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Physics 009

Citation Managers

There are many different citation management tools. This guide will give you information about three of them: RefWorks, Zotero, and Mendeley.

All citation managers let you:

  • add citations from databases (PsycINFO; Web of Science; Academic Search Complete, etc)
  • organize your citations
  • add PDF files; annotate PDFs
  • format citations in multiple citation styles
  • format citations in Microsoft Word to create bibliographies
  • share your citations with colleagues / classmates

Zotero

Zotero

  • citation management tool
  • web, desktop, and mobile platforms

Tools

  • easily import citations from academic journals & the web
  • can format citations on Google Docs and Microsoft Word
  • allows for collaboration with team members
  • ZoteroBib provides quick citations 
  • Retraction Watch informs you when articles are retracted

Access

  • free account with 300 MB of storage; purchase premium accounts to access more storage

Citation Styles

  • Offers over 9400 citation styles, in fields from anthropology to zoology
  • Import, edit, and save citation styles

Adding References

  • Drop and drag citation styles; Zotero will try to extract citation information
  • Export citation from databases
  • Import citations from the web
  • Add manually

Viewing Options

  • View references in folders or full library

Organizing References

  • Create folders and sub-folders

Sharing References

  • Share references through groups; invite via email
  • Groups can be open (public), or private

Linking to Full-Text

  • If available Zotero will attempt to download a full-text PDF when importing citations (you can also set Zotero to NOT download full-text PDFs)

Creating Bibliographies

  • Right-click to select citations and click "Create bibliography from items..."
  • Use Zotero's Microsoft Word or Google Doc plugins

 

Highlight: No cost, and includes a robust online community. Zotero can also be used to make quick citations. Includes a "Retraction Watch" feature.

Lowlight: No cost means that there is no designated customer service team.

 

Additional Resources & Notes

The charts below include additional information you can use to compare citation management tools.

Note:

This guide was gratefully inspired by and modeled on the Manage Your Citations (EndNote, RefWorks, Zotero, Mendeley) guide from UC Berkeley's Bioscience, Natural Resources & Public Health Library.