00:00: In this last video, we shall be discussing the relevance of reference management tools and how to use one of the most easily accessible and user-friendly examples, Zotero. Now, let’s look at the reference management tools, including their peculiarities, functions, examples, and how to use them.
00:36: We also refer to them as citation managers. They are web-based programmes or online services that support citation, collection, organisation, and sharing of your research resources or your research materials. They additionally enable the creation of bibliographies and footnotes in research papers as they possess in-built search engines.
01:07: These tools also enhance quick finding of articles and other resources related to your project or your topic. So, that is what the reference management tools are all about. Now, let’s look at this picture.
01:27: When you search, cite, reference, and compile sources manually, typing, collating reference lists one after the other is very cumbersome and represents a very old way of doing things. Imagine now having software that can do some of those things for you. This will save you much time, stress of typing, and other mistakes you may likely make.
02:01: Now, what are some of the examples of these reference management softwares we are talking about? We have Mendeley, EndNote, Zotero, RefWorks, Sciwheel, Docear, and others. But, for this lesson, we are going to be focusing on Zotero. So, what makes it very special and how can one use it? So, let’s start.
02:32: What is Zotero all about? It gathers from various sources, books, articles, journals, conference papers, and other relevant materials that generate the citations and compiles a reference list or bibliography as illustrated below. As you can see, it gives you the illustration here.
03:01: Hence, rather than going through long process of compiling reference lists, Zotero will just automatically generate citations and reference lists once you input or load the information or materials into it. Now, let’s look at Zotero’s software package in detail – synopsis of Zotero and its deployment. Zotero is a free, open-source reference manager.
03:34: It represents a powerful research tool for gathering, organising, and analysing sources, citations, full text, web pages, images, and other objects. It enables sharing results of research in a variety of ways. Now, let’s look at a few more things about Zotero. As I earlier said, it is an open-source standalone software that can be freely downloaded through an educational community license.
04:06: Aside from having a user-friendly interface for quick and efficient organisation, Zotero 5 is compatible with browsers such as Safari, Google Chrome, Mozilla, Firefox, and Edge, available for Microsoft Office, Windows, and Linux 32 and 64, as well as available in many languages. Another exciting part of this software is that it serves as a worldwide user’s community where you can seek help or learn what other researchers are doing.
04:42: So, having downloaded Zotero and Zotero connector to enhance its effectiveness, you can begin to practice gaining mastery of the interface and core functionalities of this package. So, crucially, you need to register with your email and create a user account with username and password, after which you can get a confirmation email that your account has been created and activated.
05:11: Now, let’s look at the Zotero work area and perform the tasks below. So, look at the Zotero work area and perform the following tasks. So, in the above work areas, try and perform the following. Look at the bar icons and menu.
05:32: Click on each icon and menu to see what they can do and what they contain: create new items or a new thing in the library; manually add items; and import records from external sources. So, with those tasks, you should by now have a good understanding of how Zotero works, alongside key functionalities therein.
06:05: If you look at the menu bar, you have file, edit – you know – view and tools, performing same functions as you have in your Microsoft Word. Also, the library is there to store folders, documents, projects and resources. And let’s see how we can create a new thing inside the library.
06:29: For instance, let’s create one reference for this practice. Click on the plus icon to create another, any other source – be it book, journal or any other source in the list. You may also try to create a folder in your library, give it a name. So, let’s look at how to add sources. You can do a kind of manual addition, and you can use the source that you’ve been given of Buckley, E. & Cowap, L. (2013).
07:06: You can provide each of these information in the column you’ve been given in the work area. So try and practice – put in this information in your Zotero interface and generate your reference list. I believe you’ve been able to practice that.
07:35: Aside that, you can also use your DOI to quickly generate the reference or the reference list. If you use DOI, the example being provided and being displayed on your screen is just for you to copy the DOI and put it in your reference list.
08:01: If you need further help in this regard, you can find that on your Zotero documentation and quick start guide, Zotero video tutorials, Zotero forums, Zotero frequently asked questions, Zotero blog and getting involved with Zotero. The links have been provided, including small videos that you can watch to further enrich your knowledge and understanding. With this, we have come to the end of this module.
08:32: Thank you, and I wish you the very best in your academic journey. Best wishes.