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Information Literacy Toolkit

Tips and Tricks

  • Use permalink or stable URL instead of the URL in the address bar 
  • You can save searches and individual items to your library account with the pushpin (log in first) 
  • You can generate citations in most databases, but be sure to check them against a guide 
  • Download PDFs and save them as you research (or you can email them to yourself too!)

Toolkit Feedback

Do you have an idea to add to this toolbox? Could something be better? Let us know using this form. 

Citing Sources

Citations give credit to the the author as well as enable other researchers (or your instructor) to locate the cited item. 

All sources should be cited in a bibliography or reference list and in the text or footnotes of a research paper.

In addition to this guide, Binghamton University Libraries  has several interactive tutorials on the Online Tutorials page under the Citations and Academic Integrity section.

Citation Resources

What is a citation manager?

Citation managers (sometimes called reference managers) are tools that allow you to:

  • Import citations from databases and Find It! as you research
  • Save and organize citations
  • Attach pdfs of articles and chapters, when available
  • Create bibliographies in a variety of formats
  • Insert footnotes and parenthetical citations as you write
  • Collaborate with others using shared folders

Which tool is right for me?

There are many factors involved in choosing a citation manager. Here are some questions to consider:

  • What are your colleagues, peers, labmates, advisors using?
  • Is there a preferred or dominant citation manager in your field of study?
  • Are you always working where there is reliable Internet access, or do you need a manager that you can sometimes access off-line?

Binghamton University Libraries provide support for the following citation managers:

  • Zotero is a free, open-source citation manager that can be used online or through the desktop program. Zotero has a robust user community and tends to be more popular in the humanities and social sciences.
  • Mendeley is a free, web-based citation manager that can be used online or through the desktop program. Mendeley tends to be more popular in the sciences.
  • EndNote Basic is a free, simplified version of EndNote that is only available online.

For a more detailed comparison of these tools, see the table below.

Citation Management Tools