Overview - Overview of citation software at MIT: Managing your references

Training

Managing Your References (1:01:18) - describes three different tools for managing citations: EndNote, RefWorks, and Zotero. Recorded in Spring 2008. [MIT only]

More about citation software

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Citation management support

What is citation software?

Citation software (also called "bibliographic software," "citation managers," or "reference managers") helps you to:

import citations from your favorite databases and websites.
build and organize bibliographies.
format citations for papers.
take notes on articles and save them in your collection of citations.
save and organize PDFs, screenshots, graphs, images, and other files for your research.

Which program is right for you?

The MIT Libraries support EndNote, RefWorks, Zotero, and Mendeley. How do you know which program is right for you? Some things to think about when you choose:

What programs are your colleagues using? For example, if fellow researchers are all using RefWorks to share citations, you might consider RefWorks so that you can share your research, too.
Use what you like! There is no one perfect program, so use what you're comfortable with.
You can use more than one software. Records can be transferred from one program to another, so don't feel limited to choosing only one.

	EndNote	RefWorks	Zotero	Mendeley
Strengths?	Excellent for organizing citations for papers and theses Best option for major research projects, because it offers the most options for customization and formatting Most widely used product at MIT Most output styles for formatting Most customizable Can handle a large amount of references	Allows users to share citations Good for organizing citations for papers Web-based Since MIT has a site license, there's no cost	Simple download of records Good for managing a variety of formats, including web pages Offers most functionality in a free, open-source product Downloads records from several databases that don't work with EndNote and RefWorks, including Factiva, USPTO, Espacenet, & FreePatentsOnline.	Great for managing PDFs Has a social aspect. Can see what other users are reading and citing. Find other members with common research interests. Does an excellent job of pulling citation metadata from PDFs Can share citations and documents with others
Cost?	Must purchase client software, available at MIT Coop, or at a discount through GovConnection via ECAT3. Web version free for MIT users through Web of Science.	Free via MIT license. See the RefWorks guide for information. Sign up for an individual account on the RefWorks website. (MIT only)	Free with 300 MB of back-up storage. Storage upgrades available for a monthly fee. Open source. Download Zotero	Free with 1GB of web space (500 MB personal & 500 MB shared.) Storage upgrades available for a monthly fee. Download Mendeley
Learning curve?	Takes longer to learn, but not difficult with training	Fairly quick to learn; many online user guides and demos	Quick to learn; simple design, many online user guides and demos	Quick to learn; Pretty simple interface
For more info, see the complete table for comparison of citation software at MIT.

Need more help?

If you need help selecting a product, or if you have questions or comments about using these products in conjunction with library-supported resources, please use Ask Us!

Need more help doing your research or putting together a bibliography? Try the Information Navigator!
Need more help writing your paper? Contact the Writing Center.
Want to know the proper format for citations? See Style/Usage Manuals.
Need help citing data?

Overview of citation software at MIT: Managing your references