1. A method for reference note generation, comprising: receiving a first user input that identifies a designated insertion point in a destination document; subsequent to receiving the first user input, receiving a second user input that causes an information element to be copied to a transfer buffer from a source application; collecting source reference information associated with the information element, wherein the source reference information includes a source identifier indicative of an origin of the information element; generating a reference note based on the source reference information and a reference note format specification; inserting the information element into the destination document, wherein the information element is inserted automatically at the designated insertion point without receiving a further user input from a user interface that is associated with the destination document; and inserting the reference note into the destination document, wherein the reference note is associated with the information element and the reference note is inserted without receiving a user input from a user interface that is associated with the destination document.