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Citation Managers: Zotero and Mendeley

Zotero and Mendeley

Zotero and Mendeley are free browser-based research tools that help users gather, organize, and analyze sources for purposes of information sharing & citation management.

Use the tabs on the left to view video tutorials on how to use Mendeley and Zotero.

Getting Started with Zotero

Zotero logo

Zotero Highlights:

  • Accessible as a standalone program with browser plug-in support.
  • Able to detect and ingest information from most websites to create new references automatically. 
    • Type of sites supported include library catalogs, databases, and individual websites like Amazon.com and YouTube.
  • Integrates with word processing programs like Word, LibreOffice, & Google Docs.
    • Able to insert Zotero library citations into new documents, including in-text citations, endnotes, and footnotes.
    • "Quick bibliography" feature allows for fast and easy export of selected Zotero library citations.
    • Built-in support for over 9000 citation styles through the Zotero Style Repository.
  • Options to sync and collaborate across multiple computers and with multiple people.
    • Free online library storage for up to 300 MB.
    • Able to create "groups" between multiple Zotero users that share items through a separate communal library.
  • Please note that as of version 5.0, Zotero is only available as a standalone application. The original Firefox extension has been converted to a Zotero connector extension, comparable to the connector available for Google Chrome and Safari.

Download Zotero and associated plug-ins using these links:

Getting Started with Mendeley

Mendeley Logo

Mendeley Highlights:

  • Accessible as a desktop client, via a web browser, &/or an app.
  • Imports papers, web pages and other documents directly into your reference library from search engines and academic databases via its Web Importer browser extension (available for Chrome and Firefox).
  • Integrates with word processing programs like Word and Libre Office.
    • Able to insert Mendeley library citations into new documents, including in-text citations, endnotes, and footnotes.
    • Built-in support for over 8000 citation styles.
  • Options to sync and collaborate across multiple computers and with multiple people.
    • Free online library storage for up to 2 GB.
    • Shared library space of 100 MB.
  • Create or join a group to share and collaborate with other users. 
    • Public, Invite-only, and private groups

Download Mendeley and associated plug-ins using these links:

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