Most reference management software packages have the following features:
- collecting references, from key databases and websites.
- organising your references into different folders (e.g. a different one for each assignment or area of research).
- adding notes to your references and keep them in your collection of citations.
- capturing PDFs, images and web pages and other files.
- links to full text articles, web pages and other documents.
- bibliographies.
- citations in the style that you want (e.g. Harvard).
Some also have additional features such as:
- share references or to collaborate with work colleagues
- pdf highlighting
- social networking
There are comparisons of different reference management software tools on the Reference Management Software guide. The guide also includes detailed guides to downloading and using Endnote.
