Commonly-used citation management tools include Endnote, Mendeley and Zotero. Library Services does not directly endorse any of these but we have some experience with Zotero. More information about Zotero is listed below.
*EndNote and Mendeley are not supported by IS.
Criteria |
Zotero |
Mendeley |
Endnote basic |
---|---|---|---|
Must be online? |
No |
No |
Yes |
Web-based? |
Can sync with online account; connectors for Firefox, Chrome and Safari and Opera available |
Not primarily, but can sync with an online account which is editable |
Fully-cloud based so you can access it from any device. |
Cost |
Free for basic account, some cost for more online storage space |
Free for basic account, some cost for more online storage space |
Free 30 day trail, than must purchase |
Create group or shared libraries |
Zotero allows you to share your citations through shared folders -- you can give individuals or groups permissions to add and edit the citations in the shared folder |
Mendeley allows you to share citations and documents with a group of up to 2 other users, or create a public reading list that is open to all. |
EndNote Basic allows you to share with up to 1,000 other users. |
Word-processor compatibility |
MS Word, Open Office, Google Docs |
MS Word, Open Office, LaTex |
MS Word |
Storage capacity |
Unlimited local storage and data syncing; 100MB free Zotero file syncing (larger syncing plans available for purchase); or can use WebDav |
Unlimited local storage and data syncing; 1GB personal and 100MB shared online space (larger online storage plans available for purchase) |
Limited to 50,000 citations and 2 GB of attachment storage |
Import from databases |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Import citation info from web pages |
Yes, also archives the page and you can add annotations |
Yes, with a bookmark for a limited number of sites (mostly publishers or databases) |
Yes, with Reference Capture tool |
Attach associated files (PDFs, etc.) |
Yes, with option to attach automatically |
Yes, and can highlight and annotate PDFs |
Yes |
Search full text of PDFs |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Create group or shared libraries |
Yes |
Yes, free for up to 3 group members (larger group plans available for purchase) |
Yes |
Create bibliography with different styles |
Yes |
Yes |
Choose from 7,000 + styles if accessed via Web of Science. |
Automatic citation extraction from PDFs |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
Other features |
Sync library with multiple computers Use tags to organize/search |
Sync library with multiple computers Sync with Zotero library |
No |
A free, open-source citation management tool with the ability to store author, title, and publication fields, and to export information to formatted references. Zotero is a collaboration between George Mason University and the Corporation for Digital Scholarship, with some U.S. government and foundation funding. Additional storage capacity beyond is available for a fee. Below is a listing of the basic features of Zotero and what you need to do to maximize its use.
White papers are document are authoritative and informative research-based reports that offers insight into a complex topic and offers a position on the solution for the problem.
The term white paper often refers to governmental reports, but they may be produced by academic institutions, businesses or other industries that not controlled by traditional publishers. This genre of publications may be used to argue a specific position or propose a solution to a problem, addressing an audience outside of their organization.
The purpose of a white paper is to advocate that a certain policy solution is the best approach for tackling a particular problem. Organizations that seek to publish on specialized, highly relevant, and sometimes very urgent topics will hire experts, practitioners, and/or scholars to conduct research and publish reports outside of traditional academic publishing.
Unlike scholarly publications, which provide analysis and make general recommendations, white paper authors aim to craft and influence specific governmental and/or industry policies. These organizations are often privately funded through donations or special interest groups, or they may be companies pursuing governmental funding for their services. Therefore, it is critical to consider the motivations behind publishing reports in addition to scrutinizing their methods.
Content was reprinted with permission from the UC Davis Library Grey Literature
For more information, visit the links below.