Citation Tools

Why should I use a citation manager?
Using a citation manager to organize your references has numerous advantages, including but not limited to...

• Ability to collect references as you browse the web or databases.
• Sync your references to a server so that you'll always have an online backup.
• Organize, highlight, and annotate your PDFs all in one place, and sync between your devices.
• Automatically rename PDF files from the database default to a format such as Author (Year) - Article Title.pdf
• Reuse your references in multiple papers and projects while only typing them in once.
• Automatically generate citations and change style formats with a few clicks.

Is it free?
Mendeley and Zotero are available for free; EndNote and EndNote Web are available for free while you are affiliated with Montclair State University.

What about the citation manager in Microsoft Word?
Microsoft Word and other word processing programs come with built-in reference tools to create your citations and manage your bibliographies. However, when references are added to your Microsoft Word file, they're limited to that particular document; when you want to re-use a source in a different paper, you'll need to re-enter and format your citations. If you use a citation manager, you'll only need to enter your citations once.

If you are a professor, instructor, or teaching assistant, and would like to set up a workshop for your class or colleagues, please contact us to set up a time and place. We can also cover citation management options as part of a library instruction session.