Literature Reviews: Keeping Track of Information

Track sources and format bibliographies as well as download citations from library catalogs and databases.

		EndNote is a free download for GSU students, faculty and staff.  Check GSU's EndNote research guide for more information.
		Zotero is a free Firefox plugin.  It was developed by historians to support historical and related  research.  Check GSU's Zotero research guide for more information.

 Check out this page for a comparison of several citation managers.

• To avoid plagiarism
• Give proper credit to the authors of the information you use
• Allow readers to find your sources
• Avoid serious academic consequences

These bookmarking services are web-based, and go where you go:

• Delicious
• X-marks

Alternatively, many internet browsers, such as Firefox offer bookmark services.

It is good practice to keep a record of your search results, methodology and strategy, so you don't have to go through them over and over again.

• Start with the newest research.  Recent research often points to useful older research.
• Read the abstract (if supplied), the introduction and conclusion.
• Scan the item to see if you can see how it's organized.
• Document any quotations you'd like to save for later. Use quotation marks and note the complete citation and page number for the quote.
• Paraphrase or summarize some main points.

Below is an example of a "synthesis matrix" by Jennifer Lim.  You can create a table like this to help keep track of the ideas generated by the sources you're using.