We can find many sources - textbooks, journal articles, online documents, videos, blogs ...- when looking for information to complete assignments or projects. Usually, we consult some of these to assist with our own learning (background reading) and go on to reference other items in our work. Some of these sources may prove to be useful time after time so easy access is desirable.

Applying the principles of reference management, as this process is known, gives us:

• Quick access to the sources we have found
• One central location to store the publication details, no matter the type of item
• The option to add notes to remind us of the relevance of each item.

There are several methods available for reference management, with the method selected being a matter of personal choice. You can note details manually or copy and paste into a Word document or Excel spreadsheet or use one of the online reference management software packages, e.g.  EndNote, Zotero, Mendeley, MyBib

Publication details is the umbrella term for the author(s), year of publication, title and location information for an item (or source).

Collectively, these details comprise the reference for an item although there will be variation depending on the type of the item and the method of publication. 

For example, a textbook will probably be written by an individual, or a group of individuals. Reliable websites meanwhile will probably be setup by a formal group.

In addition, some items provide multiple details and it can be difficult to know which information to include in a reference.  No matter the type of item, a quick way to decide on the elements to include in a reference is to ask yourself the Who, When, What and Where questions:

• Who is responsible for the item?
  • The answer can be an individual, several individuals, a government (department) or other formal group 
• When was the item made available?
  • While the publication year usually appears on print and physical items, it can be omitted for online sites due to the volume of information and inconsistent pattern of content updates.
• What is the title?
  • This is usually obvious but can be the section heading on a website page for example, if the overall heading would be misleading.
• Where can the item be located?
  • The answers here vary markedly by item type. For example, place of publication and publisher usually apply to print or physical items while the URL, or DOI number (unique electronic identifier), apply to items accessed electronically. The name of the journal is an integral step in navigating to a journal article.