Scrivener is a powerful writing tool. I write about it weekly with tips and usage ideas. To read more of my posts click the Scrivener tag or category at the end of the page.
The Inspector in Scrivener hides a number of useful features. Previous posts on Archer’s Aim regarding the Inspector include:
Inspection! What Scrivener’s Other Bar Does
Strategic Usage of Snapshots in Scrivener
Keywords & Project Searches in Scrivener
Lost Your Scratchpad? Here It Is In Scrivener!
Archer’s Aim Digest mailing list
This week we continue with use of Document References from the Inspector.
Just as a refresher, the Inspector is turned on by clicking on View in Scrivener. Slide down the menu to Layout and click on Inspector in the fly-out menu that is displayed (for keyboard command enthusiasts use CTRL + Shift + I).
The Document References are accessed using the second from the left button located at the bottom of the Inspector.
To toggle between Document References and Project References click the up-down arrows.
There are several other controls for the Document References. To Add/Remove references click on the +/- buttons. The + button reveals a menu that allows adding internal references from the project as well as external references (Look-up and Add or Create), all of which are pictured below:
Personally, I’ve been using Document References of late when writing posts. If I start researching aspects of my post then I add the references that I find which are usually external. So when I add the external reference I give it a title that makes sense and the web link to the page. This way I can access the information or add the link into a post. To add the referenced web link to your document, double click on the reference to open it. Then copy/paste the page link that’s opened into the your document via Scrivener’s link command.
Using references can also be used in various types of writing besides blog posts. The internal project references are also very valuable for larger projects, especially those involving research.
Please share your thoughts and ideas in the comments section. I’d also love to connect with you over social media so check my Contact page for that information. Interested in more of my writing? Just click one of the retailer banners on the sidebar to see more.
About the Author
P. H. Solomon lives in the greater Birmingham, AL area where he strongly dislikes yard work and sanding the deck rail. However, he performs these duties to maintain a nice home for his loved ones as well as the family’s German Shepherds. In his spare time, P. H. rides herd as a Computer Whisperer on large computers called servers (harmonica not required). Additionally, he enjoys reading, running, most sports and fantasy football. Having a degree in Anthropology, he also has a wide array of more “serious” interests in addition to working regularly to hone his writing. The Bow of Destiny is his first novel-length title with more soon to come.
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13 thoughts on “Using Scrivener As Your Reference Library”
PH thank you for this useful information. I’m bookmarking each of your notices for future reference. I just got back in town from an amazing speaking engagement and trying to catch up my inbox and found this. Thank you for all the useful information.
My pleasure, thanks for visiting and commenting. Glad you had a good trip.
Reblogged this on Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog and commented:
Here’s a useful post from author P. H. Solomon.
It’s got 5 links to other Scrivener articles as well 😀
Thanks for the re-blog. Glad you found it useful.
Welcome 😀
Thanks for that post! that’s interesting but not quite what I expected. My references are first of all books, not weblinks. The internal references will come in handy, but for the rest I am kind of disappointed.
Thanks for stopping by, commenting and following. I hope you find Scrivener useful in other ways. Sounds like you’re using foot/endnotes for non-fiction. I don’t currently write non-fiction but there’s a wealth of information on the vendor site forums as well as the manual about handling these effectively.
Again, another great Scrivener tip! I could even think of using this capability to make notes about my own series bible. As usual, a lot of things this software can do!
Yes, very versatile!
Reblogged this on Author Don Massenzio and commented:
Check out this post from the Archer’s Aim blog on the topic of using Scrivener as your reference library.
Thanks!
You’re welcome