What is citation management software?
Citation management software, also called “bibliographic software”, allows you to organize, store, and retrieve information, such as citations for books, articles, and Web sites. You can simultaneously import records and PDFs from databases. You can add abstracts, keywords and other functions that enhance and improve the efficiency of your project. The citation manager then works with word-processing software to insert properly formatted footnotes or citations into a paper and create a bibliography.
What it won't do:
It will not always create a perfect bibliography or reference list according to your favorite style. For example, you will still have to know APA, MLA, Chicago or Turabian and check over your results. It will not correct errors or omissions that were in the database from which you retrieved references. It will not always know what type of material you are putting into it from a database (e.g. it cannot always distinguish a proceeding from a book).
What are online citation builders?
Citation builders are free, online sites that allow you to quickly create citations and bibliographies but not to store information or link to word-processing software. For a list, simply Google "citation builders" for a list. AU students are encouraged to learn how to use citation management software rather than relying on citation builders.
How do I know which tool to use?
There is no one program that currently works best to support everyone's needs. Online citation builders are helpful when you are in a rush and have a small number of sources to manage. Citation software needs more time to learn, but is extremely useful for handling larger amounts of or more complex citations and for its word processing compatibility. There are a variety of citation software tools available and each has its own strengths. The Library officially recommends and supports Zotero and also has support for Mendeley and EndNote Basic. Please see the comparison table of citation software below.
AU Library primarily supports EndNote Basic, Zotero, and Mendeley so we will focus on comparing these three. Other popular tools include RefWorks and ProCite.
|
I Need to: |
Use: |
Why: |
|---|---|---|
|
…work from multiple computers or locations. |
Zotero Mendeley EndNote Basic |
Zotero saves your citation library to your local computer, but syncs with multiple computers so you can work from home, work, or school. Mendeley is a program that lives on your local computer, but syncs with a web account. EndNote Basic is fully-cloud based so you can access it from any device. |
|
…work without an Internet connection. |
Zotero Mendeley |
Zotero, Mendeley store your citation libraries locally on your computer. |
|
…archive web pages and import citations from sites such as Amazon and Flickr. |
Zotero |
Zotero allows you to easily save snapshots of web pages and annotate them within your citation library. It is a great tool for scraping citation information from web-based publications and some commercial and social networking sites. |
|
…work on a group project or share my citations with others. |
Zotero Mendeley EndNote Basic |
Zotero allows you to share your citations through shared folders -- you can give individuals or groups permissions to add and edit the citations in the shared folder. Mendeley allows you to share citations and documents with a group of up to 2 other users, or create a public reading list that is open to all. EndNote Basic allows you to share with up to 1,000 other users. |
|
...work with unusual or complex citation styles, cite unusual document types or create my own document type |
Any |
Zotero and Mendeley both use .csl (citation style language) scripts drawn from the citationstyles.org repository, which contains over 10,000 styles or variations of styles. EndNote uses a proprietary format, .ens files, and has over 7,000 styles or variations of styles in its repository. |
|
...work extensively with PDFs |
Mendeley, Zotero |
Mendeley and Zotero both have the ability to extract citation information automatically from PDFs, PDF full-text search, and PDF reading/annotation in the app. Mendeley additionally has a social networking component to see what others in your field are reading and commenting on (particularly in the sciences). |
adapted from Penn State University Libraries
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Criteria |
EndNote Basic
|
||
|
Download From |
|||
|
Must be online? |
No |
No |
Yes |
|
Web-based? |
Has a web version; desktop app syncs with online account; connectors for Firefox, Chrome and Safari and Opera available |
Not primarily, but can sync with an online account which is editable |
Yes |
|
Must be online? |
No |
No |
Yes |
|
Cost |
Free for basic account, some cost for more online storage space |
Free for basic account, some cost for more online storage space |
Free |
|
Word-processor compatibility |
MS Word, Open Office, Google Docs |
MS Word, Open Office, LaTex |
MS Word |
|
Import from databases |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Import citation info from web pages |
Yes, also archives the page and you can add annotations |
Yes, with a bookmark for a limited number of sites (mostly publishers or databases) |
Yes, with Reference Capture tool |
|
Storage capacity |
Unlimited local storage and data syncing; 300MB free Zotero file syncing (larger syncing plans available for purchase) |
Unlimited local storage and data syncing; 1GB personal and 100MB shared online space (larger online storage plans available for purchase) |
Limited to 50,000 citations and 2 GB of attachment storage |
|
Attach associated files (PDFs, etc.) |
Yes, attaches automatically with browser connector and can highlight and annotate PDFs |
Yes, and can highlight and annotate PDFs |
Yes |
|
Search full text of PDFs |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
|
Create group or shared libraries |
Yes, uses group creator's storage space |
Yes, free for up to 3 group members (larger group plans available for purchase) |
Yes |
|
Create bibliography with different styles |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Automatic citation extraction from PDFs |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
|
Other features |
Sync library with multiple computers |
Sync library with multiple computers |
|