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Applied Research

Why use a citation management tool?

Please note that this page is adapted from the University of Guelph Humber Citation Management Guide

Citation managers make it easy to

  • Organize and store sources for easy access anywhere
  • Create bibliographies, reference lists and add in-text citations to your documents in many different styles
  • Collaborate and share sources with other researchers, faculty and students

Choose the citation manager that's right for you

Citation Managers Comparison Chart
Feature Zotero Mendeley *EndNote Online
Cost Free basic account. Cost for additional storage. Free basic account. Cost for additional storage. Free basic account.
Website Zotero Mendeley EndNote Online
Support Zotero Documentation Mendeley Support EndNote Support
Web Based? Yes. *N.B. Zotero for Firefox no longer available. Now a Standalone with connectors for Firefox, Chrome & Safari (with Zotero 5.0 upgrade). Not primarily, but syncs with an online account & a web import button.

Yes.  *N.B. Formerly known as EndNote Web.

Web Capture bookmarklet for most browsers

Can I work on multiple computers? Yes Yes Yes
Can I work without an internet connection? Yes Yes No
Can I work on a group project or share citations? Yes Yes (up to 3 collaborators) Yes
Word-processor compatibility

MS Word plugin (Win/Mac)

Open/Libre Office plugin (Win/Mac/Linux)

Google docs compatibility

MS Word plugin (Win/Mac)

Open/Libre Office plugin (Win/Mac/Linux)

MS Word plugin (Win)

MS Word plugin (Mac)

Import from databases? Yes Yes Yes
Import from web pages? Yes Yes (Bookmarklet for limited number of sites) Yes (Web capture tool)
Import PDF metadata? Yes Yes No
Storage capacity 300 MB 5GB 2GB
Attach files (i.e. PDFs) Yes Yes Yes
Create a bibliography Yes Yes Yes
Number of Citation Styles 8100+ (selected default styles installed, more styles can be found in the Zotero Style Repository) 7000+ (selected default styles installed, more styles can be found at CitationStyles.org) 3400+
Insider tip Known accessibility issues for screen reader users. Doesn't import correctly from EBSCO CINAHL or APA PsycNET. Steeper learning curve for importing from databases.