In functional terms, a reference manager is a computer program that allow you to collect, organize, and cite reference materials (e.g., books, journal article, websites). It has become an invaluable tool for anyone engaged in modern academic writing. Through my career I've used a variety of reference managers, and their functionality is and integral part of my work flow. Part of this work flow involves reading a lot of academic material, collaborating with other authors, and writing across a variety of platforms such as LaTeX, Authorea, and Libre Office.