Citation Manager (aka Reference Manager) softwares such as Endnote and Zotero, make the work of creating a reference list for your research topic or assignment easier than in the bygone days where we had to note down, type out and adhere to the correct citation style for each subject/discipline.
The software has functions that help you collect, annotate and organise references to the sources of information, annotating bibliographies. Most, if not all software will be able to ingest files containing metadata from databases, library catalogues and selected search engines to your personal 'library', so you can re-use citations in related documents. All softwares integrate with an authoring software such as MS Word, Google Docs and Open Office, which makes them part of your writing workflow.
See box below for the three reference manager tools we support at NUS. There are many free others in the marketplace too.
EndNote X9 is available from the NUS IT's Software Center
EndNote is a software that:
If you're new to EndNote, check out our EndNote Library Guide!
There are two version of Mendeley running concurrently since the release of a new version in 2019. Elsevier, who owns Mendeley, intend Mendeley Reference Manager (the NEW) to replace Mendeley Desktop (the old) although there is no specific date given yet [as of Jul 2021]. The two versions are NOT compatible at this point.
NUS has an institutional version of Mendeley Desktop until 2022, which means NUS users get unlimited cloud storage and can collaborate with more people. Hence, our LibGuide is only focused on how to use Mendeley Desktop.
The distinction from other software is that Mendeley is made for social networking. You can follow other researchers and create a network of people doing similar research within the software.
What's more, you are able to discover the articles and journals that are being read in your field right now and add them to your own Mendeley library.
Zotero - Collect, Organize, Cite and Share your Research Sources
Zotero is a free bibliographic citation management software that allows you to save, collect, manage, cite, and share research sources. Zotero is available either as a Firefox extension or as standalone software that works with Firefox, Chrome browsers, but not so well in Safari browser (sync is not instant) ... so it's easy to save you citations and capture web pages during the search process.
Use the Zotero word processor plugins to easily cite your sources and create a bibliography in MS Word and Google Docs!
If you are interested to learn how to use Zotero, please visit our Zotero Library Guide!
ZoteroBib helps you build a bibliography instantly from any computer or device, without having to create an account, install a software or 'build a library'. It's ideal if you're working on ad-hoc assignments that require less than 20 references.
ZoteroBib was created by the team behind Zotero, the powerful citation tool recommended and used by universities around the world, so you can trust it to help you seamlessly produce professional-looking bibliographies.
Go to the ZoteroBib citation manager to:
