Even in the early stages of your research degree, the amount of research literature you will be finding, evaluating, reading and analysing will quickly snowball. Finding good systems to help you control and process this information avalanche will make you feel more in control and potentially avoid repetitive and redundant work further down the line.
Reference management tools don't just help when it comes to creating reference lists. They are an invaluable part of your research organisational toolkit. Depending on the application you use, you can:
Categorise, store and manage data about research literature
Store cloud-based copies of papers and other files alongside their reference data
Make notes and annotations on stored documents, again providing cloud-based access to your work
Access research databases directly to find research and import references and copies or articles directly
Insert citations as you write, creating dynamic citations and reference lists
Format citations and references and convert them between different styles to adapt your work for different publications, etc.
