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The Sheridan Libraries

Citing Sources

Learn about frequently-used citation styles and citation tools.

Tools for Managing Citations

There are many different tools available to help you to:
  • import citations
  • store and organize your PDFs
  • insert citations into documents
  • share your citations and papers with others
  • collaborate with others

These products change constantly, so keeping up can be difficult. Try the Comparison of Reference Management Software entry in Wikipedia for your general questions. Also, look at the citation manager comparison chart at Welch Library to evaluate the features, flexibility, and accessibility of each option.

Librarians only offer very limited help with most of those products. Each tab will tell you where you can get help. 

RefWorks, EndNote, Mendeley, and Zotero each come with their own set of strengths and weaknesses, but these four tools offer the same basic features, such as:

  • Export a batch of references from a database and into the tool
  • Organize these references in folders 
  • Share your citations with collaborators
  • Create a bibliography of your citations in a variety of styles
  • Add a Microsoft Word or Google Docs (available in RefWorks and Zotero) plug-in that lets you cite while you write your document
RefWorks is an online citation manager that helps you keep track of citations to books, articles, and other documents.

It creates properly formatted bibliographies, and will insert citations into your documents. Organize, read, annotate, and highlight full-text documents individually, or share privately with members of your institution or with any RefWorks user in a collaborative environment. 
  • Refworks is free to all JHU users
  • It is web-based, so doesn't need to be downloaded
  • Unlimited storage and annotation capabilities
  • Information for JHU alumni
To get started:  Use the JHU Libraries' guide to using RefWorks: https://guides.library.jhu.edu/refworks 
RefWorks' own guide:   http://proquest.libguides.com/refworks
EndNote has both a desktop and a web based version. 

The desktop version is called “EndNote Desktop” or “EndNote on the desktop.” The web version is called “EndNote online.”

EndNote Desktop is a paid version that can be purchased through the JHU software portal. The online library can contain an unlimited number of references and unlimited attachments (but be aware that the web version is more limited than the regular desktop EndNote).
  • You will be asked to register, if you haven't already. Here is the Quick Start guide.
  • Academic departments wanting to purchase EndNote can go to the JHU portal at: my.jhu.edu --> Technology --> My Software --> click the software catalog link, and search for EndNote 

To get started: 

Mendeley is a free online tool that helps you collect, manage, and cite research sources. It's easy to use and accessible within your web browser and/or on your desktop.

Mendeley allows you to organize, annotate, and highlight PDFs, add to your citations, organize them into collections for different projects, and create bibliographies using Word or OpenOffice. It is available to use in any web browser. 

Mendeley also has a downloadable desktop application for your Mendeley library. Note that Mendeley has a cost if you want to store and annotate more than 2G of documents. 

Help Guides: 

To start using Mendeley, follow these steps:

  • Open your favorite web browser and go to www.mendeley.com. Click "Create Account" to make an Elsevier account. It's important to note that you should NOT click "Sign in via your institution". Simply use your preferred email address to make an account. 
  • From the Mendeley homepage, download the Mendeley Reference Manager for Desktop by clicking on the "download" button in the top right-hand corner. 
  • Then install the Mendeley Web Importer for Chrome, Firefox, or Safari. This allows you to save references to your Mendeley library with one click.
  • You can also integrate Mendeley with Microsoft Word by downloading the Mendeley Cite plugin. 

 

 

 

Zotero is a free tool that collects, manages, and cites research sources. It's easy to use and lives in your web browser where you do your work.

Zotero can be downloaded as a standalone version that works with the Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge browsers. Note that Zotero has a cost if you want to store and annotate more than 400 MB of documents. 

Help Guides: 

To get started with Zotero:

  • Open your favorite web browser and go to https://www.zotero.org/user/login/. Click "Register for a Free Account," using your preferred email address.

  • From the Zotero homepage, download the Zotero Reference Manager for Desktop by clicking on the "download" button in the top right  corner. 

  • Then install the Zotero Connector for Chrome, Firefox, Edge, or Safari. This allows you to save references to your Zotero library with one click.

  • You can also integrate Zotero with Microsoft Word, Google Docs or LibreOffice Plugins.