Citation Managers

Why We Use Them

• Save time
• Avoid losing points for incorrect citations
• Stay organized 

What They Do

Citation managers allow you to save citations, and generate in-text citations and bibliographies, and organize resources, among other features.  Mendeley and Zotero are two popular citation managers that have desktop applications, Microsoft Word plugins, and browser extensions that are free to download. 

• Mendeley
  • 2 GB Free Storage
  • Store, annotate, and highlight PDFs in the desktop application
  • Microsoft Word plugin available to generate in-text citations and bibliographies in your document
  • Browser extension available to import citations directly from a web page
• Zotero
  • 300 MB Free Storage
  • Attach PDF files to your citations in the desktop application
  • Microsoft Word and Google Docs plugins available to generate in-text citations and bibliographies in your document
  • Browser extension available to import citations directly from a web page

Questions?

For more information on using citation managers or picking the right manager for you, please contact the librarian or see the links below for videos and tutorials.

• Citation Managers Overview & Comparisons - Portland State University
• Citation Management Introduction - Benedictine University
• Zotero Tutorials
• Mendeley Tutorials