Which reference management tool is right for you?
Some things to consider:
- What programs are your fellow students, supervisor or colleagues using?
- Are you working from different computers or locations?
- Are you collaborating or working on group projects or need to share your citations?
- Are you working without an internet connection?
| Reference management tool | RefWorks | EndNote | Mendeley | Zotero |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who can use? | Staff, students and alumni. | Staff and postgraduate students. | Staff and students. | Staff and students. |
| Access | Web based. Access from anywhere with internet. Link to RefWorks. |
Desktop. Can sync with EndNote Web. Additional database filters, connection files and output styles can be downloaded from the EndNote Download page. |
Desktop. Can sync with Mendeley web account. When creating your account click ‘Continue.’ Do not click 'Sign in via your institution, organization or Athens' as you won't be able to use Mendeley Desktop. |
Web based and Desktop versions. Can sync with Zotero web account. |
| Cost | Free to staff and students. | Home use - $7 (Staff and Postgraduates only). | Free | Free |
| Work at home | Download Word plugin (Write-N-Cite) | Download (Staff and Postgraduates only) | Download Once desktop version installed, download Word plugin Cite-o-Matic. |
Download |
| Installation on University staff PCs | Contact Staff Service Centre: Phone +64 9 923 6000 | |||
| Availability on Library and IC Computers | Yes. | No. | Yes. Plugin for Word must be installed each time you log on to a student PC. Open Mendeley Desktop > Tools > Install MS Word Plugin. | Yes. Does not work with Internet Explorer. |
| Group work or collaboration | Yes. Share a collection or part of a collection. Can set access levels: view/annotate/modify. | Create a shared Library and share with up to 100 people. | Yes. Unlimited private groups with up to 25 members in each. | Yes. Groups feature allows you to share references with other Zotero users online. |
| PDF handling | Can store, view and annotate PDFs. | Can store, view and annotate PDFs. | Can store, view and annotate PDFs. | To extract and manage PDF annotations in Zotero, you need the free add-on Zotfile. |
| Guides and training | University of Auckland RefWorks pages. Self-guided tutorial Guides Videos Webinars |
User guide FAQs Videos Webinars |
Guides FAQs Videos |
Guides FAQs Videos |
| Help | Email or complete a Support form | Contact technical support | Email Mendeley support | Support provided through the Zotero forums |
| Support for reference management tools is provided by the vendor. | ||||
| University PCs: Staff can contact Staff Service Centre: Phone +64 9 923 6000 for assistance with technical problems, e.g. installation. | ||||
Comparison of other reference management tools.
