Research guides: Citation management: Overview

What is citation management?

Citing your papers is an important part of the research process.

Why cite?: Learn about plagiarism, and why it's important to cite other people's work.
How not to plagiarize: Discover what you need to cite, and how to cite it properly.

However, citing your papers can also become one of the more frustrating and time-consuming parts of the research process. Citation management software can help you save time by allowing you to:

Collect citations from online databases and library catalogues
Organize, edit, and search through the citations you've saved
Insert in-text citations, footnotes, and bibliographies into your Word document
Create bibliographies in well-known styles like APA, Vancouver, and even specific journal styles like Nature
Share your citations and collaborate with colleagues on projects

Always check your work!

" " Citation management software can be a real time saver, but it's not perfect. Remember the cardinal rule of citation management software: "garbage in, garbage out." Always check your work before submitting it anywhere!

Need more help?

Need more help? Reach us by chat, e-mail, phone, or come visit us in person.

So what are my options?

There are several free and discounted citation management software options available to students, faculty, and staff in the UofT community:

See full comparison table here.

RefWorks Watch video	Free while at UofT Access web-based interface anywhere Grab citations as you browse using IE or Firefox plugin Write & cite using plugin for Word Support available from UofT librarians	Sign up /Login What is my group code? Help guide
Zotero Watch video	Free and open source Grab citations as you browse using Firefox, Chrome, or Safari plugin Backup and sync on multiple devices via online account Plug-ins for Word & LibreOffice Third party mobile apps available	Create account Download Help guide
Mendeley Watch video	Free for everyone Desktop interface for Windows, Mac, or Linux, and iOS app Backup and sync on multiple devices via online account Save and annotate PDFs	Create account Download Help guide
EndNote Web Watch video	Free while at UofT Plugin available for IE & Firefox Plugin available for Word Well integrated with Web of Science, but can be used with all databases	Create an account (click "My EndNote Web") Help guide