RefME – Citations Made Easy

RefME creates both in-text citations and citations for works cited pages, which users can insert directly into their research papers. To begin, users must register with RefME by entering their email and password. Next, users must tap the “Add Project” button on the bottom left of the screen, the title of their project, and then tap the “Add Reference” button on the bottom right of the screen. Users will then have the option to add a reference by scanning it bar code (if it is a hardcopy book), typing in its URL (if it is a website), or manually entering in its information. After the information has been entered, users must tap the “Done” button for the entry, and RefME provides a list of all the citations that have been added to the project up to that point. After the citation has been added, users can tap it and then choose the “Add Note” button. This button allows users to enter more information, a quote, and notes pertaining to the citation. Additionally, users can change the citation format (e.g., from Chicago Style to APA) by tapping the “Change Style” button on the top of the page. When finished, users can tap the “Export” button to send and/or share their citations over email, Evernote, or by copying them to their clipboard.

Instructional Ideas

1. After teaching students how to write citations using a resource such as Purdue’s Online Writing Lab, teachers can present this app to students. Teachers can then have students check their ability to correctly write a citation using this app. To do so, teachers can give each student a book, book chapter, interview, or another document to cite. After they write out the citation manually, teachers can have students enter their document’s information into this app to see its citation. At that point, students can check the accuracy of their citation.
2. To keep track of their citations, students can use this app when writing a paper. As they write, students can pause and enter in references as needed.
3. This app can be used to create annotated bibliographies. To do so, teachers must first assign students a topic to research or let students select a topic for research. Next, students are to begin researching their topic. As they find documents, students can enter the document’s information into this app and then they can add a note to the citation that summarizes its information. Teachers can modify this assignment by requiring a specific amount of documents to be included in the annotated bibliography or by modifying the type of information to be included in the summaries (e.g., critiques of the document’s information, or ideas they learned from the document). When finished, students can email their work to their teacher. Students can also use this information when composing a research paper.

Screenshots