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  4. Referencing tools

Referencing tools

It is important to record the details of all the sources you use. There are tools to help you to easily store, manage and format your references. A commonly-used tool at the University of Leeds is EndNote.

EndNote

EndNote not only helps you to store and manage your references, it also works with Microsoft Word to automatically insert citations and create your bibliography or reference list.

EndNote is the preferred reference manager that is supported by the University Library and IT Services. University of Leeds staff and students can use the full versions of EndNote Desktop and EndNote Online without charge, and access support and training with installation and use. Library staff produce and maintain the Leeds Harvard and Leeds Numeric output styles for use in Endnote.

The Leeds Harvard and Leeds Numeric referencing styles are managed and updated by the Library; the accompanying EndNote output style files are available to use in EndNote.

You might find versions of the Leeds referencing styles in other reference management software, online tools or apps. However, please be aware that these are user-created and may be out of date or inaccurate. 

Our webpages and the accompanying EndNote output style files are the only official source of guidance for the Leeds Harvard and Leeds Numeric referencing styles.

For detailed EndNote guidance and training videos go to our EndNote support pages.

Alternatives to EndNote

There are many alternatives to EndNote that you may prefer to use to fit in with your preferred research workflow and technology. We will always try to support members of the University within our areas of expertise, but it is likely that we will have to refer you to product support or online help articles for reference managers other than EndNote. 

Do not install EndNote and another reference manager on your computer at the same time, as this is likely to cause problems as the two applications will conflict.

Mendeley

Mendeley Reference Manager is a free reference manager and academic social network. You can import references from the Library catalogue, subject databases, and by using the browser extension. 

Mendeley is available via AppsAnywhere on Windows computers.

The software can be accessed from the following locations:

  • Computer Clusters
  • Remote Access Clusters
  • Windows Virtual Desktop
  • Personal Windows Devices

University staff and students can obtain the software for home installation from Mendeley.com. There are versions available for Windows, Mac and Linux.

IT Services provide some guidance on installing Mendeley:

Library staff will only be able to provide basic support. There are extensive Mendeley user guides and a support centre for asking questions and troubleshooting. If you would like to start using Zotero, take a look at their quick-start guide. 

Zotero

Zotero is a free, open-source reference manager. You can import references from the Library catalogue, subject database, and by using the browser extension.

You can install Zotero via AppsAnywhere, or on your own device from zotero.org. 

Library staff will only be able to provide basic support. There are extensive Zotero user guides and a discussion forum for asking questions and troubleshooting. If you would like to start using Zotero, take a look at their quick-start guide. 

BibTex

BibTeX is a software package and a file format. They are used to describe and process lists of references, usually within documents typeset using LaTeX or Overleaf. 

Software packages and documentation on LaTeX and BibTeX can be found from CTAN.org. 

Library staff are not able to provide support for using BibTex in general.

Students and staff from the Faculty of Engineering & Physical Sciences and the Faculty of Environment can access Overleaf Professional, an online LaTeX editor, which supports the use of BibTeX for managing references and creating bibliographies. 

The Department of Applied Mathematics have produced a webpage of LaTeX guides which includes a LaTeX summary sheet (PDF) and The (not so) short introduction (PDF).