Reference Management Tools: Overview
Which one is the right for you?
• A Reference Manager helps you keep track of articles and books as you find them, tag
and annotate them, and easily create citations and bibliographies in Microsoft Word.
• Using any Reference Manager will be more efficient for most scholars than not using
one at all.
• Each manager has its own plug-in for Microsoft Word and some also have browser plug-
ins for easy capture of web links.
• Each manager also has built-in connections to Google Scholar and common library
reference databases.
• Each manager has options for group-based collaborative research.
About reference management (and why it is better to use one)
The most used reference management software:
v Mendeley A reference management system tha t helps you org anize PDFs and crea te
bibliographies
v Endnote The oldest one, works well for all disciplines and for large collections of articles
v Zotero An open-source reference manager that is notable for its ease of use, its ability to
grab scr eenshots, and its capabilities for archiving website content for local storage.
v F1000Workspace A web-based application that provides a workspace for researchers to
collect, write, share and discuss scientific lit eratu re.
The most used reference management software: overview
Mendeley EndNote Zotero F1000Workspace
TYPE
Desktop software and
web
-based.
Works with Firefox,
Chrome, and Safari.
Desktop software,
web
-based EndNote
Web
.
Works with Firefox,
Chrome, and Safari.
Desktop software and
browser add
-on for
Firefox, Chrome, and
Safari.
Single sign
-on at:
Zotero.org
Web
-based and
browser add
-on for
Firefox, Chrome, and
Safari.
Single sign
-on at:
f1000workspace.com
HOW IT
WORKS
Search for references
inside the desktop
version
Export references from
compatible databases.
Also retrieves
metadata for PDF’s
that are brought in
Search for references
inside the desktop
version.
Export references from
compatible databases
into EndNote.
Retrieves PDF’s
Zotero browser plugin
lets you add records
to your Zotero
Library.
Extract full
-text
content from PDF’s
for searching
Export references from
compatible databases.
Workspace browser
plugin lets you add
records to your
Workspace Library.
Import PDF’s directly
to each reference
What is Mendeley?
Free citation management tool
• quickly save and organize citations
• download PDFs
– read offline
– mark-up
– share with a group
• cite while you write
– insert citations
– generate bibliographies
– easily change citation style
• Mendeley Desktop Software
• Mendeley Web and Mobile: to access and annotate your references on the go
• Mendeley is social: create profile, create network in your field, discover science,
access your Mendeley Feed
• Limitations:
• Storage
• Number of groups
• Shared collections
Why Mendeley?
• Easy-to-use program to organize references and format bibliographies
• Social networking for ease of sharing and discovery
• Import references from databases and search engines
• Unlimited references in “my library”
• full text linking available
• Duplicate references found
• Add file attachments, store and cite images
• 8000+ bibliography styles
MENDELEY
collaboration tool
Ø Create
Ø search
Ø join public and private groups focused on specific
topics
Ø Create and search researchers profile to connect with
others in Mendeley community
Special Features in Mendeley
• Drag and drop PDFs into your library; metadata is extracted automatically.
• Annotate and highlight PDFs and share both with others.
• Sync your library across multiple desktops and with the web.
• iPhone/iPad / Android apps.
• EndNote is a software product and reference and full-text organizer that allows you
to:
ü Import references from online databases
ü Create a custom group and add references to it
ü Create bibliographies and format documents in a large number of output styles
ü Insert reference in Word document
ü Store and organize citation information
ü Cite references as you write
ü Share your research
What is EndNote?
Writing
research
reports
Why EndNote?
• Easy-to-use program to organize references and format bibliographies
• Web and Desktop based versions that link together
• Large pool of users and well understood
• Import references from databases and search engines directly or via file imports
• Unlimited references in multiple libraries housed on your computer
• Full text linking available
• Duplicate references found
• Add file attachments, store and cite images
• 1000’s of bibliography styles
ENDNOTE
collaboration tool
Export references to:
Ø share with others
Ø invite others to share your synced library
Ø EndNote Basic allows you to share groups of citations
with other users
Free version of Endnote – Endnote Basic
Allows you to:
• Import and organize references while away from your desktop
• Share citations with others
• Syncs with iOS app
Limitations:
• Reference and storage size
• Database searching
• Bibliographic styles
• Zotero is a free online tool that integrates different activities such as bibliographic
information, processing programs, online archives, hand written note cards, in a
common tool.
• Store all your information locally for access at anytime
• Manage your research process and organize information and notes:
• Create collections, sub collections and manage saved searches
• Drag and drop items in collections; items can be in multiple collections at the same time
• Add records for each item and take notes
• Tag items
• Link items in the collections
• Archive web pages to highlight text and take note
• Attach any type of file to items: word documents of paper, excel data, images
• Export your information and generate reports
• Automatic capture feature works:
• Zotero browser plugin for searching on PubMed, Google Scholar, Google Books,
Amazon, Wikipedia, and publishers' websites
What is Zotero?
Why Zotero?
• Easy-to-use program to organize references and format bibliographies:
ü especially for those who often cite web-sites and social media in their work
• Import references from many databases and web sites using the Web Connector or
the .RIS format
• Unlimited references in “my library”
• full text linking available
• Duplicate references found
• Add file attachments, store and cite images
• 1000’s of bibliography styles
ZOTERO
collaboration tool
Ø Create
Ø search
Ø join public and private groups focused on specific
topics
Ø Create and search researchers profile to connect with
others in Zotero community
Special Features in Zotero
• Drag and drop PDFs into your library
• Fully searchable PDF’s via the Xpdf project
• Sync your library across multiple desktops via the Zotero server or portable version of
Firefox on external storage device
• Compatible with YouTube, Flikr, web pages, blogs
• Take notes that are attached to or independent of specific citations
What is F1000WorkSpace?
• F1000WorkSpace is part of F1000’s Faculty, the literature recommendation service
made up of experts in all areas of Biology and Medicine.
• F1000WorkSpace is an online reference manager tool for scientists to:
ü discover and collect literature
ü manage references
ü write manuscript, grant applications, posters, talks, etc.
ü collaborate on scientific papers
ü annotate into your Word document
Web-based platform - Browser-based extension- Microsoft Word plugin
Why F1000WorkSpace?
• Manage references - EndNote, Mendeley, Zotero, Papers, etc.; PDFs on your computer
• Save and annotate – (ex. from a PubMed search results page or citations of an article you
are interested)
• Share references - (you must have the F1000 Word plugin installed).
• Reference discovery – algorithm – discover new references
Special Features in F1000WorkSpace
• Workspace is compatible with Google docs - An add-on need to be installed.
• Export a Word doc that you have been writing using Workspace to Google docs
without losing your references and vice versa.
• Smart citation suggestions in Microsoft Word
• Google Docs Access to article recommendations in F1000Prime
