Admin Sign In 
 MIT Libraries Home  »  Research Guides Home  »  Overview of Citation Software at MIT: Managing Your References

Overview of Citation Software at MIT: Managing Your References 

Last update: Nov 04th, 2009 URL: http://libguides.mit.edu/references  Print Guide  RSS Updates

Overview of Citation Software at MIT            Print Page
  
 

Training

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

Video tutorials on citation management tools

 

Citation Management Support

Contact us at:
cite-help@mit.edu

 
 

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, and Zotero. 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

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 webpages
  • Offers most functionality in a free, open-source product
  • Downloads records from with several databases that don't work with EndNote and RefWorks, including Factiva and USPTO

Cost?

Must purchase client software, available at MIT Coop, or at a discount through Gov Connection; web version free for MIT

Free via MIT license. See the RefWorks guide for information.  Sign up for an individual account on the RefWorks website. (MIT only)

Free; open-source Firefox extension. Download Firefox, then download Zotero.

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
For more information, 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!.

 

Research Guides | MIT Libraries | Massachusetts Institute of Technology
webmaster@libraries.mit.edu

Powered by Springshare. Text licensed under Creative Commons, unless otherwise noted. All other media all rights reserved unless otherwise noted.

Description

  Loading content... please wait