LibGuides: Citation Style Guide: Citation Management and Formatting Tools

How to Use and Select Citation Management Tools

What do Citation Management Tools do?

import citations from databases, websites, and library catalogs
manage, categorize, and organize citations
create and correctly format bibliographies and in text citations in most output styles (e.g., APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.)
attach PDF's, images, etc to citations in your collection
write notes or annotate PDF's attached to your citations

Citation Building Tools

EasyBib
Automatic Bibliography and Citation Maker.
KnightCite
Free and simple online citation building tool from Hekman Library at Calvin College. Builds citations in APA, MLA, and Chicago styles.
Zotero
Zotero is a free, easy-to-use tool to help you
collect, organize, cite, and share research.
Mendeley
Mendeley is a free reference manager and academic social network that can help you organize your research, collaborate with others online, and discover the latest research.
Citation Builder
A tool from NCSU libraries that creates citations for you in APA or MLA format.

How do I choose the right tool?

Comparison Chart

	Mendeley	Zotero	Easybib
Access
Web Based	No*	Yes**	Yes
Cost	Free***	Free	Free
Adding References
Import from online databases	Yes	Yes	No
Import citation information from web page	No	Yes	Yes
Output
Create in-text citations	Yes	Yes	No
Create bibliographies	Yes	Yes	Yes
Collaborate
Sharing	Yes	Yes	Yes
Group ability to add references to shared folder	Yes	Yes	Yes
Publicly share Profile/citations	No	No	No
Storage	2GB (free)	Yes, 100 MG, cloud based	No

*While these tools are not Web-based, meaning you need to download a desktop application, they do have a web component (which can be used without being on the desktop download and which can be synced with the desktop).

**Zotero is a local client application that syncs data accessible on the web through a read-only interface. You cannot log into zotero.org and edit/add citations; it must be done through your local application. The web access is primarily a read-only backup and group discovery tool.

***Can pay for a more robust subscription, but the basic package is free.