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Citation Management Tools

Choose the Right Tool for Your Needs

CitationManagement ToolsChoose the Right Tool for Your Needs

What Can a Citation Management Tool Do For You?

Citation management tools, sometimes called reference management software, can be incredibly helpful if you're writing papers, either for a course or publication. While some tools are downloaded to your computer, most are web-based and can be accessed from anywhere.


These tools have many of the same functions:


  • pull in references from sources like Google Scholar or subscription resources through your institution
  • organize references based on project or semester
  • collaborate with your other authors
  • insert a reference list in the citation style of your choice
  • insert in-text citations into your paper or manuscript
  • save, tag, annotate, and highlight PDFs
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EndNote Web (Free)

EndNote Web/EndNote Online is the free, web-based version of EndNote. Users get up to 2 GB or 50,000 references of free storage. Sign up for your account through Clarivate. You'll be able to:


  • create project folders
  • integrate with your word processor
  • download a browser plugin called EndNote Click
  • create bibliographies and in-text citations
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EndNote 20 (Paid)

You can choose to purchase EndNote 20. With EndNote 20, you can:


  • create unlimited project libraries
  • annotate PDFs
  • collaborate with others
  • integrate with your word processor
  • download a browser plugin called EndNote Click
  • create bibliographies and in-text citations
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Mendeley (Free)

Mendeley, from Elsevier, can be downloaded to your computer and used on the web. It is free for up to 2 GB of web storage or 500 MB of personal storage. Some features of Mendeley include:


  • annotate PDFs
  • follow topics and authors of interest
  • integrate with your word processor
  • use a browser plugin
  • complete bibliographies and in-text citations
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Zotero (Free)

Zotero can be downloaded to your computer and used from your browser. Zotero is free up to 300 MB. Some unique aspects of Zotero include:


  • add tags or notes to a source
  • integrate with your word processor
  • use a browser plugin
  • create bibliographies and complete in-text citations

Other Tools?

There are other tools available. These are just a few of the best. It's really a matter of personal preference, what you get used to, and what your collaborators are using. Happy citing!