The University of Pennsylvania pays for institutional licenses to two products:
Please use the Citation Management Tools guide located in the left hand menu to learn more about access and set-up.
An open source option that Penn Libraries provides some training options on is Zotero. You can learn more about Zotero and training in the guide as well.
I am happy to serve as a resource for questions about products and getting citations into them. For more advanced support, especially regarding Microsoft Word extensions, please go to vendor related training materials and tech support.
Thanks to Mat Willmott at MIT Libraries for creating the template for this chart.
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Link to web guides |
Proquest guides and videos | Documentation | Support | Support |
Type |
Web-based |
Desktop software and browser add-on for Firefox, Chrome, and Safari (newest version includes single sign-on through zotero.org) |
Desktop software and web-based. Works with IE, Firefox, Chrome and Safari |
Desktop client sofware. Also web interface, EndNote Online |
Cost |
Free via Penn license. Sign up for an individual account on the RefWorks website. (Penn only) |
Free with Penn license with additional storage. Download Zotero |
Free with 2GB of web space and 100 MB shared library space. Storage upgrades available for a monthly fee. Download Mendeley |
Access to EndNote is free via Penn Library site license. Access Guide with download link. |
Learning curve |
Fairly quick to learn; many online user guides and demos | Quick to learn; simple design, many online user guides and demos | Quick to learn. Pretty simple interface | Takes longer to learn, but not difficult with training |
Strengths? |
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How does it work? |
You export references from compatible databases into RefWorks |
Zotero can tell when you are looking at an item and shows an icon for it in the Firefox URL bar. Click the icon to add the item to your Zotero references |
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You export references from compatible databases into EndNote |
Does it have many output styles and bibliographic formats? |
Yes, many popular styles and formats |
Yes, many popular styles and formats |
Yes, many popular styles and formats |
Yes, many popular styles and formats |
How simple is it to import records? |
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What kinds of records can you import and organize (PDFs, images, etc.)? |
Records for articles and books |
Books, articles, patents, and webpages; Can also store PDFs, web screenshots, files, and images in records. You can make PDFs searchable by choosing to index them in the preferences menu. |
You can import bibliographic citations, web pages, and PDFs. You can also manually add citations |
Can organize records for articles and books; PDFs and other file types can also be stored in the records. Can download PDFs in batches. |
Are records in your library viewable by others? |
Yes; Users can share references in library with other RefWorks users | Yes. Users can set up individual and group profiles and share records |
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Yes, but you must create and sync your desktop library with an EndNote Online account. |
Can you export records to other citation software? |
Yes | Yes | Yes. Export to EndNote XML, RIS and BibTeX | Yes |
Is managing and maintaining a big library (1000 records) complicated? |
Not complex, but it can be cumbersome to manage large libraries | More difficult; takes time to sort out duplicates and verify that records are complete | No known problems. May need to purchase extra space. | Not complex; EndNote is best option for maintaining large libraries |
Does it work with word processing software?You may need to get assistance from your school IT to integrate with Word |
Works with Word and Google Docs through RefWorks Citation Manager add-on or (for older versions of Word) "Write-N-Cite" feature, with LaTex through BibTex, | Works with Word and Open Office; also works with LaTex through BibTex. You can create a list of Works Cited for Google Docs |
Works with Word and OpenOffice.
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Clean integration with Word and powerful formatting and customization features; also works with Open Office and LaTex through BibTex |
Does it back up your records? |
Yes | Yes, if you choose to back up or sync your Zotero library. A small amount of storage is free. | Yes | Not automatic. Backing up an EndNote Client Library is a manual process. If you create an EndNote Online account and sync your library then it's backed up in cloud. You should periodically, manually, backup your desktop client library. |
Other important features |
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