Need help deciding which citation tool to use? The following table compares a number of excellent citation tools free to Eckerd students, faculty, and staff. Choose the one that best fits your needs.
This is just a small subset of citation managers. If you want to see the many, many other citation managers available out there, see this Wikipedia article.
NOTE: Automatic citation generators are a good place to get your citations properly formatted, but they are not always perfect. Always review your citations to make sure they are consistent with recommended formats for your style.
| OneSearch | EndNote Web | Zotero | Mendeley | |
| Cost | Free to Eckerd community | Free to Eckerd community | Free to all | Free to all |
| Access |
Access online at OneSearch website and login with your Eckerd email acccount
|
Access online at: myendnoteweb.com First time users need to create a new account. |
Go to Zotero and download browser plugin OR standalone version for free. Create a new account to store data. Paid version gives you more storage. |
Mendeley is online or as standalone software. Create a new account to store data. Paid version gives you more storage. |
| Installation | no installation required | some installation required | requires installation | requires installation |
| Browser requirements | Any | Any | Firefox add-on OR standalone version | Web or standalone version |
| Access from any computer with Internet access? | Yes | Yes | Better if setup from your own personal computer - can sync across computers | Yes, using web version |
| Import data from library databases? | OneSearch only | Yes | Yes | Not yet |
| Import data from websites? | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Manually enter data? | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Word processing integration? | No | Microsoft Word | Word, OpenOffice | Microsoft Word, LibreOffice and BibTeX |
| Annotate PDFs? | No | No | No | Yes |
| Share references? | Only via email | Yes | See options here | Yes - limit 3 people with free version |
| Operating system | PC or Mac | PC or Mac | PC or Mac | PC or Mac |
| Mobile or tablet apps? | Yes | iOS | iOS and Android | iOS and Android |
| File/PDF storage? | no file storage | 5 GB | 300 MB | 1 GB |