Citation Management
What is a Citation Manager?
A citation manager is a software program or online tool that allows you to collect and organize citations from a variety of sources. Most citation managers allow you to:
- Organize citations in folders
- Quickly create citations and bibliographies in different citation styles
- Save full-text PDFs (subject to storage availability)
- Connect your citation manager with your word processor so you can insert citations while you write
- Share citations with others in a public or private group
Why use a citation manager?
Using a citation manager can take some getting used to, but it can save you a lot of time locating and formatting references when writing papers.
Comparing Citation Managers
Zotero | Mendeley | EndNote Basic Online | EndNote Desktop | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Website | https://www.mendeley.com Note: Mendeley Desktop is not supported in macOS 10.15 (Catalina) or macOS 11 (Big Sur).
See also: Mendeley compatibility information |
https://my.endnote.com
Note: If you receive a captcha error when trying to register, please follow these instructions. |
https://endnote.com EndNote compatibility information
|
|
Developer | Open source
Developed by the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media at George Mason University |
Elsevier | Clarivate | Clarivate |
Cost | Free Charges for adding extra storage space |
Free Charges for adding extra storage space |
Free | Purchase required Student pricing available |
Web-based or desktop | Website and desktop application | Website and desktop application | Website only | Desktop application Can sync with EndNote basic (not recommended for very large libraries) |
Installation required? | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
Browser compatibility | Google Chrome Firefox Safari |
Google Chrome Firefox Safari Microsoft Edge |
Google Chrome Firefox Safari Internet Explorer 8- |
Not applicable |
Browser add-ons | Zotero Connector | Mendeley Web Importer | Capture Reference bookmarklet
Download from EndNote Basic Online, under the Downloads menu |
Capture Reference bookmarklet
Download from EndNote Basic Online, under the Downloads menu |
Privacy | Does not share or sell data Privacy Policy |
May disclose personal information to agents, suppliers, service providers and affiliates within the Elsevier group of companies Privacy Policy |
"Your data will be transferred to countries with different privacy and data protection laws than your own, including to countries, such as the United States." Privacy Statement |
"Your data will be transferred to countries with different privacy and data protection laws than your own, including to countries, such as the United States." Privacy Statement |
Word processor compatibility | MS Word plugin (Win/Mac) LibreOffice plugin (Win/Mac/Linux) Google Docs (when using Zotero Connector for Chrome or Firefox) |
MS Word plugin (Win/Mac) LibreOffice plugin (Win/Mac/Linux) |
MS Word plugin (Win/Mac) OpenOffice (Win) |
MS Word plugin (Win/Mac) OpenOffice (Win) |
Sharing citations | Zotero Groups: Unlimited groups with unlimited members; Private groups can share files; Public groups can share citations only; Group discussions available |
Mendeley Groups: Private groups can have up to 25 members and can share files; Public groups can have unlimited members and can share citations only; Group discussions available |
Up to 50,000 references No public groups, only private; no article sharing in groups |
Share entire library with up to 100 other users who have EndNote X7.2 or later |
Can I save PDFs to my account? | Yes: 300MB of storage | Yes: 2GB of storage | Yes: 2GB of storage | Yes (stored on your computer) |
Can I add notes to entries in my account? | Write notes and add tags | Write notes and add tags | Write notes | Write notes and add labels |
Access after leaving Memorial | Yes | Yes | Yes, but some style options and filters will no longer be available. | Yes |
Mobile app |
Zotero for iOS |
N/A | iOS app | iOS app |
Security and server location | Cloud storage is optional (mandatory for collaboration) Cloud data stored on US servers |
Cloud storage is mandatory Data stored on UK servers |
Cloud storage is mandatory Data stored on US servers |
Data stored on your computer. Can sync with EndNote basic (data stored on US servers). |
Pros & cons | Pros: Free and open-source; can drag-and-drop PDFs to add them to your library; notifications about papers in your library that have been retracted (must have DOI) Cons: Desktop installation required; syncing across multiple computers can be problematic; not great at removing duplicates. Cloud data stored on US servers. |
Pros: 2GB of storage space; can drag-and-drop PDFs to add them to your library. Cons: Desktop installation required; syncing across multiple computers can be problematic; not great at removing duplicates. |
Pros: No desktop installation required; 2GB of storage space.
|
Pros: Data stored on your own computer; excellent for removing duplicates (recommended for systematic reviews for this reason); good for large libraries. Cons: Expensive; not ideal for sharing citations with a group. |
This table is adapted from Comparing Citation Management Services by the Western Libraries Citation Management Working Group, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- Last Updated: Sep 26, 2024 9:15 AM
- URL: https://guides.library.mun.ca/citationmanagement
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