1. Managing your bibliographic data
Suzanne Tatham

2. Why use reference management tools?
Keep a record of everything that you use
Organise your references systematically
Assign keywords/tags
Record accompanying research notes
Insert references for citations as you write
Create a bibliography in your chosen style

3. Zotero Web based and free to use
Standalone version or a Firefox plugin
Not fully supported by IT Services & not installed on ITS PCs
Recommend that it’s used on your own PC/laptop
Allows you to grab bibliographic information with one click

4. Adding material to Zotero

5. Organising your references

6. Tagging items Tag items as another method of organisation
Tags may also be imported when you grab records

9. Creating timelines

10. Creating bibliographies
Download and install plugins from the Zotero website
On ITS PCs there may be a clash with other plugins – for help see
Allows you to add citations as you type and create a bibliography at the end
Bibliography can be edited or added to
Can select different referencing styles

11. Adding a citation

12. Group libraries

13. Mendeley Desktop and web-based
Needs to be downloaded on your own computer
Free to use
Key feature allows annotation of PDFs
Social/collaborative elements (profiles/contacts etc)

15. Endnote Installed on all University owned PCs
You would need to buy an individual copy for your own PC (£75)
Endnote Basic (previously Endnote Web) is free and offers online features

16. Endnote

17. Add items

19. Check for full text
Options to search catalogues and databases – not recommended!

20. Adding citations

21. How do you choose? Paid vs free?
Will you be using one single computer for your research or moving between several?
What do your colleagues/peers/supervisor use?
What features are most important to you?
What support is available?
Detailed comparisons are available online

22. Comparison tables
services/library/public/Reference_management_software_comparison.pdf

23. To consider
Experiment with different options – worth spending the time earlier rather than later
What are you going to collect and how will you organise it?
How will you back up your data? How often? What would happen if you lost it?

24. Where to go for support Study Direct ‘Zotero for Beginners’
Study Direct ‘Using Mendeley to manage your references’
Zotero website -
ITS webpages for FAQs -
ITS Endnote training -