Managing electronic references

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Attribute!

Frank Hofmann

Technical writers often find that attributing and linking back to their sources is a pain. Fortunately, several applications are available to make that task easier.

Technical writers largely belong to a group fondly called perfectionists. Their contributions ideally are well-crafted, poignant, and comprehensible in terms of content and aim to awaken some curiosity within the minds of readers. However, without good research, nothing else matters.

Various software tools have been designed to keep authors from getting bogged down in a sea of references and to help them give credit where credit is due. In this article, I will take a look at what these tools provide and how successful they are.

One rule you must adhere to as a writer is: Credit your sources. Correct referencing is of great importance. References are made up of metadata that includes the author, title, publisher, location, and date of publication, and in the case of online material, the date and time of access.

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