T-PAC: Bibliographic Management

Bibliographic management software can make your life MUCH easier! It allows you to create a personal database of your references which you can easily search, organize, annotate, and share.  Once included in your database, you can create in-text citations with a MS Word add-in and automatically generate works cited lists in your preferred format.  It also also possible to store PDFs along with each record, making your research materials accessible anywhere with a wireless connection.   

The two types of reference software we recommend are below:

Which citation manager is best for you? Here are a few other questions to consider...

• What do your colleagues use? You will have someone to turn to for help.
• Is ease of use all important? Zotero is a bit easier to use.
• Is cost critical? Zotero is free (mostly).
• Do you save PDFs for every reference? Zotero can automatically download PDFs when available.
• Is managing website important? Zotero excels at this.
• Is full functionality important? EndNote is more powerful and customizable.
• Do you plan to spend many years in academia? EndNote is best for large reference collections.
• Are journal abbreviations used in your preferred citation style(s)? EndNote handles this best.

For a more thorough comparison, view our Overview of Citation Managers.

Interested? AU Libraries offers classes on both Endnote and Zotero.  You can sign up for one here.

If you would like to set up an individual appointment or small group consultation in order to focus on subject specific resources, email me!