Biology

Choosing a Reference Management Software

Reference management software is software that is locally hosted, or cloud-based software that allows researchers to keep track of their readings, share references, and generate bibliographies or works cited. 

There are quite a few ways to manage references out there, but below are the two most common (and free!!) reference management software. It ultimately comes to down to personal preference and figuring out which software works best for you. Both Zotero and Mendeley have detailed user guides and easy-to-download applications. 

Zotero (opens a new tab) is a free open-source reference management system that collects, manages, and cites sources. Use it for different classes for each stage of your research to organize and gather your sources. It seamlessly integrates with different browsers to collect your research sources and works well with Microsoft Word by helping you create a literature list in different citation formats. 

Zotero can capture citation information from different kinds of sources, this includes library catalogs, newspapers, blogs, online videos and even social media posts! There's a lot of great information about how to use Zotero--including video tutorials (opens a new tab) from the Zotero team. For even more in-depth knowledge about Zotero, check out Jason Puckett's Georgia State University research guide (opens a new tab).

You can also make an appointment with a librarian and they can guide you through some basics.

Mendeley is a free reference manager that can help store, organize, note, share, and cite references and research data. 

• Store all your references in one place
• Keep all your notes from multiple PDFs
• Works on Windows 7 or later, macOS, and Linux.

For more information, go to the Mendeley user guide