Citation management or reference management tools help you collect, manage, cite and prepare bibliographies of your research sources. All help you with the import of citations from research databases, websites and other electronic sources as well as allow you to manually enter citations from other sources. In addition, you can then add these citations to your documents and these tools to generate a bibliography in your desired citation format with plug-in tools for word processing programs.
The Stanford University Libraries provide free access to two citation management tools, RefWorks and EndNote Web. Two other web-based citation management tools, Zotero and Mendeley are also available for free for basic features.
The Engineering Library provides workshops on using citation management tools. Information on the workshops is available on the Workshops & Instruction page.
RefWorks
RefWorks is provided by the Stanford University Libraries under a site license. To set-up an account go to http://www.refworks-cos.com and use your Stanford University email to create your account.
Tutorials
- http://www.refworks.com/tutorial/
- Quick Start Guide: http://www.refworks.com/content/documents/RefWorks_Quick_Start_Guide.pdf
RefWorks also offers a mobile platform for users on the go, you can access the mobile version here: http://www.refworks.com/mobile.
EndNote Web
EndNote Web is a web-based version of EndNote that is available to all Stanford faculty/students and staff via the ISI Web of Knowledge platform as part of the subscription paid for by the Stanford University Libraries. To set up an account:
- Navigate to ISI Web of Knowledge
- When you are in ISI Web of Knowledge, look for the link in the upper right of the screen for SIGN IN.
- Follow the screen prompts and create your own username and password for ISI Web of Knowledge.
- Return to the home page for ISI Web of Knowledge and look for the link in the upper right of the screen for "My EndNote Web"
- You will need to sign in with the username and password you just created for ISI Web of Knowledge.
- You will need to agree to the terms and conditions.
Tutorials
- http://www.endnote.com/training/ (Choose the option for EndNote Web)
Note: If you have EndNote installed on your computer you can transfer references to and from libraries with EndNote Web. Transfers are initiated through EndNote.
NOTE for current EndNote Web users: After the EndNote Web Update on June 12, it is necessary for Web of Knowledge users to log into Web of Knowledge (on campus or via proxy) and select "My EndNote Web" on the top menu to access their account. This resets roaming access for one year. Some users after doing this might not see their styles, filters and connections restored. These people should contact EndNote Web technical support with their EndNote Web account email and institution.
EndNote
EndNote is a program you can purchase and run on your personal computer. Most of Stanford’s research databases allow you to export citations into EndNote. More information is available at http://www.endnote.com/.
Purchase EndNote at the Stanford Bookstore: https://www.stanford.edu/group/bookstore/SUprices/softwarecart.html
Tutorials
Zotero
Zotero is an open-source citation management tool that is freely available online at http://www.zotero.org/. Zotero is a web-based application and integrates with the Firefox web browser.
Tutorials
- http://www.zotero.org/support/screencast_tutorials
- Zotero Tutorial from the Stanford Education Library: https://www.stanford.edu/group/cubberley/services/zotero
- Information Guide on Zotero from Georgia State University: http://research.library.gsu.edu/zotero
Mendeley
Mendeley Desktop is academic software that indexes and organizes all of your PDF documents and research papers into your own personal digital bibliography. Mendeley is a relatively new tool that includes a collaboration component that allows you to share your citations with other researchers. Mendeley includes both a desktop application and a web-based application. You can download Mendeley at no charge from http://www.mendeley.com/
Tutorials
- http://www.mendeley.com/videos-tutorials
- Mendeley Getting Started Guide
- Interested in learning more about Mendeley and how to use it? Here is a link to videos of quick tips, and presentations. http://www.youtube.com/user/MendeleyResearch?feature=watch
BibTeX
The word ,,BibTeX'' stands for a tool and a file format which are used to describe and process lists of references, mostly in conjunction with LaTeX documents. "LaTeX is a document preparation system for high-quality typesetting. It is most often used for medium-to-large technical or scientific documents but it can be used for almost any form of publishing." (from LaTeX project site Introduction - http://www.latex-project.org/intro.html)
Need More Help?
For MORE help on citation management tools: You can join the “Reference Manager Users” list at Stanford to get the daily digest of questions and answers to problems with the various tools. The sign up page can be found at: https://mailman.stanford.edu/mailman/listinfo/reference-manager-users