When you cite your sources, you are acknowledging that the ideas, information, or words are from another source. Failure to acknowledge this can be considered plagiarism. When you cite, you are also putting yourself in conversation with scholars, authors, and creators across space and time. You are choosing who to be in conversation with, whose voices you consider authoritative, and whose ideas to highlight. Because of this, we should be careful to cite accurately, honestly, and intentionally.
For more information on the politics of citation, visit Tulane's Latin American Library Guide here: https://libguides.tulane.edu/latin_american_studies/citation
Citation management software (or bibliographic management software) allows you to create your own personal library of references to books, articles and documents. References can include citation information (author, title, publisher, etc.) as well as annotations, graphics, and even copies of the documents themselves.
The software works with Microsoft Word and other word processors to automatically add references to your paper and format your bibliography in the proper style (MLA, APA, Chicago Style, etc.).
Learn more about the following citation management software packages on this guide:
Note: For a nice comparison of the pros and cons of these tools please see:
Ivey, C., & Crum, J. (2018). Choosing the right citation management tool: EndNote, Mendeley, RefWorks, or Zotero. Journal of the Medical Library Association, 106(3), 399–403. doi:https://doi.org/10.5195/jmla.2018.468
