Reference management software is effectively a large online filing cabinet where you can store references you have found, along with any matching PDFs. They will save you a great deal of time and effort when you are writing a paper, dissertation or thesis, but they do require a reasonably good, medium level of IT skills.
From academic information sources such as the journal article databases or even Google Scholar, you can automatically export bibliographic data to your reference management software. As you write your assignment and need to include a reference, pull the data into your word processor from the reference manager and simultaneously start the reference list at the end of the document, formatted in the style of your choice.
Edinburgh Napier’s reference manager is called Endnote. This is available on campus through any networked PC. It can also be accessed via your laptop or device off campus, i.e. at home, or using Eduroam wifi, if you download it onto your own device from the Software for Home Use page.
For more information about Endnote and other reference managers, please visit our Reference Management Libguide.