Citing Sources of Information 引文及列明出處: Helps on Managing Citations

Managing research citations is an essential but very time consuming task. By using citation management tools you can save time and effort in the process. Citation management tools are programmes that can help you to:

       collect citations from online databases and library catalogues together in one place;
       organize, edit, and search through the citations you have saved;
       automatically create in-text citations, footnotes, and bibliographies in the citation style you wanted;
       share your citations and collaborate with classmates on group projects.

EndNote Online

EndNote Online comes with the Library's subscription to Web of Science. It is a free web-based service used to store references and create bibliographies, and it offers up to 2GB of storage.

Click here to see our Library Guides on EndNote Online.

Mendeley

Mendeley is a combination of a desktop application and a website which helps you manage, share and discover both content and contacts in research. Mendeley is free with up to 2GB of storage.  Extra storage is available for a fee.

• Download desktop version - Download Mendeley desktop for Windows or other operation systems.
• Register for an account - Register a free account to access a number of online features 
• Help Guides - Help guides on desktop, web, iOS and Andriod, and video tutorials on using Mendeley.
• Mendeley support - Official Q&A on using Mendeley.

Zotero

Zotero is a free, open-source tool that helps you collect, organize, cite and share your research sources.  Use of Zotero is free with up to 300MB of storage. 

There are two versions of Zotero: Zotero for Firefox is a FireFox extension (built into your browser); Zotero Standalone is a program that works with Chrome or Safari (but not Internet Explorer).

• Video tutorials - Watch an introductory video of Zotero.
• Download Zotero - Select the version of Zotero you wish to install.
• Register for an account - Allow you to sync your library, participate in groups, or post to the support forums.
• Zotero support - Find help guides, FAQ and video tutorials on installing and using Zotero.

There are also citation generators which can help you to create citations and bibliographies. Unlike citation management tools, these generators usually only offer a few citation styles and features. You have to enter your information source in these generators to create the formatted citation, and they will not store your citation information. However, if you are writing a short assignment, they are very handy tools to help you generating citations quickly. 

BibMe

BibMe ​is a free citation generator developed at Carnegie Mellon University that produces citations and bibliographies in APA, MLA, Chicago and Turabian styles. 

Citation Machine

Citation Machine helps you to create a citation by entering information on your information source. It provides citations for APA, MLA, Chicago and many more styles. 

The citation feature in LibSearch can also generate a citation quickly for you :

1. To generate a citation for a title you have found in LibSearch, click the  next to the title.
   


2. Currently, the service provides four commonly used citation styles, namely APA, Chicago/Turabian, Harvard and MLA.
   


3. Similarly, click "EndNote" or "RIS" if you wish to export the record details. You may need to register and log in to the citation management tool separately.

4. Attention! The citation generated by LibSearch is for reference only. You should check the accuracy of the citation format before using it.

Many datebases or ebook platforms provide "cite" function. Below are a few examples:

ProQuest Ebook Central

EBSCOhost

Statista

There are many factors to consider. For example, if you are an undergraduate student, you will consider:

• Is it free?
• Is it easy to use?

If you are a graduate student, you might have different considerations, e.g.:

• Can it work well with the databases I use frequently?
• Is it able to organize and filter a large number of citations?
• Is it able to produce a bibliography in the preferred style used in my discipline?

To have some clues, take a look at the guide below:

• Which tool is best for me? (from University of Chicago Library)

Citation management tools are very helpful but they are not always correct. Remember to check your citations against the citation style's official manual to ensure the accuracy.

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