Promoting the Use of Reference Management Tools: An Opportunity for Librarians to Promote Scientific Tradition

Abstract

The scientific tradition entails that any scientific work needs to be cited if it is responsible for the development of further another research work. This review article discusses the role of library professionals in promoting Reference Management Tools (RMTs) amongst the teachers, students, and researchers to maintain the scientific tradition of citation management. Among the various citation management tools available, four exemplary tools have been discussed briefly. The review of the literature revealed that the users have mixed responses pertaining to the use of RMTs. Especially; the common experience in respect of quality usage is very low. The users seemed to have limited themselves to make use of RMTs for reference management instead of exploring all the options associated with it. An attempt has been made to highlight why and how librarians should promote RMTs in the academic environment. Since librarians are considered experts in the field of reference management, they must grab this opportunity to strengthen the profession. The article urges the library professionals to get expertise in using RMTs so as to promote them successfully for academic writing and research activities.