Citation Tools: Software & Apps

Over the course of your research, you may come across hundreds of relevant articles, PDFs, websites, or books that you'd like to cite in your work. Keeping track of these items manually can be extraordinarily difficult and time-consuming. However, there are two types of software tools that can make the job much easier: citation generators and research management software.

Citation generators are simple apps that take bibliographic information and generate citations and references in a desired citation style (such as APA or MLA). However, they are typically "one-off" uses; you may find yourself generating the same citation repeatedly. The following citation generator apps are all free to use:

By comparison, research management software builds a permanent database of references, which can then be used to generate citations and references. Unlike citation generators, research management software will "remember" your library of references, so you don't have to re-find or re-generate the same references over and over. They also come with other useful features for research:

• Keep track of articles and studies you've read
• Sync your library of references or PDFs across multiple devices
• Annotate and "mark up" PDFs, or keep notes attached to references
• Add "cite-while-you-write" functionality to Microsoft Word (insert citations from your library into your manuscript and generate the bibliography in the specified citation style)
• Share your personal library of references with colleagues

University Libraries supports three major reference management softwares: Zotero, EndNote, and Mendeley. Zotero and Mendeley are free to use, while students and faculty can purchase EndNote at a discounted rate. For help selecting a reference management software, contact Michael Hawkins (mhawki11@kent.edu), or check out the Zotero, EndNote, and Mendeley guide.

Comparisons of reference management tools