Skip to Main Content

Citing Sources

Citation style manuals by discipline

Choosing a Citation Management Tool

Keeping track of sources and writing citations can be challenging. Fortunately, citation management tools can help you save, organize, and create citations. The chart below will help you make sense of a few of the more popular options.

Always proofread citations before you turn in a project. See the Citation Guide for help ensuring your citations are correct. 

Citation Management Tools Comparison Chart

  RefWorks Zotero Mendeley
Link to web guides Proquest guides and videos Documentation Support Guides

Type

 Web-based Desktop software and browser add-on for Firefox, Chrome, and Safari (newest version includes single sign-on through zotero.org)

Desktop software and web-based. Works with IE, Firefox, Chrome and Safari
Cost Free via Stetson. Sign up for an individual account on the RefWorks website. 

Free.

Download Zotero

Free.

Download Mendeley
Learning curve 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
Strengths?
  • Allows users to share citations
  • Good for organizing citations for papers
  • Web-based
  • Since Stetson 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
  • Useable PDF reader
  • Great for managing PDFs
  • Has a social aspect. Can see what other users are reading and citing. 
  • Does an excellent job of pulling citation metadata from PDFs
  • Can share citations and documents with others
How does it work? You export references from compatible databases into RefWorks Zotero can tell when you are looking at an item and shows an icon for it in the Firefox/Chrome URL bar.  Click the icon to add the item to your Zotero references
  • You export references from compatible databases.
  • Retrieve metadata from pdfs that you uploaded directly from your hard drive. 
Does it have many output styles and bibliographic formats? Yes, many popular styles and formats Yes, many popular styles and formats Yes, many popular styles and formats
How simple is it to import records?
  • Simple to import records from most research databases
  • Always check the citations against the article itself
  • Very simple, as long as the resource is compatible with Zotero, but you will want to verify that the records are complete after import
  • Always check the citations against the article itself
  • Very simple using the Mendeley browser plugin. However, the import doesn't work with as many databases as other products.
  • Always check the citations against the article itself
Are records in your library viewable by others? Yes; Users can share references in library with other RefWorks users Yes.  Users can set up individual and group profiles and share records
  • Yes. Users can set up private groups to share references.
  • Users can decide whether or not to make their library viewable by others
Can you export records to other citation software? Yes Yes Yes
Does it work with word processing software? Yes. In Microsoft 365, install RefWorks add-in Yes. Install the Word Processor Plugin for Microsoft 365 Yes. In Microsoft 365, install the Mendeley Cite add-in
Other important features Since it's web-based, you're not limited to a single machine
  • If you back up records, you can sync multiple computers
  • Integrated with Zotero  web library 
  • Fastest download of records
  • Saves snapshot of web pages
  • Allows users to highlight text and take notes on page
  • Allows users to tag records
 Has a good PDF reader that enables highlighting and comments

Adapted from Penn Libraries Citation Management Tools Overview guide

Have a question? Ask a librarian! Email libref@stetson.edu. Call or text 386-747-9028.