2.3.4 Managing information

Knowing how to effectively store and manage your information, data and sources properly is an important part of ethical scholarship. Academic work often involves large amounts of data or source material, and it's easy to lose track of these without a good system in place.

Here are some tips for effective management of your information:

• When you are reading and taking notes, always note down the source for everything that is someone else's idea. This will ensure that when it comes time to write, you will know where that idea came from and will be able to cite the source correctly.
• Do your referencing while you write. If you leave it to last, you are more likely to make a mistake or forget where a quote or paraphrase came from.
• You should systematically record page numbers when using footnote referencing systems (Chicago and AGLC), as the footnote citations require a page number in every instance. For other styles, although you will only need to record page numbers in-text when you quote, it's good practice to note down where you found the idea(s). This will make it easy when it comes to checking back on your references and use of paraphrasing.
• If you have lots of references, consider using citation management software such as RefWorks™ or EndNote™ to manage them. The Library offers classes on using these tools every semester, so consider using technology to help keep track of all your resources and building your reference list. For more information speak to the friendly Library staff.
• Make sure you store and back-up important data and information correctly; losing all your references because of a computer malfunction is not an excuse for academic misconduct!

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