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Michigan State University

EndNote & EndNote Online

Information about EndNote, the popular reference manager software program. Last updated: 9/7/23.

Which Citation Manager Should I Choose?

Choosing a citation manager to use is dependent on many factors. It is recommended that you compare the features you need and try out one or more citation managers before deciding which to use for your work.

What will it do for me? A quick guide to choosing a reference manager

EndNote Zotero Mendeley

EndNote Logo

EndNote is available online or as desktop software. You can set up preferences to search within specific databases and collect citations through a personalized interface, with hundreds of citation styles available.

Zotero Logo

Zotero is a free software that you can download and use on Firefox, with plugins for Chrome and Safari. It saves citations and connections to online media, and takes screenshots of your internet research.

Meneley Logo

Mendeley is a free software that you can download to your computer or use in-browser. It takes all of your PDF article files and organizes them. It allows for tagging, and has a growing community of scholars.

LEARNING CURVE
Takes longer to learn, training recommended. Quick to learn, especially with training. Quick to learn, especially with training.
CONSIDERATIONS FOR USE
Personal copies of EndNote are available for a fee through the Computer Store, or free on campus computers. Since EndNote is desktop-based, syncing between devices can be challenging, but continues to improve. Zotero is used with your personal browser – to use it on multiple devices you have to carry your library settings on an external device or sync via Firefox, which is not secure on a public computer. Mendeley has some difficulty downloading citations and PDF files from library databases. Older PDF files that do not have proper metadata will not give proper citation information to Mendeley.
STORAGE SPACE

EndNote Desktop: your computer's storage capacity.

EndNote Web: 2 GB free, unlimited with purchase of EndNote Desktop.

Zotero Desktop: your computer's storage capacity.

Zotero Online: 300 MB free, additional space for a fee.

Mendeley Desktop: your computer's storage capacity.

Mendeley Online: 2 GB free.

LIBRARY HELP GUIDES
MSU Library's EndNote Guide

MSU Library's Zotero Guide

MSU Library's Mendeley Guide
TRAINING AVAILABLE?

YES

Please see the Schedule of Library Classes for upcoming sessions

YES

Please see the Schedule of Library Classes for upcoming sessions

YES

Please see the Schedule of Library Classes for upcoming sessions

Brief overview of software that helps to organize and manage citations.

Direct link to "Citation Management Tools" on MSU Mediaspace

Video credit: Emilia Marcyk (with Deborah Margolis)

Mendeley

For more information about Mendeley, please see our Mendeley Guide.

Zotero

For more information about Zotero, please see our Zotero Guide.

Michigan State University
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