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Citing & Citation Management

What is a Citation Management Tool?

Citation management tools allow you to store your resources and research in one place, no matter where you got them from. In addition to being a way to keep track of your research they will also generate citations for you in the style that you specify.

Quick Tip: Citation management tools are a great way to stay organized while you research and save you time and energy when creating citations.

Mendeley & Zotero Compared

Feature Mendeley Zotero
Free Y Y
Has online & desktop component N

Y

Can save PDFs & links Y Y
Built in PDF Reader (with annotating) Y*

N

Creates works cited citations Y

Y

Creates in-text citations with Google N Y
Creates in-text citations with Word Y Y
Group sharing capabilities Y** Y
Ability to create folders for organizing Y Y
Ability to create tags for organizing Y Y
Ability to star favorite/important docs Y N
Ability to search entire library Y Y

 

*With the Mendeley built in PDF reader you can annotate PDFs by adding highlights and notes. These notes can be exported from Mendeley but it worth knowing that the highlighting will not be transferred out if you ever wish to export the PDF.

**Group sharing with Mendeley is limited. If you are creating a group that shares PDFs you can only have 1 of these with up to 3 people. If you wish to just share citations there are more allowances.

***From the Mendeley website: As part of the continued evolution of Mendeley, from 1 September 2022, users will no longer be able to download and install Mendeley Desktop software. Existing users of Mendeley Desktop will continue to be able to sign into, use and sync their Mendeley Desktop. Longer-term, once we are confident that the new Mendeley Reference Manager sufficiently meets your reference management needs, we will begin the process of stopping all sign-ins to Mendeley Desktop. We will be sure to give you plenty of notice before this happens.

Based on this information, switching to Zotero may be your best option for free citation management software long-term.

HSLIC Supported Citation Management Tools

Zotero is a free tool which means you don't need a subscription through UNM to access it. With Zotero you can:

  • Import PDFs directly into your personal Zotero Library.

  • Import website links into your personal Zotero Library.

  • Create groups to share PDFs and/or citations.

  • Create in-text and works cited lists.

  • Save citations online or through the desktop download. Zotero's online component works like the cloud, syncing your library across computers and online.

  • Organize and search your own personal resource library.

    • Create folders and subfolders

    • Create your own tags for items

    • Search across your entire Zotero library

Mendeley is a free tool which means you don't need a subscription through UNM to access it. With Mendeley you can:

  • Import and annotate PDFs directly in your personal Mendeley Library.

  • Import website links into your personal Mendeley Library.

  • Create in-text (with Word) and works cited lists.

  • Save citations online or through the desktop download. Mendeley's online component works like the cloud, syncing your library across computers and online.

  • Organize and search your own personal resource library.

    • Create folders and subfolders

    • Star important items

    • Create your own tags for items

    • Search across your entire Mendeley library

Endnote

Endnote is available for purchase for University of New Mexico computers through LoboMart and can be purchased for personal computers by contacting the UNM Bookstore. Please note that HSLIC actively supports Zotero and Mendeley as they are free resources. 

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