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Citation Management Tools

What is a citation manager?

Citation managers (also known as reference managers) are tools designed to make your life as a researcher easier.

Tools like Zotero, EndNote, and Mendeley can help you: 

  • Save citations of the articles you find in databases, search engines, and other sources as you search
  • Keep your citations organized in a way that makes sense to you
  • Save PDFs of articles and other resources with your citations
  • Quickly generate references lists
  • Efficiently switch to a different citation style with just a few clicks
  • Share articles and resources with colleagues
  • Create in-text citations
  • ...and much more!

Citation managers generally have more sophisticated features that distinguish them from simpler citation generators (e.g., EasyBib, NoodleTools). CITATION GENERATORS ARE GOOD FOR SOME THINGS, BUT CITATION MANAGERS CAN DO MORE. THINK ABOUT RETURN ON INVESTMENT, RULE OF THUMB IS 10 SOURCES OR LESS, MAYBE MORE THAN YOU NEED. HOWEVER, GETTING PRACTICE BEFORE YOU NEED IT ISN'T A BAD THING. 

How do I choose a citation manager?

Most robust citation managers will have a lot of the same functionalities. Much of the decision will depend on your personal preferences. You can use a comparison chart to differentiate. Other questions to consider include:

  • Do I work primarily on the same computer all the time? Or will I benefit from syncing across multiple work stations and/or types of devices?
  • How often do I collaborate with others?
  • Which citation manager is most used in my research discipline?
  • Which citation manager is preferred by my advisor, among my colleagues, or within my department? 

If you'd like additional help making a decision, reach out to a librarian. A librarian can also help you transition from one citation manager to another if you change your mind later. 

The most important thing is to choose one and then use it consistently.