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Responsible research

Researcher's guide for responsible and open science.

Reference management

In the scientific community, establishing theories and claims as facts is based on scientific work and research done by other researchers. A citation tells where the original idea is from and guides the reader to see more information about the source in the list of references. Every source that is cited in the text is mentioned in the list of references, and every source mentioned in the list of references is cited in the text.

Main principles:

  • your own ideas should be clearly distinguished from those that you have cited
  • reference information must be stated as accurately as possible
  • style of referencing must be consistent throughout your work

Reference management programs

Reference management programs help you collect and organize materials you cite in your research and provide a useful way to keep track of your sources. They also allow you to use different referencing styles, e.g., APA, Chicago, MLA, Harvard etc. We recommend the free version of Mendeley or Zotero, because they both are compatible with Microsoft Word.

Note that when choosing a reference management program, you should follow the recommendations of your own university for security reasons.

Why use a reference management program?

  • saves time
  • easy to keep track of and organize your references
  • quickly add references and a bibliography in the text
  • can change the reference style with one click

How does a reference management program work?

The program collects and stores the bibliographic information of references from databases or imported files. You can then modify and organize them into folders and attach or view already attached PDFs. When writing your research, you can easily add references in the text and create a bibliography that stays up to date when you add new references. Reference management programs work with Microsoft Word, Libre Office, Google Docs and LaTex.

Choosing a reference management program

When choosing a reference management program, you must take into consideration your needs. Do you want the program to be compatible with a certain word processor?  Do you want to use the program on more than one device? Do you want to be able to work offline? To help you with your decision, check out this comparison between Mendeley, Zotero and EndNote (link to the table). In Wikipedia, there is also a more comprehensive list of different reference management programs (link to the comparison).

How to use

Mendeley logo.

Mendeley is a free web and desktop reference management application that helps you simplify your reference management workflow. With Mendeley you can

  • store, organize and search for the references in your library
  • seamlessly insert references and bibliographies to, for example, Microsoft Word documents
  • read, highlight and annotate saved documents which helps you keep your notes on different sources in one place
  • share your references and folders with other researchers
  • network academically
  • make yourself a researcher profile

As always, it is important to store your work, sources and references in more than one place (back up file).

Creating an account and the browser extension

Mendeley can be used in browser (link to website) or you can download the Mendeley Reference Manager to your desktop (download the app). Students and staff of University of Vaasa can download the app from Software Center. The library recommends the browser version since it is developed/updated more often. The free Mendeley account comes with 2 GB but more storage can be purchased.

First, create an account to Mendeley. If you have an account to any other Elsevier's product, such as Scopus, ScienceDirect or SciVal, you can sign in with the same credentials. äläDo not choose Sign in via your institution!

Kuvakaappaus Elsevierin sisäänkirjautumisesta.

Mendeley Web Importer is an extension for web browsers with which you can add references from databases to your own account, i.e., your Mendeley Library. Web Importer does not, however, work in all databases, thus installing it is not mandatory. The extension works in Chrome, Firefox, Edge and Safari, and you can install it on Mendeley's website (install plugin). After installation, you will see a red Mendeley icon in your browser toolbar.

Importing files from computer

Choose +Add new > Files from computer or drag and drop the file (e.g. PDF of a journal article) to your Library. Mendeley finds the reference information automatically and saves them to the Library along with the PDF file. Remember to check and edit the reference if necessary!

Saving references manually

Choose +Add new > Add entry manually, and fill in the information by hand. You can also search for the reference with, for example, the DOI identifier.

Importing references from the web with Web Importer

  • click the Mendeley icon in browser (sign in if needed)
  • choose the reference you want (you can import the reference as full text PDF at the same time if it is available)
  • click Add (you can import the reference directly to a collection you have created)
  • remember to check and edit the reference information before importing if necessary (click the pen icon next to the reference) 

Web Importer in Mozilla Firefox:

Screenshot of Web Importer in Mozilla Firefox.

Importing references from databases and reference management programs

You can save the reference as a file to your computer (or cache memory) and import it to your Mendeley Library:

  • on the page where your source is, find and click the button for importing, for example, Export/Cite/Download citation etc.
  • choose RIS, XML or Bib Tex as file format (choose always RIS in Finna) 
  • save the file to your computer (cache memory works too)
  • drag and drop the file to Mendeley Library or choose +Add new > Import library > choose the correct file format > choose the saved file

Mendeley Cite

Add Mendeley Cite to Word, so you can add references to your text and create a bibliography:

  • Insert > My Add-Ins > Store > search for Mendeley Cite > Add
  • devices owned by University of Vaasa: Insert > My Add-Ins > Admin managed > choose Mendeley Cite > Add

In Citation Settings, you can choose the referencing style and language in which the references and bibliography are. You will also see a preview of what they look like in different styles.

Screenshot.

