Reference management is collecting, organizing, storing and using your references (journal articles, books, websites, videos, etc.). References are used to generate citations, which are used in scholarly articles, and other publications, to acknowledge your sources of information.
Reference management tools allow you to:
Reference management tools save time and frustration when writing papers, gathering references for grant applications or reports, monitoring the literature and sharing your research.
With so many reference management programs available, it can be difficult to decide which one to use. This chart highlights some of the features of the tools supported at Duke University. Click on the tabs above for more information about the individual programs.
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Cost |
Free to Duke faculty, staff and students with NetID |
Free to everyone |
Free to everyone |
$50 for Duke faculty, staff and students with NetID |
Free to Duke faculty, staff and students with NetID |
Free to everyone |
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Operating system |
Desktop software for Windows and Mac; option to sync with web account |
Online |
Desktop software for Windows and Mac; option to sync with web account |
Desktop software for Windows and Mac |
Online |
Embed in Firefox browser or desktop software for Windows and Mac |
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Ease of use |
Moderate |
Easy |
Easy |
Moderate |
Easy |
Easy |
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Import citations from databases |
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Automatically create citation from PDF |
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Attach PDFs |
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Annotate PDFs |
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Sharing options |
A Library may be shared with up to 14 people (EndNote account needed) |
Share groups |
Create group (free for up to 3 people) |
Create shared collection |
Create shared folders with multiple sharing settings |
Create group |
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Word processor compatibility |
Microsoft Word, Open Office, Pages |
Microsoft Word |
Microsoft Word, Open Office |
Microsoft Word, Open Office, Pages |
Microsoft Word, Google Docs |
Microsoft Word, Open Office, Google Docs |
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Major citation styles |
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Free online storage |
5,000 MB |
2,000 MB |
2,000 MB (more space costly) |
Not available |
5,000 MB |
300 MB (more space inexpensive) |
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Best for |
People who use one to two main computers for research and writing; PDF; management; organizing references for complex projects; inserting citations and bibliographies in almost any style |
Ease of use; group work; inserting citations and bibliographies in common styles (e.g. APA, MLA) |
PDF management (storing, annotating, sharing) and academic social networking |
People who use one to two main computers for research and writing; PDF management; collaboration with other Papers users |
People who use many computers for research and writing; group work; inserting citations and bibliographies in almost any style |
Capturing different types of references (e.g. Websites); group work |
