There are a number of ways to keep your research materials organized. Here we feature a few of our favorite tools.
Every reference management tool has its strengths and weaknesses. Decide which one would work best for you by looking at their basic features and functions below. For more extensive comparisons, see Wikipedia's Comparison of reference management software.
Have questions? Let us know by visiting our Ask Us page!
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| Introduction | Mendeley allows you to store and organize your research materials, share them with others, and annotate documents. It is free to use. |
RefWorks is a tool for storing and sharing your research materials, and citing them in commonly-used citation styles. RefWorks is supported by the library. To set up an account, use your Macalester email address. |
Zotero is an easy to use application for organizing your research materials, sharing them with collaborators, and citing them in a wide range of citation styles. It's simple to set up and begin using, and it's free! For more information, check out the Zotero page in this guide. |
| Getting started | https://resources.mendeley.com/ | https://www.zotero.org/support/quick_start_guide | |
| Accessibility | https://www.mendeley.com/accessibility | https://support.proquest.com/s/article/Accessibility-Statement-RefWorks?language=en_US | https://forums.zotero.org/discussion/67667/accessibility-in-5-0-standalone |
| Developer | Elsevier | Ex Libris / ProQuest | Center for History and New Media at George Mason University |
| Versions | Web-based & desktop | Web-based | Web-based & desktop |
| Desktop platforms | Windows, Mac, Linux | Not applicable | Windows, Mac, Linux |
| Web browsers | Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge, Firefox, Safari, Google Chrome |
Microsoft Edge, Firefox, Safari, Google Chrome (To discontinue certification of Internet Explorer on July 1, 2021) |
Firefox, Safari, Google Chrome |
| Cost + Storage | Basic account free with 2GB cloud storage | Institutional subscription with unlimited cloud storage | Basic account free with 300MB cloud storage |
| Word processor integration |
Microsoft Word LibreOffice OpenOffice |
Microsoft Word: Write-n-Cite plugin Google Docs |
Microsoft Word Google Docs LibreOffice |
| Built-in PDF annotation | Yes | Yes | No, but can with Zotfile plug-in |
| Option to share and collaborate with others | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile app | Yes (iOS and Android) | No | No |