Adding citations in Word

  • References > Mendeley Cite (sign in if needed)
  • choose the place where you want to add the reference
  • select the correct source in Mendeley Cite on the right and click Insert 1 citation
  • you can add page numbers by clicking the name of the reference above Insert citation (the name comes visible also when you click a reference that is already in the text)

Screenshot.

Creating a bibliography in Word

  • click ... in Mendeley Cite > Insert Bibliography
  • choose the place where you want to add the list of references > Continue
  • when you add new references to your text, the bibliography updates automatically
  • you can edit the references in the Library (in browser or Mendeley Reference Manager app) > then click ... in Mendeley Cite > Update from Library > the bibliography is updated

Zotero logo

Zotero is a free, open-source reference management tool that helps you collect and organize your references. In addition to the desktop application, you can create a cloud-based Zotero online account to use Zotero on multiple devices and share references with others. With Zotero you can:

  • store, organize and search all your references from your library
  • seamlessly insert references and bibliographies into, for example, Microsoft Word documents
  • change citation style in seconds when needed
  • read, highlight and annotate PDFs, and keep all your thoughts across multiple documents in one place
  • share references and folders with others

As always, it is important to store your work, sources and references in more than one place (back up file).

The Zotero app and plugins

To install Zotero, download the desktop application from Software Center (University of Vaasa students and staff) or visit Zotero's home page (link to website) to download Zotero to your device. Zotero offers each user 300 MB of free storage, but additional storage can be bought via your Zotero account.

If you want, you can create a free Zotero account (link to registration page). An account makes it possible to sync your library if you are using several devices. An account also allows you to create group libraries to share with others.

When you have created an account, you will need to add it to your desktop application:

  • EditPreferences > Sync  > Settings
  • Add your Zotero username and password > Set up syncing
  • Choose Sync automatically

Plugins:

Zotero Connector is a plugin that allows you to save content from your browser to Zotero with a single click. Zotero Connector is used for browsers Chrome, Firefox, Edge and Safari. Zotero Connector and other plugins can be downloaded from the Zotero home page (link to website).

Adding references to Zotero

Attached files are automatically saved to Zotero. This default setting can be changed (EditPreferences > on the interleaf General uncheck the box Automatically attach associated PDFs and other files when saving items). In Zotero you can read, highlight and make notes in the saved PDF files.

Once you have added a reference to Zotero, you can edit it if necessary. When you have added a reference, it is recommended to always check the reference and add possible missing information right away.

References can be organized info folders and folders can be created and named. Files, comments and tags can be added to the references.

References can be imported to Zotero in following ways.

Importing references from the web

  • When you have installed the Zotero Connector to your browser, you can add references to your library from the web by clicking the Zotero Connector icon in the upper right corner (Chrome) while viewing the reference you want to add.

Exampel of the Zotero Connector icon.

  • Choose the export option in the database (e.g. Export reference, Download citation) in order to add the reference to your Zotero library. It is recommended to use the RIS format!

Example of exporting references to Zotero from Finna.

Adding references manually

You can add a reference manually (File > New Item). A reference can also be searched for with an identifier (e.g. ISBN or DOI).

Importing files from computer

If you want to add references saved as files on your computer (e.g. a PDF of a journal article), import them from your computer (File > Import) or drag and drop the files to the middle section of your Zotero library.

The Zotero add-in

When downloading Zotero, the word processor plugin should automatically download as well. If you can not see a Zotero tab in Word, install it in the Zotero desktop application (EditPreferencesCiteWord Processors tab > Install/Reinstall Microsoft Word Add-in).

Click Document preferences to choose citation style and language for your references and bibliography and whether you want the bibliography to update automatically.

Adding citations in Word

Put the cursor where you want the citation, click on Add/Edit Citation. A red search box will appear. You can either enter the title etc. of the reference you want to cite in the red box or click the Z icon and choose Classic View to choose the reference from your library. Page numbers can be added in the box Page or directly in the citation in your document.

Screenshot.

Exampel of the use of Zotero in Microsoft Word

Adding a bibliography in Word

Put the cursor where you want the bibliography, click Add/Edit Bibliography and Zotero will create a bibliography of the cited sources. If the document does not update automatically, click Refresh.

Do you want to move references between computers?

References in Word are stored on your computer's hard disk. If you want to work on them on another computer, follow these steps to find the file:

  • type %APPDATA% to the Start menu search box
  • click the folder Roaming Microsoft > Bibliography
  • the references are saved in the XML file Sources

References in Word

Microsoft Word has a simple built-in reference function in the References tab. Here you can manually enter references and refer to them in the text and create a bibliography in the most common styles (APA, Harvard, MLA, etc). This built-in function is good if you have a limited number of references and you do not need to have access your references on different computers.

 

Screenshot of Microsoft Word.

The universities have committed to open science guidelines

Vaasan yliopiston, Vaasan ammattikorkeakoulun ja Novian logot.

How to use Mendeley Reference Manager

How to use Zotero

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