→By now surely every legitimate college and university in the United States and Canada, and probably everywhere else, has developed online resources to support students’ efforts to document their research in their written assignment. Publishers often host accessible online resources about referencing too, drawing on the standard works in the field that they continue to print. The Chicago Manual of Style Quick Guide is an example. The diversification of media formats since the expansion of the World Wide Web has created a need to constantly update referencing systems for new types of sources, and there continue to be stylistic changes.
There is scarcely anything easier in higher education than assembling a list of potential resources about documenting research, and using references in analytical writing. Most such resources in book format are integrated into a manual or guide about conducting research and writing.
The “Turabian” is a classic example. Named after its author, this much-revised standard is available in print and as an e-book. Probably many manuals of style are availably digitally.
- Kate L. Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations: Chicago Style for Students and Researchers (University of Chicago Press, 2009) Seventh Edition
Two works specific to the field of history are:
- William Kelleher Storey and Towser Jones, Writing History: A Guide for Canadian Students (Oxford University Press, 2011) Third Edition
- Mary Lynn Rampolla, A Pocket Guide to Writing in History (Bedford/St Martin’s, 2012) Seventh Edition
An interdisciplinary guide, with comprehensive coverage of the MLA, APA and CMS systems of documenting sources, is:
- Diana Hacker and Nancy Sommers, A Writer’s Reference (Bedford/St Martin’s, 2015) Eighth Edition
Referencing and documenting research can be complex and time-consuming, and it is usually tedious even when you have learned the rules. But at least the resources for learning what about the rules are plentiful and accessible. And how nice it is that there are numerous referencing tools to help with the tedium of documentation.
A well-established database program for documenting sources and a tool for inserting references into writing is EndNote. EndNote continues to be updated, and as a commercial product, available for download online or manual installation, users can find technical support from the producer.
Zotero is newer. Developed by the Roy Rosenzweig Centre for History and New Media (CHNM) at George Mason University for working online, Zotero is offered freely for download. As a free resource, users do not benefit from defined support services, but there is a large and supportive community users can access in digital forums, and online help information available.
Many online catalogues and web resources also offer users the ability to use embedded citation tools to grab citation information, or copy citations and paste them into their digital notes. Go to the freely accessible Dictionary of Canadian Biography online and you see a “How to Cite” option in the sidebar at the left of any entry – such as the one for Thayendanegea. The option brings you to the end of the entry to a comprehensive list of citation information available for copying. Just above, by the way, are helpful suggestion for searching for related material.
Referencing is essential to evidence-based writing, which means, of course, that it is vital to document sources during research, the prequel to writing. The resources and tools mentioned here can help with the tedious technicalities of all of that.
