Academic success commences in a library!

In the analogue days, success commenced with searching through the archives of the institutional library and reading through volumes of journals and textbooks on the library desk. The gathering of information continued, with repeated running to the nearest photostat machine to copy the valuable articles. The researcher then had to return the journal volumes to their place on the library shelves. The gathering of information in a library was always a long-winded and time-consuming process.

The digital age has considerably simplified the process.

An online connection and a computer allow access to an endless number of journals, books, blogs and websites, and gives the researcher access to work completed by anyone anywhere in the world.

While the process has been significantly simplified, the research and referencing process still requires diligent management.

Modern technology integrates the management information process

An individual researcher may work at home on an Apple Macintosh and a Windows desktop in the library. The same researcher may be sitting in a coffee shop and want to immediately follow up on source details on their mobile. Equally, the follow-up may be when travelling on a bus or on a train or simply waiting for a meeting in an office reception. At other times, a mobile researcher working with an iPhone might want to share information with another who is using a Windows desktop.

In the modern day, integrated reference management is supported by all the major platforms and systems which work together seamlessly:

? Apple, Microsoft, Android, Chrome, and the major hardware systems are compatible.nbsp;

? Mobile, tablet, laptop, or desktop offer full, integrated, cross-platform access.

? References can be accessed in fixed or mobile locations, across cloud and desktop.

While both Mendeley and Zotero claim seamless integration with Microsoft and Apple operating systems, some expert users suggest Mendeley is the superior choice for Windows operating systems and Zotero is for the Apple operating system. As always it is important to make your decision after talking to expert users.

An abundant amount of source research is available. The opportunity for convenient working and collaborative sharing with other online researchers is enormous. This is an opportunity modern technology platforms facilitate seamlessly. ?

It is important for an academic to build the professional management of the research into their skills base.

How does a modern researcher effectively manage the information?

Research means gathering information from multiple sources, potentially discovering new facts or allowing the development of fresh interpretations of known facts. This allows the researcher to become a recognised expert in their field.

The management of researched information is the catalyst for success.

Reference management expertise will greatly assist the early-career academic in complying with the universal academic practice of showing respect for peers. These practices include referencing, avoiding plagiarism and maintaining ethical research.

To support this, the early-career academic must become an expert in managing references. Selecting the correct tool is an important factor in building such a skill base. ?

What reference management tools are available?

There are several tools serving this purpose. It is critically important that a tool is selected that combines both the researcher and the tools’ intended use.

The most popular reference management tools are RefWorks, EndNote, Mendeley, and Zotero.?

For the early-career academic, a discussion with a more experienced researcher within the institution will greatly assist in making the right decision about the system to use.

Priority should be given to understanding what specialities the tool delivers?

What does a reference management tool do?

The tool supports the academic in efficiently managing their daily activities. To support this, the tool should allow:

? The import of research information through various mechanisms; manual, via PDF, via work completed in previous papers or via a search function, thus organising the research results.

? The researcher to read, annotate and markup the documents from within the tool.

? Full integration with the preferred writing tools, whether Microsoft Word, Google Docs, Apple Pages or LibreOffice Writer.

? Digitally sharing papers with colleagues across the working group.

? Efficient formatting of reference lists to the standards as required by different publishers and journals.

The “tried and tested” reference management tools tool will deliver the desired functionality and will grow or partner with the academic’s ongoing career development.

What comes into consideration when making this decision?

When deciding on the correct tool, there are several elements to consider.

Decide between using a free or a paid version:

? Most of the tools are offered in free and paid versions. Typically, the free versions are fully functioning but may have limited free storage limits. The limited storage might compromise longer-term use.

? What is the institution's selection? Is it free or paid to use?

? What will be the cost of the tool after graduation and must it be personally paid for to allow access?

?nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; What other compromises does the free version create?

Does the tool offer:

? Simplicity in learning and use?

? Seamless Integration with the user's preferred Windows, Apple or Chrome operating system. Before making this decision listen to the developer's claims and explore the views and preferences of expert users.

? Integration with MS Word, Google Docs or with the word processor typically used?

? PDF reading, annotation and notes?

? Online and offline access?

? Seamless synchronisation between desktop and web tools?

Consider the tool's functions and capabilities. Does the tool offer:

? Comprehensive access to institutional referencing style guides?

? A centralised library facility, a function which makes it simple to tag and categorise papers for subsequent access?

? Is there integration with add-on tools, such as for creating references from websites?

? Sharing of references and collaboration and networking across a study group?

Conclusion

As an academic, it is critical to develop and maintain a career-long research program.

This will ensure the academic stays on top of developments in their field.

This article outlines why it is important to select a reference management tool to support this.? Research is a career commitment, and choosing a reference management tool is also a career-defining decision.

It is taken for granted that the presentation of the work must be to the highest professional standard. The correct information management system decision will support this too.

Choosing the right reference management tool and making a commitment to using it is an important step in starting out and developing a successful academic career.

So, choose wisely, learn deeply and take responsibility for personal career success.

Additional sources of information

Introduction to Citation Management: https://pitt.libguides.com/citationmanagement/mendeley#:~:text=%E2%80%8BMendeley%20is%20a%20reference,Automatically%20generate%20bibliographies

Introduction to Citation Management Software: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lz1WbJ7cuhQ

Introduction to Citation Management Software: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YzkEf1aLsM