Citation Software Capabilities
Below are comparison charts to help you think through which citation management software will work best for your needs. They all have pros and cons.Best Citation Software
The essential free research and reference manager. Search for, read and annotate your PDFs. Qiqqa also lets you find what next to read by following citations, authors and keywords. Buying parallels and a version of windows for my mac literally just for @qiqqa, amazing reference management software. If you plan on using a free APA citation tool, like the one at CitationMachine.com, the names of the authors will format properly for you. ###No authors If the source lacks an author, place the title in the first position in the reference (Section 9.12 of the Publication manual ). The citation generator will create your reference in two parts; an in-text APA format citation and a full reference that is ready to be copied straight into your work. To unlock the full potential of the APA citation maker simply login to the Cite This For Me multi-platform tool. Free tools to make your life easier. Our website is created to.
I Need to: | Use: | Why: |
|---|---|---|
…work from multiple computers or locations. | EndNote Online Zotero Mendeley | Can be used on its own or with EndNote desktop 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. |
…work without an Internet connection. | Zotero Mendeley EndNote | Zotero, Mendeley and EndNote store your citation libraries locally on your computer. |
…archive web pages and import citations from sites such as Google Scholar, Amazon, Flickr, and ArtSTOR. | 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 | Zotero - share your citations through shared folders -- you can give individuals or groups permissions to add and edit the citations in the shared folder. |
...work with unusual or complex citation styles, cite unusual document types or create my own document type | EndNote | EndNote has more citation styles than any other program, more flexibility, ability to customize styles. |
...work extensively with PDFs | Mendeley | Mendeley has better ability to extract citation information automatically from PDFs, PDF full-text search-ability, and a social networking component to see what others in your field are reading and commenting on (particularly in the sciences). |
| ...work with more than 2,000 citations for a research project like a systematic review | EndNote | EndNote has unlimited storage capability and can handle manipulating large numbers of citations with ease |
Free Citation Manager For Mac
adapted from Penn State University Libraries
Citation Manager Comparison Chart
Citation Management Software
| Criteria | Zotero | Mendeley | EndNote |
|---|---|---|---|
| Website | http://www.zotero.org/ | http://www.mendeley.com/ | http://endnote.com/ |
| Web based? | Yes, works with Firefox browser and can sync with online account; connectors for Chrome and Safari available | Not primarily, but can sync with an online account which is editable | No, but can transfer library to EndNote Online |
| Operating System | Windows, Mac, Linux | Windows, Mac, Linux | Windows or MAC |
| Cost | Free for basic account, some cost for more online storage space | Free for basic account, some cost for more online storage space | $ 22.00 for WUSTL Students $44.00 for WUSTL Staff |
| Word-processor compatibility | MS Word, Open Office, Google Docs | MS Word, Open Office, LaTex | MS Office, Open Office, iWork Pages |
| Mobile Device Application | 3rd party iOS and Android apps, web interface | iPad, iPhone, 3rd party Android apps, web interface | iPad, web interface |
| Number of citation styles | About 16 pre-loaded, 'thousands' available for download from Zotero | Over 1180 | Top 100 downloaded, over 4000 more available |
| Number of import filters | 247 'translators;' other sources captured as web page | About 50, + COinS, + integrates with Zotero's 'translators' | 700+ |
| Import from databases | Yes | Yes | Direct export from specific databases |
| 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) | only with EndNote Online bookmarklet |
| Storage capacity | Unlimited local storage and data syncing; 100MB free Zotero file syncing (larger syncing plans available for purchase); or can use WebDav | Unlimited local storage and data syncing; 1GB personal and 100MB shared online space (larger online storage plans available for purchase) | Unlimited local storage |
| Attach associated files (PDFs, etc.) | Yes, with option to attach automatically | Yes, and can highlight and annotate PDFs | Yes, and can highlight and annotate PDFs |
| Search full text of PDFs | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Duplicate detection | Yes | Limited | Yes; fully customizable |
| Create group or shared libraries | Yes | Yes, free for up to 3 group members (larger group plans available for purchase) | Yes, with up to 100 people and includes attachments and PDFs |
| Create bibliography with different styles | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Automatic citation extraction from PDFs | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Other features | Sync library with multiple computers Use tags to organize/search | Sync library with multiple computers Sync with Zotero library | Insert figures and charts using word processor integration |
adapted from Penn State University Libraries