Citing & Referencing (general)

Reference software (such as EndNote) will help you to build, manage and use a personal database with bibliographic references. You can easily import references and full text articles from databases such as PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science and the University Library catalogue. While writing your text, you can then easily include literature references and lists (Cite While You Write). The EndNote Desktop version is available on the Athena platform and offers numerous features for collecting and managing references.

Ghent University makes EndNote Desktop available to all UGent account holders as a high-quality software package for building, managing and using a personal database with bibliographic references. Basic versions of the other reference software packages are free, but they have (more) limited storage capacity, functionalities and stability. Furthermore, upgrades come at a cost.

You will find a comparison between EndNote Desktop and EndNote online, Mendeley, Readcube and Zotero online and in this table.

A reference style is a set of guidelines about how sources can be referenced in texts. These references occur in the text itself and at the end of the text in a reference list.There are various styles, including Vancouver. This is a numerical system.

In the text you reference with a number, noted as an Arabic figure between brackets. This number refers to the order in which the reference is first mentioned in the text.

In the reference list your references are ranked in ascending order by number. References in a reference list can be composed as follows.

An author mention consists of: [Surname], [Initials].

  • journal article: [Authors]. [Title]. [Title], [Year], [Volume] ([Issue]): [Start page]-[End page].
  • book: [Authors]. [Title]. [Edition (if not the first)]. [Place of publishing]: [Publisher];[Year].

If you work in MS Word with the Cite While You Write function of EndNote, you can indicate the desired style in a menu. Then the software generates the references in the correct notation. Please note: EndNote functions are only accessible in MS Word opened via the Athena platform.

A reference style is a set of guidelines about how sources can be referenced in texts. These references occur in the text itself and at the end of the text in a reference list. There are various styles, including Harvard. This is a name-year system.

In the text, you reference as follows: ([Surname Author(s)], [year]).

In the reference list, your references are alphabetically ordered by surname of the (first) author. Anonymous references are listed at the top. References in a reference list can be composed as follows. An author mention consists of: [Surname], [Initials].

  • journal article: [Authors], ([year]). [Title], [Journal], [Volume] ([issue]): [Start page]-[End page].
  • book: [Authors], ([year]). [Title]. [Edition (if not the first)]. [Place of publishing]: [publisher].

For more information, consult this detailed overview or this extensive guide.

If you work in MS Word with the Cite While You Write function of EndNote, you can indicate the desired style in a menu. Then the software generates the references in the correct notation. Please note: EndNote functions are only accessible in MS Word opened via the Athena platform.

A reference style is a set of guidelines about how sources can be referenced in texts. These references occur in the text itself and at the end of the text in a reference list. There are various styles, including APA. This is a name-year system.

In the text, you reference as follows: ([Surname Author(s)], [year]).

In the reference list, your references are alphabetically ordered by surname of the (first) author. Anonymous references are listed at the top. References in a reference list can be composed as follows. An author mention consists of: [Surname], [Initials].

  • journal article: [Authors], ([Year]). [Title]. [Journal], [Volume] ([Issue]), [Start page]-[End page].
  • book: [Authors], ([Year]). [Title]. [Edition (if not the first)]. [Place of publishing]: [Publisher].

More information is available here.

If you work in MS Word with the Cite While You Write function of EndNote, you can indicate the desired style in a menu. Then the software generates the references in the correct notation. Please note: EndNote functions are only accessible in MS Word opened via the Athena platform.

If you would like more information or if you have any questions, please contact our information specialist Heidi Buysse or information assistant Muguet Koobasi.

Do you have a question related to your literature review or do you need help with searching, processing or publishing of your literature/data? Then please fill in our form to give us a clear view of your question and so that we can advise you efficiently. Alternatively, you could email us at kcgg@ugent.be.