Using citation management software you can create a personal database of references for your research projects and automatically generate a formatted bibliography from your list of references. You can export citations directly from databases, organize your citations into folders, share citations and folders with colleagues or students and much more.
Comparison chart for RefWorks, EndNoteWeb and Zotero (courtesy the University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries)
RefWorks - Free access is available for the OU community as part of Kresge Library's subscriptions. The library currently supports RefWorks users with guides and direct exporting instructions for most of the library databases.
View the Refworks help guides and tutorials page.
EndNote Web - A product of ISI Web of Science, this free web-based system can be used as a stand alone system or in junction with a personal desktop client.
Quick Start EndNoteWeb Guide
Extensive EndNoteWeb Guide (from EndNote's web page)
Zotero - Is a free Firefox extension which allows you to "collect, manage, and cite your research sources. It lives right where you do your work — in the web browser itself."
Quick Star Guide (from Zotero's web page)
Brief Guide to Using Zotero (courtesy of Ithaca College Library)
Extensive Zotero Help (courtesy Oregon State University)
For further assistance please contact the reference desk at 248-370-4426 to speak with a librarian.