Reference managers (also called citation managers or bibliographic management software) offer a way to save, organize and manage references. They work with word processing software to format in-text citations and bibliographies for papers and theses, allow you to share references, and enable you to attach or link PDFs to a citation record.
Zotero (recommended)
- Zotero guide; learn how to use Zotero with this self-paced Zotero tutorial
- Free (up to 300 MB web storage, or store pdfs in Box and sync with ZotFile)
- Sync Zotero to access your library from any computer with internet access
- Format bibliographies in Word, OpenOffice, and Google Docs; integrates with Overleaf
- Capture citation data from PDFs and web pages
- Search and annotate pdfs
- Share and collaboratively edit lists of references
- Install plugins to provide enhancements, new features, and integrations with other programs.
RefWorks (note: UCB subscription ends 2024)
- RefWorks guide; also see the How to Use RefWorks YouTube playlist
- Free to UC Berkeley users (through early 2024)
- Web-based: use at any computer with internet access
- Format bibliographies in Word or Google Docs
- Capture citation data from some PDFs
- Search and annotate PDFs
- Share and collaboratively edit lists of references
Mendeley
- Mendeley guide
- Free software/web hybrid for PC, Mac, Linux
- Format bibliographies in Word, export to BibTeX, or use Overleaf for LaTeX integration
- Capture citation data from some PDFs
- Search and annotate PDFs
- Share and collaboratively edit lists of references using Private Groups
EndNote
- EndNote guide
- Full-featured software discounted to UC Berkeley users; EndNote Online free to UCB
- Desktop-based software (plus EndNote Web)
- Format bibliographies in Word or Open Office
- Capture citation data from some PDFs
- Annotate PDFs
- Find the full text of articles from within EndNote
- Share lists of references with other EndNote users
