Manage Citations with Zotero: Other Programs

There are other citation management applications aside from Zotero. These other applications may cater towards specific types of research (for example, coding and engineering) or may be used in other universities. The most common ones that you may run across while doing your research include Mendeley, EndNote, BibTeX, F1000Workspace, Paperpile, ReadCube, and RefWorks.

Mendeley is a free citation and paper management tool up with up to 2 GB of cloud storage. Mendeley has a desktop application, mobile app, and Chrome browser extension, making it easy to use across multiple devices. Mendeley has a strong web platform and user support, and it has easy guides to assist you.

You can install Mendeley using any of the following methods. Please note that only the Chrome browser extension and web importer can be used on the PSU lab computers. 

• Mendeley desktop application - The free account gives you 2 GB of cloud storage. Once you have your account set up, you will be prompted to download the desktop application.
• Chrome browser extension - This extension installs in your Chrome browser and has almost the same functionality as the desktop software.
• Web importer - For Firefox, Internet Explorer or Safari browsers.
• Mendeley Mobile App - It is a free companion app to the desktop software for your iOS or Android devices. You can read, tag, and add notes to your articles from the app.
• Word processor plugin, which can be installed through the Mendeley desktop application. Go to Tools and select “Install MS Word Plugin.” 

EndNote is another citation management software. Unlike Zotero and Mendeley, EndNote is not free. 

Advantages

• Organize and annotate your research, create bibliographies
• Insert citations as you write into Microsoft Word, Pages, and Wolfram Mathematica 8
• Import and search PDFs
• ADA compliant and has accessibility features
• Attach up to 45 files to your references
• Collaborate and share your research with other EndNote users

Disadvantages

• Not free (PSU students pay $100 for a student discounted version and faculty pay $250)
• Not automatically updated; users must pay for each new version of EndNote
• The free web version, called EndNote Basic, has far less functionality than either Mendeley or Zotero (it does not easily add citations from the web or allow you to add annotations or notes to your PDFs) and it has a 2 GB storage limit. Because of the free version's limitations, it should really only be used with the paid version.
• Clunky user interface

EndNote has a free 30-day trial so you can try the application without paying for it. After the 30-day trial is over, EndNote is no longer free. You may download EndNote and start a trial at the EndNote website.

EndNote Basic is the web version of EndNote that is available to you as a student, faculty member, or staff member at PSU. It lacks features that are available in Zotero and Mendeley but you can save citations and work with other EndNote users. Create an account for EndNote Basic at the EndNote Basic website.

Please note that you cannot install EndNote or the Cite While You Write tool on the PSU lab computers. You can access your EndNote Basic web account from the lab computers, and you can install the Firefox extension to capture citations to your EndNote account.

BibTeX is both a tool and a file format that is used with LaTeX documents, which are specifically geared towards coding, engineering and mathematics.

​Zotero can do a one-time export of citations as a *.bib file. In the drop-down menu, select “File” and then “Export Library…” In the drop-down list of file types, select BibTeX (*.bib). Save your BibTeX file in the same location as your LaTeX files. If you plan on making any changes to your citations, it may be easier to download a plugin like Better BibTeX.

The screenshot below shows a one-time BibTeX export in Zotero.

Mendeley can do a one-time export of citations as a *.bib file. Within your "My Library" in Mendeley, select the references you would like to export to BibTeX. In the drop-down menu, select "File" and then "Export"; In the drop-down list of file types, select BibTeX (*.bib). Save your BibTeX file in the same location as your LaTeX files. If you plan on making any changes to your citations, it may be easier to go to your Mendeley Desktop "Preferences," click the "BibTex" tab, and select the box labeled "Enable BibTeX syncing" and any additional options you require.

EndNote can export citations as a *.bib file to BibTeX. Click "Select Another Style" in the drop-down menu in the toolbar at the top of the screen. Select "BibTeX Export" from the drop-down list. Save your BibTeX export in the same location as your LaTeX files.

F1000Workspace is another citation management tool. It is web-based, and has native Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS apps. It integrates with Microsoft Word, Google Docs, and Manuscripts. It’s mobile apps allow you to add items to your library from mobile devices, the only program that can do that. You can search Google Scholar and PubMed directly from the app and add citations you find to your library.

The major downside is that F1000Workspace is only free for a 30-day trial and costs $9.95 per month thereafter.

Paperpile is citation management too built specifically for the Chrome browser and works on OS X, Windows, Linux and Chrome OS. It works with your Google Apps and integrates with your citations with Google Drive and Docs. Because it integrates with Google Apps, it is very easy to share and keep everything updated on the go.

The downside is that Paperpile is limited specifically to Google apps, and does not work with other browsers or word processors. Paperpile is only free for a 30 day trial, after which you will need to pay a fee of $36/year to use it.

ReadCube is web-based with apps for Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS. It can provide access to enhanced PDFs of articles from participating publishers. It integrates with Microsoft Word, but not as well as other programs. It does also provide integration with Overleaf. You can search Google Scholar and PubMed for articles and add them directly to your library.

ReadCube is free and only works on a single computer. You need to upgrade to ReadCube Pro for $55 annually to sync your library between devices. With ReadCube Teams you can collaborate with other members of your team.

RefWorks is a web-based tool that lets you export articles from library databases or RSS feeds to your RefWorks account, which you can then organize online. It also works with other citation management software if you are collaborating with researchers. RefWorks is not free and requires an annual subscription.