Managing your information

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:


Student with a pile of books

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?

Have a look at the using sources guide on these pages to find out why referencing is important.

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

Library Search 'Search Everything' 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?

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 on the right hand side of the page. Once you select this, a box will appear, offering citations in multiple formats. 

Once you have found the format you need, you can copy the citation, or you can choose to export it if you are using reference management software.

If you are not sure which referencing style to use, check with your school.


A short gif to demonstrate the process of using the Library Search citation tool

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.

Macmillian Cite them right logo

Citethemright

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.

Visit Citethemright

A referencing tutorial is available on the Citethemright webpages which introduces the principles behind referencing and covers several topics including:

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

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

Watch the video to see how to get started with OneNote