon and use the ideas of others in your writing, it’s important to acknowledge where the information came from. This is done by providing in-text citations and references in your assignment.
In-text citations are used in the text of your assignment to identify the sources you have used. This tells the reader where your information came from.
References are typically listed at the end of your assignment. They give the reader details of the sources you have cited in your assignment.
Why do I need to reference my work?
Why do I need to reference my work?
Tools to help with citing your sources
Tools to help with citing your sources
There are also some great tools and sites to help you when citing from your sources, for example the Library Search citation tool and Citethemright.
The Library Search citation tool
The Library Search citation tool
Library Search 'Search All' contains a handy citation tool that you can use to help you cite or reference a resource. Be aware that the citations generated may not always be completely accurate, and you should check each one carefully.
How do I use the citation tool?
How do I use the citation tool?
From your search results page in Library Search, select the title of the resource you wish to cite. This will bring up the full record of the item.
Locate the 'cite' button in the tools section across the top of the page. Once you select this, a box will appear, offering citations in multiple formats.
Once you have found the format you need, copy the citation to your clipboard. If you are not sure which referencing style to use, check with your school.
Always check the citation carefully, to make sure the information is accurate and formatted correctly, and according to the style of referencing used in your school. Citethemright is a great resource to use for this.
Citethemright is an interactive website that shows you how to reference just about any type of source - not just books and journals but ebooks, websites, legal material, conferences and even tweets!
Citethemright is free to UEA students and you can access it both on and off campus. If you are off-campus, log-in using your UEA username and password.
Watch the video to find out how to use Citethemright.
A referencing tutorial is available on the Citethemright webpages which introduces the principles behind referencing and covers several topics including:
reasons for referencing
avoiding plagiarism
inserting citations into your work.
Reference management tools
Reference management tools
Another way to keep track of information you have found is to use a reference management tool. It's good to be aware of these, as you may want to try using them in the future. Reference management tools enable you to digitally store, manage, share and cite your references.
Watch the video for an overview of reference management tools
Microsoft OneNote
Microsoft OneNote
Using a digital notebook can be an effective means of keeping track of the sources you have used.
Microsoft OneNote is a note-taking app comprising notebooks, sections and pages you can use to store your notes. It can be a really helpful way of recording information sources you have found, along with notes from your reading. You might find OneNote helpful for taking notes during lectures, too.
The UEA subscribes to Office 365 and as part of this package you have access to Microsoft OneNote, and it is completely free.
Key features of OneNote
Available for free
Once you have an account, it can be accessed from any device
Available from University PCs
Highlighting/annotating functions
Ability to add notes using the keypad or a stylus
Watch the video to see how to get started with OneNote
Download Microsoft OneNote
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