Reference Manager 11: Quick Tips

Reference Manager is a bibliographic management and formatting program. It can be used to:

• Create and maintain your own searchable database of literature references
• Centralize and organize your research information
• Insert citations into word processed documents
• Format references and bibliographies in a variety of styles

More information and help from Reference Manager:

Key terms and concepts

Reference Types -- templates for the resources contained in a Reference Manager database (e.g. journals, books, newspaper articles, conference proceedings). Version 11 has 35 reference types

Reference Index -- a feature used to to create sub-groups of references

Term Manager -- provides a quick way to search and edit authors, keywords and journal names

Output Styles -- files used to control the appearance of references in a bibliography. The style names are based on journal publications, such as Nature, or a format defined by a publisher, such as American Psychological Association or APA

Import Filters -- files that allow for a successful match between the information in downloaded references and the data fields in a Reference Manager record. Import filters are designed for both specific information providers, such as Ebsco and for specific databases, such as PubMed

Cite While You Write -- commands added to your word processor to enable quick additions of references and formatting of bibliographies

Creating a new Reference Manager database

Choose New Database from the File menu. You can set specific options, such as the default sort order, by clicking on the Advanced button

Navigating a Reference Manager database

1. The Reference List display, in the lower portion of the screen, which shows reference ID numbers, authors and titles of entries in your Reference Manager database. The display can be customized to show additional fields
2. The Reference Edit pane, in the top portion of the screen, which shows the detailed record for the reference highlighted in the bottom pane

• Quick sorting of the Reference List display is available by clicking on any column header
• Adjust the size of your columns by clicking and dragging the bars between column headers

Customizing Reference Manager

From the Tools menu, select Reference List display to add additional display fields or change the names of column headers

Additional custom settings, such as checking for duplicate references when importing, are available under Tools/Options.

Building a Reference Manager database

Use your web browser to search a resource, download the citations and import them into Reference Manager. For assistance with importing from PubMed, see Tips for Importing References from PubMed into Reference Manager

Search web-based resources directly from Reference Manager and copy the results into your database. Select Tools/Internet Search to access ISI Web of Science, PubMed and library catalogs. Other "Z39.50" choices may require individual subscriptions

Enter new references manually by selecting References/New. It is important to select the appropriate Reference Type for proper formatting of citations and bibliographies

Copy references from another Reference Manager database. Select References/Copy Between Databases and select all references or check/highlight selected references to be duplicated

Import references from EndNote, ProCite or RefWorks. For assistance, send a message to Ask-A-Librarian

Searching for references in a database

Specific fields can be selected for searching by pressing the F3 key when your cursor is in the Field box.

The Boolean commands AND, OR, & NOT may be used in the Connector box. These operators can also be added to combine multiple search terms in the Parameter box by clicking on the icons to the right of the eraser icon on the Retrieval toolbar

Complex search strategies that you want to reuse can be saved by clicking the the Strategy Files tool button, to the right of the binoculars icon on the searching toolbar

Working with citations and bibliographies in your documents

Once you have created a Reference Manager database, you can automatically insert citations into the main text of your Word document or create endnotes or footnotes using the Cite While You Write feature. A Reference Manager toolbar is automatically added to your word processor when the program is installed.

The CWYW toolbar includes the following commands:

Insert Citation - Allows you to search your Reference Manager database for one or more references you want to cite

Insert Marked Reference(s) - Inserts the references that you have pre-selected from your Reference Manager database

Instant Formatting - Automatically formats your in-text citations and updates your reference list. Can be disabled under CWYW preferences

Generate Bibliography - Converts the unformatted reference information to formatted citations. Generates a bibliography at the bottom of your manuscript using the output style you selected. Also used to select alternate output styles for formatting

Edit Citation(s) - Displays the editing dialog box. Use this command to customize an individual citaiton, such as adding a suffix or omitting an author

Insert Note - Allows you to add notes as numbered citations for journal styles such as Science

Edit Database Reference(s) - Select citations from your Word document and edit the corresponding entries in your Reference Manager database

Revert to Original Text - Remove style formatting for selected citations

Remove Field Codes - Save a copy of your Word document without the CWYW field codes. Useful for electronic submissions of manuscripts

Cite While You Write Preferences - Change general preferences and keyboard shortcuts

Help - Display online help for Cite While You Write and Reference Manager