In the past researchers often kept records of their references on index cards in box files.  Today, a wide range of software packages are available to help you manage your references and automatically generate bibliographies (list of references) in your manuscripts.  These tools also allow you to automatically configure your citations and bibliography to suit the prefered styles of different journals.   Most modern reference management tools usually integrate seamlessly with your word processor. 

Building a database of articles takes some effort but it will save a considerable amount of time in the long run.  We strongly recommend that you use reference management software.   

There are many reference manager software packages available.  Many of these software tools, such as Endnote, Procite and Refworks are commercial and you should check with your library to see if your institution has a site license.  They may also offer technical support.  A number of these software tools, such as Mendeley and Zotero, are free.  Do not feel like you have to buy reference management software, the free packages can be as good if not superior to the commercially available solutions.

A useful comparison of these packages can be found here - comparison of reference management software. 

Some of the features that we find useful:

• direct import citations from databases such as EBSCO or PROQUEST

• storage of PDF file and notes along with the citation

• combined desktop and web databases - keep your database on your pc and have an online backup which you can access anywhere

• synchronisation of your database across multiple computers

• shared collections so that you can exhcange citations and research papers with colleagues

• automatic extraction of metadata from PDF papers that you already have

• full-text search across all your paper