LibGuides: Research Process: Cite and Track Sources

Track Useful Sources as You Find Them

Use a Research Log to write down information about your sources as you find them. Include citation information and stable links.
Send an article's citation information to your account with a citation management tool like Zotero or EndNote Online.
Download and save or print articles as you find them.
Most databases have ways to send articles to your email or Google Drive.
Carefully organize your bookmarks with meaningful titles. If you are trying to bookmark an article from the library's page, put the following URL string in front so that the library's proxy address will be activated: https://libproxy.umflint.edu/login?url=

Research Log Template (Google Doc)
After you click, you will be prompted to create a copy for yourself. Then use it to keep track of your sources.

Research Log Template (Word file)
Download and save this file to help you track your sources.

Research Log Template (Google Sheet)
After you click, you will be prompted to create a copy for yourself. There are multiple sheets, including some with examples of how the log can be used.

Research Log Template (Excel file)
Download and save this file to help track your sources.

Citation Managers

UM-Flint suggests the following citation managers:

Zotero This link opens in a new window
Downloadable tool to collect, organize, cite, and share research. Available for Windows, Mac, and Linux. Zotero has integration into Google Docs and Microsoft 365, so this is a good alternative to Endnote.
For the Library Lookup tool, use this as the link resolver:
https://umich.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/openurl?institution=01UMICH_INST&vid=01UMICH_INST:FLINT
To create a bibliography without downloading software, ZoteroBib is available.
EndNote This link opens in a new window
Citation management package. Provides 2GB of file storage (up to 50,000 references), and supports citations in the 20 most popular bibliographic styles. Requires creation of a free account.
- Thompson Library video tutorials for using EndNote
- Publisher documentation about EndNote
- Mac users: See "more info..." below for important information.
Supports these bibliographic styles:
- APA 7th
- Chicago 17th
- JAMA
- MLA 8th
- Refman (RIS) Export
- Turabian 9th
- Vancouver
- Many others
Mac users: Some people have reported issues with their EndNote accounts syncing with their laptops, e.g., in Cite While You Write. EndNote passwords do not work properly if they contain special characters ( ! and $ are especially problematic), so EndNote recommends that you change password by substituting "@" for whatever special character you were using, log back into the Word plugin, and then close Word and reopen it. This should resolve the issue. This problem seems to be specifically a Mac issue.

For additional help and tutorials, check our guide to citation tools:

Citation Tools at the Thompson Library

Citation Styles & Manuals

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association by American Psychological Association
Call Number: Reference Desk | BF 76.7 .P83 2020
Publication Date: 2019
The APA Publication Manual offers guidance on choosing the headings, tables, figures, language, and tone that will result in powerful, concise, and elegant scholarly communication. It guides users through the scholarly writing process--from the ethics of authorship to reporting research through publication. It includes more than 100 reference examples covering periodicals, books, audiovisual media, social media, webpages and websites, and legal resources.

APA Style
The American Psychological Association's help page for APA Style. On this site, you will find tutorials, FAQs, and other resources to help you improve your writing, master APA Style, and learn the conventions of scholarly publishing.
more info...less info...
We highly recommend the Style and Grammar Guidelines and the Handouts and Guides under Instructional Aids.
Reference Examples | APA Style
More than 100 reference examples and their corresponding in-text citations are presented in the seventh edition Publication Manual. Examples of the most common works that writers cite are provided on this page; additional examples are available in the Publication Manual.
APA Style Blog
The APA Style Blog is the official companion to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th Edition. It's run by a group of experts who work with APA Style every day.

Purdue OWL This link opens in a new window
Online guide to APA, MLA, and Chicago citation styles, drafting résumés, and avoiding plagiarism.

MLA Handbook by The Modern Language Association of America
Call Number: Reserves | LB 2369 .M52 2021
Publication Date: 2021
The only official, authorized book on MLA style. The new, ninth edition builds on the MLA's unique approach to documenting sources using a template of core elements facts, common to most sources, like author, title, and publication date that allows writers to cite any type of work, from books, e-books, and journal articles in databases to song lyrics, online images, social media posts, dissertations, and more.

The MLA Style Center
A companion to the MLA Handbook, the site provides students and educators with a host of free resources for teaching and learning the MLA’s approach to research, writing, and documentation. It offers a quick guide to citing any source according to the MLA template of core elements, a practice template, a Q&A feature with hundreds of citation examples, a blog of writing tips, guidelines for formatting a paper and avoiding plagiarism, sample papers, lesson plans, worksheets, and other classroom resources submitted by users.

Purdue OWL This link opens in a new window
Online guide to APA, MLA, and Chicago citation styles, drafting résumés, and avoiding plagiarism.

AMA Manual of Style Online This link opens in a new window
Style guide for the American Medical Association (11th edition).

AMA Style Insider
The official blog of the AMA Manual of Style.
Purdue OWL: AMA Style
These resources provide guidance on how to cite sources using American Medical Association (AMA) Style, 10th Ed., including examples for print and electronic sources.

AMA Manual of Style 10th ed. by JAMA and Archives Journals Staff
Call Number: Reference Desk | R 119 .A533 2007
Publication Date: 2007
In addition to providing guidance on grammar, the mechanics of writing, and AMA style, this manual offers an authoritative reference and citation system. It also covers the treatment of numbers, statistical and mathematical data, tables and figures, and ethical issues.

Chicago Manual of Style Online This link opens in a new window
An online version of the CMA 17th edition. All the content of the paper version, but also contains citation Quick Guide, Q&A, manuscript aids.

The Chicago Manual of Style (17th ed.) by University of Chicago Press
Call Number: Reference Desk | Z 253 .U69 2017
Publication Date: 2017
This seventeenth edition of The Chicago Manual of Style has been prepared with an eye toward how we find, create, and cite information that readers are as likely to access from their pockets as from a bookshelf. It offers updated guidelines on electronic workflows and publication formats, tools for PDF annotation and citation management, web accessibility standards, and effective use of metadata, abstracts, and keywords. The citation chapters reflect the ever-expanding universe of electronic sources--including social media posts and comments, private messages, and app content--and also offer updated guidelines on such issues as DOIs, time stamps, and e-book locators.

Purdue OWL This link opens in a new window
Online guide to APA, MLA, and Chicago citation styles, drafting résumés, and avoiding plagiarism.

The Bluebook 19th ed. by Columbia Law Review
Call Number: Reference Desk | KF 245 .U55 2010
Publication Date: 2010
The Bluebook provides authoritative guidance to legal citation for American students, professionals, and scholars. Both APA and MLA point to The Bluebook when citing legislation and legal cases.

ACS Style Guide Online
The American Chemical Society Style Guide is the definitive source for all information needed to write, review, submit, and edit scholarly and scientific manuscripts, specifically in the field of chemistry.
Purdue OWL: ASA Style
This resource covers American Sociological Association (ASA) style and includes information about manuscript formatting, in-text citations, formatting the references page, and accepted manuscript writing style.

Scientific Style and Format (CSE) by Council of Science Editors
Call Number: T 11 .S386 2006
Publication Date: 2006
Scientific Style and Format is a reference for authors, editors, publishers, students, and translators in all areas of science and related fields.

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Research Process

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Track Useful Sources as You Find Them

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Citation Styles & Manuals