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Universiteitsbibliotheek – LibGuides

Reference management

A list of four reference tools

There are more tools for managing your references
Below you will find the major characteristics of the four most well-known systems.

Whatever tool you select, you are not stuck with it forever. However, switching to another tool can cause some problems.

You can simply transfer your references to another system. But in the case of PDFs, notes and map structure you may enter some problems. It is advisable not to change from reference tool while working on a large paper or book. There is a big chance you will have to start again with including your literature references in the text.

 

EndNote

  • licenced by UU and UMCU
  • combination of desktop programme and online platform
  • very suitable for processing large numbers of references and deduplicating (for instance for systematic reviews)
  • very suitable for adding full text and the updating of references
  • options for sharing your references with others
  • add-in for MS Word,Google Docs, LibreOffice and Apache OpenOffice
  • unlimited storage for PDFs.
  • because of the many options it takes more time to familiarise yourself with the use of Endnote
  • more about Endnote 

RefWorks

  • The Refworks license for UU and UMCU will end by December 31st 2025! We advise you to use another reference manager.

Zotero

  • free download, open source system with a large community of users and developers.
  • local installation and web based version possible; good synchronisation
  • quick and simple collecting of references from your browser
  • saves reference and PDF from most online systems
  • add-ins for referring for citing in Word, LibreOffice and in Google Docs.
  • limited free storage space for PDFs (300MB)
  • more about Zotero

Mendeley

  • free download (non-institutional version)
  • good options to make notes on (and in) publications.
  • sufficient free storage capacity (2GB)
  • Mendeley Reference Manager does not have a reliable, transparent way to deduplicate. We therefore advise against using Mendeley in systematic reviews and meta-analyses. In that case, choose another reference manager
  • more about Mendeley

Considerations in choosing a tool

  • Do you use the tool for a specific purpose (e.g. Systematic review)?
  • Do you want a free to use (open source) tool or one that is licensed by your institution?
  • Which tools do your peers use?
  • Which text editor do you use (MS Word, LibreOffice, Google docs, Kile, Lyx, …)?
  • What storage space do you need for PDFs?

What is the use of a reference tool

The four major uses:

  1. Collecting and storing the bibliographical data of your sources
  2. Consulting your sources: via a saved PDF, or via clicking through to an external full text
  3. Referring to sources in your own text (citing)
  4. Having reading lists created

Useful help functions:

  • Deduplicating 
  • Organising in folders
  • Labelling with tags
  • Sharing with others