A useful discussion has started around which citation managers a bunny might use. Two important free citation managers are Mendeley and Zotero. There is video from Portland State
Eli is invested in EndNote, which has the huge disadvantage that costs $$. Many, Martin Vermeer, for example is invested into BibTeX/LaTeX which although free, has a significant learning curve, so it looks like these two are the best free choices. Several libraries have nice tables about picking a citation manager. Eli really likes the one from the University of Washington
If you need to ...
Use:
Why:
… work from multiple computers or locations.
Zotero
Mendeley
RefWorks
Zotero saves your citation library to your local computer, but syncs with multiple computers so you can work from home, work, or school.
RefWorks is web-based which means that you can access it from anywhere you have an Internet connection.
… work without an Internet connection.
Zotero
Mendeley
EndNote desktop
Zotero, Mendeley desktop and EndNote store your citation libraries locally on your computer.
… archive web pages and import citations from sites such as Amazon and Flickr.
Zotero
Mendeley
Zotero and Mendeley allow you to easily save snapshots of web pages and annotate them within your citation library. It is a great tool for scraping citation information from web-based publications and some commercial and social networking sites.
… work on a group project or share my citations with others.
Zotero
RefWorks
Both RefWorks and Zotero allow you to share your citations through shared folders. With Zotero, you can give individuals or groups permissions to add and edit the citations in the shared folder. With RefWorks, you can also set up a shared group account for collaborating on group projects.
… work on a mobile device
Mendeley
Zotero
EndNoteBasic
RefWorks
Mendeley offers a mobile app for iPhones and iPads; Zotero has several 3rd-party mobile apps available.
RefWorks and EndnoteBasic offer mobile-optimized sites that work with any web-connected phone or PDA.
and here is the comparison of properties (bunnies may have to hit CNTL/Apple - to shrink this to fit the screen or just go to the University of Washington Library site)
EndNote Desktop
Mendeley
RefWorks
Zotero
Web based?
No, this is a desktop product. Can transfer library to EndNote Web
Yes. Also available as Mendeley Desktop, which can sync with online account.
Yes
Yes, lives in browser (Firefox plugin, or Internet Explorer, Chrome and Safari through Zotero Standalone). Can sync with online account but web library not editable
Must be online?
No
No
Yes
No
Mobile capability
Native app for iPad, currently costs $$.
Native app for iPhone and iPad, or check yourMendeley library on your mobile device's web browser.
No app, but mobile-optimized site
3rd-party apps available (www.zotero.org/support/mobile), or check your Zotero collection on your mobile device's web browser.
Cost
$$. Available for purchase at the University Bookstore at a discounted rate (UW students, faculty, and staff only).
Free
Free to UW users (Libraries pays the subscription costs)
Free
Word-processor compatibility
MS Office, Open Office, iWork Pages
MS Word, Open Office, LaTeX
MS Word with Write-N-Cite, any other word processing program using One Line/Cite View option
MS Word, Open Office, Google Docs
Import from databases
Direct export from specific databases
Yes, with Mendeley Import browser plugin.
Direct export from specific databases
Yes
Import citation info from web pages
No
Yes, with Mendeley Import browser plugin. Also archives the page and allows annotations.
Yes, with RefGrab-It plugin
Yes. Also archives the page and allows annotations
Storage capacity
Unlimited local storage
Unlimited local storage and data syncing; 1 GB free Mendeley web space (larger plans available for purchase)
Default limit is 100MB per user, can be increased to 5GB; limit of 20MB per attachment
Unlimited local storage and data syncing; 100MB free Zotero web space (larger plans available for purchase)
Attach associated files (PDFs, etc.)
Yes
Yes, and can annotate
Yes (limited)
Yes, with option to attach automatically
Search full text of PDFs
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Create group or shared libraries
No
Yes. Costs for private groups (1 3-member private group free).
Yes, but other users cannot add more references
Yes
Create bibliography w/ different styles
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Other features
Insert figures and charts using word processor integration
Sync library w/multiple computers
Use tags to organize/search
Access for web-connected mobile devices
Sync library w/multiple computers
Use tags to organize/search