Week 6 - Module 3:Using EndNote, 4th of September 2007

Lecture Summary

Today's lecture discussed what EndNote is, how to use it, how it works and why it is useful for students to use with assessments. EndNote is a flat-file database which is used to manage and store references from sources where you have collected your information and ideas from. When I first heard about EndNote I thought that it would be difficult to use, however when Justine gave a demonstration on using the database I was impressed to find that the programme is quite easy to use and all you need to do is select the referencing type you want. In my case I would select APA 5Th for ECU referencing, then enter in the details. This is much easier than having to do it manually because for large amounts of references this would become an annoying task. It is a quick and easy way to format your references and it can be stored and managed under your own personal library. Justine expressed the importance of referencing correctly because not only do we have to acknowledge the source, we need to allow the source to be easily accessible for the reader if they seek further information.

Workshop Summary

Our task was to create a reference list using EndNote. The task was quite easy I thought and I can see the benefits this programme will have for my future studies. I did not realise that once you set up your own personal library with EndNote a reference would be automatically created at the end of a document when cited in your writing which forms your bibliography. Below is a screen capture of this weeks tasks, creating references using EndNote and I also copy and pasted the references to a word document in order to see the final product.


EndNote and MS word document with references

Summary of the Readings

There were two basic readings to assist us in the completion of the tasks. The first was an introduction into EndNote and a step to step guide on how to create your own personal library from where you can manage and easily access your references when needed. The second was a help guide for the main problems that may arise when using EndNote and ways in which you can fix it. I thought this was very useful because too often when something goes wrong it is easy to give up what you are doing, because there is no one around that you can ask for assistance and this guide is your answer book for some of the problems you may encounter.