A reference manager application can be a useful tool for anyone doing research. Reference managers allow you to:
While a number of reference manager applications exist, UVA Wise researchers generally use one of three: Zotero, Mendeley or EndNote.
Please look at the descriptions below to decide which is best for you. One thing to keep in mind is that it can be hard to switch from one platform to another. You can export your citations, but transferring tags or folders will be difficult.
More extensive comparisons can be found at:
How it works:
How to get it:
Strengths:
Weaknesses:
How to get help:
How it works:
How to get it:
Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Mendeley is owned by Elsevier, a for-profit company with a history of monetizing scholarship in ways that some consider harmful to the academy. Like other “free” platforms operated by for-profit companies, Mendeley provides Elsevier with data about users’ research habits, which it then uses to market its services and metrics to universities. This is part of an overall trend toward vendors serving and monetizing every step in the research workflow. Researchers concerned about privacy or excessive monetization of research might prefer non-profit alternatives.
How to get help:
How it works:
How to get it:
Strengths:
Weaknesses:
How to get help:
Content for Citation Managers is attributed to:
- Citation Managers by University of Virginia Library (Charlottesville).