Skip to Main Content

Conducting a Literature Review

A collection of strategies and resources for conducting a literature review

Citation Management

There are several programs that you can use to help manage your citations. You can collect, organize, and format references. Some of these programs also manage the PDFs associated with the citations, and may allow you to take notes within the program. WSU does not provide subscriptions to these programs, but there are several free options that are excellent for most research needs. 

Use EndNote Basic (formerly EndNote Web) to collect, organize, and format references.  EndNote simplifies the process of formatting references in various citation styles.

Zotero is a citation management program that pairs an app on your computer with a browser extension. You can also sync your library to a free online account, and collaborate with colleagues.

Citation Formats

RSS Feeds

RSS feeds are offered by journals and databases to to provide updates on new articles and tables of contents. Feeds are more flexible than emails but do require a "feed reader" software. Some web browser have a feed reader, like Safari.

Popular feed readers:

WSU Libraries, PO Box 645610, Washington State University, Pullman WA 99164-5610, 509-335-9671, Contact Us