DHA 718: Healthcare Law, Regulations and Ethics: Citation Managers

Healthcare Law: Regulations and Ethics URL: https://libguides.cmich.edu/DHA718

Citation Management Tools

Citation (or reference) management tools allow you to download citations from various websites and databases, and then store and organize the citations electronically. These tools allow you to format references in the appropriate citation style (APA, MLA, etc.), and some citation management tools even allow you to share references with other researchers.

Citation management tools allow you to:

  • create and manage a database of your references
  • attach documents so that all your research is in one place
  • search and store notes with your references
  • build a bibliography for your paper (also called works cited list or reference list)

This guide will help you determine which free citation management tool is right for you: EndNote, Mendeley or Zotero.

Citation Managers

Quick Links

Other Citation Management Tools

How to Choose a Citation Manager

I need to... Select: Why:
...work from multiple computers or locations.

Zotero

Mendeley

EndNote Online

Zotero saves your citation library to your local computer, but syncs with multiple computers so you can work from home, work, or school.

Mendeley is a program that lives on your local computer, but syncs with a web account.

EndNote Basic is fully-cloud based so you can access it from any device

…work without an Internet connection.

Zotero

Mendeley

Zotero and Mendeley store your citation libraries locally on your computer.
…save web pages and import citations from sites such as Amazon or Flickr. Zotero Zotero allows you to easily save snapshots of web pages and annotate them within your citation library.
…collaborate on group project or share my citations with others.

Zotero

Mendeley

EndNote Online

Zotero allows you to share your citations through shared folders -- you can give individuals or groups permissions to add and edit the citations in the shared folder.

Mendeley allows you to share citations and documents with private groups.

EndNote Basic allows you to share with up to 1,000 other users.

Adapted from American University (May, 6, 2021)

Citation Manager Comparison Chart

Criteria Zotero Mendeley EndNote Online
Web-based? Yes. Standlaone app with connectors for Chrome & Safari available Not primarily, but can sync with online account Yes
Must be online? No No Yes
Word processing compatibility MS Word (plugin required), OpenOffice/LibreOffice (plugin required)
Google Docs compatible
MS Word (plugin required)
OpenOffice/LibreOffice (plugin required)
MS Word (plugin required)
Import from databases? Yes Yes Yes
Import citation info from web pages? Yes Yes (with Mendeley Cite plugin) Yes (with Web Capture plugin)
Storage capacity? 300MB 5GB 2GB
Cost? Free basic account. Additional cost for increased online storage Free basic account. Additional cost for increased online storage Free to current CMU students, staff, and faculty
Attach files (PDFs)? Yes Yes Yes
Search full text of PDFs? Yes Yes No
Create groups or shared libraries? Yes Yes Yes
Create bibliography in different styles (APA, MLA, etc.)? Yes Yes Yes
Automatic citation extraction from PDFs? Yes Yes No
Works on a mobile device? Yes; app required No Yes; app required

Adapted from Dartmouth Library (September 6, 2024)

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