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Citation Management Software

RefWorks is going away but there are other options and we will help you transition from RefWorks to the best Citation Management System for you.

 

Citation Management System (CMS): A tool that allows you to collect and organize articles, generate citations, and compile works cited/bibliography. Endnote  Mendeley Zotero
Product name EndNote Basic/Online   Mendeley Reference Manager (MRM) Zotero
Where to get it   https://endnote.com/  https://www.mendeley.com/  https://www.zotero.org/
Costs  Free (for Basic only) Free up-front (cost to upgrade storage) Free up-front (cost to upgrade storage)
Main access (web/cloud or desktop/laptop)  Web/cloud only  Desktop/Laptop and web/cloud. Can sync with multiple computers.  Desktop/laptop and web/cloud. Can sync with multiple computers. 
Registration/account required? Yes  Yes  Only for cloud sync and collaborator sharing. Can use locally without an account. 
Manuals, How-to, Tutorials, FAQ Yes Yes  Yes
Reference Management Features       
Storage (references and file attachments)  50,000 references or 2GB Unlimited on local computer, 2GB in cloud (can pay to upgrade) Unlimited on local computer, 300MB in cloud (can pay to upgrade)
Reference import methods  Manual
RIS file
Direct from many databases       PubMed                                       OCLC (library Catalog) 
Manual
RIS file
Direct from some Elsevier databases
PDF drag & drop
Identifier (e.g., DOI)
Manual
RIS file
PDF drag & drop
Identifier (e.g., DOI, ISBN)
Exporting records  Yes, but doesn't transfer attachments Yes, in desktop version, but doesn't transfer attachments Yes, but doesn't transfer attachments
Browser/Web importer *         Endnote Click- full text articles and documents                           Capture- Websites, etc.                       
-Chrome
​​​​​-Firefox
-Safari (?) 
Mendeley Web Importer- webpages, Documents, etc.
-Chrome
-Firefox
-Edge
Zotero Connector
-Chrome
-​​​​​Firefox
-Safari
-Edge
* Browser/Web Importer:(add-on/feature) that allows you to upload papers, web pages and other documents (not just the citations) into the CMS. This is helpful if you want to review the articles you cited. It also means that the CMS can be used to store and organize your research in one place; CMS are not just for organizing citations.
PDF Annotations * Yes  Yes  Yes 
* PDF Annotation: You're able to highlight and take notes on imported pdfs
Control overall organizing citation projects  Yes  Yes  yes 
Collaboration tools * Yes  Yes  Yes
* Collaboration Tools: Allow you to share citations and uploaded documents with co-authors and/or groups who are also able to add content to share with co-authors.
Write & Cite/Citation Plug-in * Yes                                           Yes  Yes 
 
*Write & Cite: (add-on/feature) that allows you to directly impute “in-text” citations into your documents.
Compatible with ... Microsoft Word                                   Macintosh Pages  Word
LibreOffice (not Google Docs)
Word                               LibreOffice                              Google Docs
Citation Generation Feature  yes  yes  yes 
Name of CG tool  NA Mendeley Cite  NA
Compatible with ... Word
LibreOffice (not Google Docs)
Word
LibreOffice (not Google Docs)
Windows Word
Macintosh Word
LibreOffice
Google Docs (automatically installed with Zotero Connector plugin)
Special Features       
Pros & Cons      
Pros:
  •  Compatible with Windows 7 or later, Mac OS, Linux
  • Mobile version available with iOS only.
  • Can share EndNote data with other EndNote users.

 

 

 

 

 

  •  Compatible with Windows 7 or later, Mac OS, Linux
  • Can work from multiple computers
  • Can create public and private groups to share data.

 

 

 

 

 

  •   Compatible with Windows 7 or later, Mac OS or later including Catalina and Big Sur 1, Linux, Chromebook
  • Mobile version available in Beta or through 3rd party options
  • Can create public and private groups to share data.

 

Cons:
  •  Mobile version not available with Android OS
  • Citation storage is limited.

 

 

 

 

  •  Can not use with Mac OS 11 Big Sur
  • Mobile version not available
  • Additional storage upgrade requires purchase.

 

 

 

  •  Zotero Chrome extension may interfere with proxy settings.
  • Zotero is primarily a desktop application that requires you to download the program.
  • Additional storage upgrade requires purchase.