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Reference Management Software

Which software is best?

There are many reference management softwares in the marketplace and each have their strengths and weaknesses, and it all depends on what your needs are.  Even if academic libraries had unlimited budget, we are unable to support all the software requests, so we tend to prioritise the free to use softwares, and those with good solid documentation and sustainable self-help forums.

If you need a quick comparison, please see this concise comparison table compiled by the wonderful librarians at the Bodleian Libraries at Oxford University:

Ultimately, you should choose a software that you are most comfortable with because it is possible to use the inter-operability formats (bibTeX or RIS) to share selected items from your existing 'libaries' with your project teammates. 

We support only Endnote and Zotero at NUS because they can be used across disciplines, operating systems; and in combination, these two software meet most of NUS needs.

Why use a software?

Reference Management software make the work of creating a reference list/bibliography for your research topic or assignment easy, compared to the bygone days where we had to note down, type out and adhere to the correct citation style for each subject/discipline or journal.

All software has functions that help you collect, annotate and organise references to the sources of information. All of them are also able to 'ingest' files containing metadata from databases, library catalogues and selected search engines, which makes building a personal 'library' seamless. You can then annotate the citations, use and re-use citations in various documents as they integrate with at least one authoring software such as MSWord, Google Docs or Open Office. Hence, they are a part of your writing workflow.

Endnote and Zotero, are just two out of the numerous software in the marketplace, and we support them at NUS by running regular training for beginners under our Researcher Unbound series.

Two Reference Management Software

 

EndNote is a software that:

  1. Stores and organizes references found from many sources
  2. Inserts these references into a MSWord document
  3. Automatically formats your references according to a predefined citation style
  4. Secures your research sources as it stays in your local device (if you don't sync
    to the online version)
  5. Recommended for researchers doing biomedical Systematic Review methodology
    as the PRISMA reporting requirements are stringent.
Installation instructions (for NUS persons only) and basics of how-to use can be found
at our EndNote Library Guide!
 		  

 

Zotero is a free-to-use bibliographic citation management software that allows you to
save, collect, manage, cite and share research sources. It is a cloud-based software,
so you can access your citations from multiple devices if you sync the Zotero library,
and makes online collaboration easy. Some features deserve to be highlighted:
 

  1. The Zotero Connector, available as a browser extension in Firefox and Chrome browsers,
    makes it easy to save you citations and capture web pages during the search process.
  2. Its word processor plugin enables integration with MSWord and Google Docs.
  3. Creating a bibliography is quick and straightforward from within the Zotero app. 
  4. Sharing and collaborating your citations with teammates is easy to set up, and your team
    can work on the group library simultaneously
Register for Zotero at https://www.zotero.org, and jump-start with our Zotero Library Guide!  

 
 

ZoteroBib is a web-based and simplified version of Zotero software, created by the team behind Zotero. It helps you build a bibliography instantly from any computer or device, without having to create an account, install the software or 'build a library'. It's ideal if you're working on ad-hoc assignments that require less than 20 references.

Use ZoteroBib to:

  1. Add a bibliographic entry using DOI, PMID, ISBN, arXiv ID, or a URLs from Google Books and Amazon
  2. Edit the bibliography and rename the Bibliography heading (if needed)
  3. Change to the desired citation style
  4. Copy the formatted references into your word processor with a click
  5. Export your bibliography
  6. Automatically saves your bibliography as long as you do not close the browser window
  7. Create a link that you can share the bibliography with your team member(s).
     

 
 

A video showing you how to use Zoterobib

Other Citation Generators (web-based tools)

The following citation builders are freely available from the Internet. NUS Libraries, however, does not provide support for any of these tools.