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Citation Managers

Citation Management Software Comparison

 
  EndNote Web EndNote (Desktop) Mendeley Zotero
How to access? Log in via TU Libraries' Web of Science database. (Must create free WofS account) Purchase. Current prices for Temple students and affiliates available through https://onthehub.com https://www.mendeley.com https://www.zotero.com
Strengths

-Good for organizing citations for papers and formatting bibliographies

-Allows users to share citations

-Web-based

-Since Temple has a site license, no cost for users

-Excellent for organizing citations for papers and theses

-Good customer support

-Highly customizable

-Can handle a large number of references

-Great for managing PDFs

-Does a good job of pulling citation metadata from PDFs

-Can share citations and documents with others

-Simple download of records

-Good for managing a variety of formats, including web pages

-Lots of functionality in an open-source product

-Can share citations and other documents with others

Learning Curve Fairly quick to learn; many online user guides and demos Takes longer to learn, but not difficult with training Quick to learn. Pretty simple interface Quick to learn; simple design, many online user guides and demos
What format is it? Web-based Desktop software that syncs up with EndNote Web Desktop software and web-based. Works with IE, Firefox, Chrome, and Safari Desktop software and web-based. Open source
How much does it cost? Free to Temple faculty, students, and staff Current prices for Temple students and affiliates available through https://onthehub.com There is a free version; more features are available for an additional charge. Register and download at https://www.mendeley.com There is a free version; more features are available for an additional charge. Download add-ons and desktop programs at https://www.zotero.org
How does it work? Export references from compatible databases into EndNote Web Export references from compatible databases into EndNote Export references from compatible databases. Download using browser plugin. Mendeley will also retrieve metadata for PDFs that are dragged and dropped

Zotero can tell when you are looking at an item and shows an icon for it in the browser's URL bar. Click the icon to add the item to your Zotero references

 

Is full text linking available? Yes  Yes No  Yes
  EndNote Web EndNote (Desktop) Mendeley Zotero
Add file attachments? Yes Yes Yes Can link citations to PDFs in folders on your computer
Auto-download PDFs? No Yes Yes, most of the time Yes, most of the time
PDF annotation? No Yes Yes Yes

Store and cite images?

No Yes Yes (web screenshots) Yes (web screenshots)
Duplicate record detection? Yes Yes Yes

Yes

Does it work with word processing software? Yes. Powerful formatting and customization features in Word; also works with LaTeX through BibTeX and Open Office Yes. Powerful formatting and customization features in Word; also works with LaTeX through BibTeX and Open Office Yes. Works with Word and Open Office; also works with LaTeX through BibTeX Yes. Works with Word, Google Docs, and LibreOffice; also works with LaTeX through BibTeX
Collaborate with other people? Can share folders of references within EndNote Web; can export references to share with others; can create groups for collaboration Best for single users, but can export references to share with others. (If syncing to EndNote Web, can use ithe online sharing features) Very good for collaborative work. Create, search, and join public and private groups that focus on specific topics; can share records if you choose to do so through group folders Yes, create, search, and join public and private groups that focus on specific topics; can share records if you choose to do so
Other Important Features -Syncs up with EndNote desktop version, but can be used without it

-PDF file management and organization features

-Good PDF reader that enables highlighting and comments

-Very good for collaborative work

-Good PDF reader that enables highlighting and comments

-Can set up a "watched folder" which automatically imports PDFs downloaded into that folder into your Mendeley library

-If you back up records, you can sync multiple computers

-Integrated with work on the web that you do

-Saves snapshot of web pages

-Not recommended for public computer users

[Includes information from MIT LibrariesU Penn Libraries, and U Michigan Library’s citation management software guides]