Digital reference tool – the book and the article
| The students are introduced to a digital reference management tool.
The students are introduced to how they can easily add references from an article or a book by importing reference data from various search results and inserting them into a word processing program. All links for running the activities are at the bottom |
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CONTEXT
In academic project and writing work it is necessary to be able to cite correctly within a given reference standard, such as Chicago, APA, Vancouver etc.
This can be time-consuming work to do manually. By using a digital reference management tool, reference management can be made easier, and the time can be spent focusing on the content of the academic writing.
OUTCOME
The students learn to start using a digital reference management tool. They learn to insert references and bibliographies into a document using the tool.
They learn how to import reference data into their respective reference library.
CONTENT AND STEPS OF THE ACTIVITY
The students are introduced to a reference management tool. They learn to import reference data from their searches, and to use and insert this data in their document.
BEFORE THE ACTIVITY
- Have suitable rooms
- Ask the students to create an account in the chosen reference management tool (e.g. Zotero, Mandeley or Endnotes)
THE ACTIVITY STEP BY STEP
- Ask the students to log in to their account
- In a word processing program that the chosen reference tool “talks” to, show how easy it is to insert references, create a bibliography and choose the reference standard for the references and the bibliography. This is done to ensure that the students see the benefit of the tool from the start of the activity
- Show how to import reference data for a book and an article from the institution's library search engine
- Show what reference data looks like in the reference management tool's library – Remember to point out that it is very important that they check that all data has been included, in order to ensure the quality of the references and the bibliography when the data is used.
- Ask the students to try searching for and importing two specific materials themselves, a book and an article, in the institution's library search engine
- Ask the students to search for the same two titles (or two others) in another database or search engine and likewise import the references
- Round up on how it went finding and importing the materials from the new search location. Show how to do it, to make sure that everyone sees how it can be done
- Show how the students install the plugin/add-in in the word processing program belonging to the chosen reference tool, and ask the students to do it themselves
- Show again in the word processing program how to insert references, create a bibliography and choose the reference standard for the references and the bibliography
- Ask the students to insert two references in a document, create a bibliography and change the reference standard
AFTER THE ACTIVITY
The teacher explains where the students can find out more about the reference management tool if they want to know more. Here you can refer to the institution's library courses, website or the reference management tool's own website.
MATERIALS AND PREPARATION
| Preparation | Materials |
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| The teacher decides which reference standard,, the students are to be introduced to, e.g. APA, Harvard, Vancouver etc. Here personal preferences, the curriculum, the institution and so on may be significant for the choice. | Ensure access to the chosen reference management tool and word processing program |
| The teacher decides which reference management tool the students are to be introduced to. Here personal preference, institutional licence, attitude to open source/paid product may be significant for the choice. You can get guidance from your institution library regarding this choice. | |
The teacher familiarises themselves with how to do the following in the chosen reference management tool::
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| Help with this can be found on the reference management tool's own website or at the institution's library, if the chosen tool is supported there. | |
| The teacher chooses the material examples the students are to search for and the examples of material they will use themselves | |
| The teacher chooses the other search location the students are to try searching in themselves. This search location can be chosen on the basis of which database/search engine is much used within the given academic discipline |
CREATED BY
Charlotte Wind and Helle Brink, Aalborg Universitetsbibliotek
EXTERNAL RESOURCES
Links to reference systems
https://refworks.proquest.com/
THE STAK PROJECT
This learning element is an edited version of a learning pattern from the research project STAK (Studerendes Akademiske Digitale Kompetencer).
Through a particular method, the project developed a number of learning patterns/paths, especially within information literacy. The elements are aimed
primarily at teachers, either as inspiration or to be integrated directly into teaching.
If you are curious about the method, you can see the original research website at: https://web.archive.org/web/20251118005249/https://www.stak.dk/