Library Resources for Public, Nonprofit and Health Administration: Manage Citations: EndNote, Mendeley, RefWorks, & Zotero

A guide to library resources and websites.

Comparing reference or citation management software

About Zotero

Zotero logo

Zotero is a free, easy-to-use tool to help you collect, organize, cite, and share your research sources. It allows you to:

  • Add content from your web browser automatically with a single click.
  • Store PDFs, image files, audio files, video files, and webpage snapshots
  • Organize your resources in collections and subcollections
  • Create accurate citations
  • Access your work on multiple devices
  • Share resources with individuals or groups

To learn more about Zotero, create your free account or get support for your account, go to zotero.org

For further assistance, you can view the quick start guide or check out videos and tutorials are available at the Zotero Support Center: 

Create Your Zotero Account

Registering a user account allows you to sync your library, participate in groups, or post to the support forums.

To Register: 

  1. Go to https://www.zotero.org/user/register/
  2. Fill out the registration form. 
  3. You should receive an email confirmation for registering your account. 

How Do I Install Zotero?

To install Zotero, visit the Zotero download page and click on the red “Zotero for {Your Operating System}” button on the right.

  • Your browser will download the setup file, which you would then use to install Zotero just like any other application on your computer. Make sure to also add the appropriate Zotero Connector for your browser to enable one-click metadata scraping from websites.
  • NOTE: These instructions are for Zotero ver.5, a fully stand-alone app. Users who are familiar with earlier versions of Zotero as a Firefox plug-in will need to consider upgrading to ver.5.

Importing References from Another Citation Manager

Export an EndNote library to Zotero
  1. In EndNote, select “Output Styles” from the Edit menu.
  2. From the list of output styles select BibTeX.
  3. Once BibTeX is set as the format, select “Export” from the File menu. In the Export window that pops up, choose “Text Only” and hit “Save.”
  4. After exporting from EndNote, click on the sprocket icon above the left column in your Zotero pane and select “Import” from the pull-down menu. In the file system window that pops up, locate the BibTeX file you exported from EndNote and select “Open.” This should import your references into Zotero.

EndNote Basic (free via GVSU email)

EndNote logo

Create an EndNote account, using your GVSU email. When searching a database or the "Find articles, books, & more" box, you may export files, then import them to EndNote.

On the Library's homepage, search the "Find articles, books, & more." In the page of results, select the "+ folder" icon. Save as many items as you wish. In this temporary folder, choose your citation format, and export as EndNote. In EndNote, under Collect References, choose Import References; use the "Import Option" of ProQuest.

For other databases, note the vendor's name and database name to use in the Import Option menu.

EndNote has a YouTube channel with tutorials.

Download EndNote's Quick Reference Guide

About Mendeley

Mendeley logo

Mendeley is a free reference manager and academic social network that can help you organize your research, collaborate with others online, and discover the latest research.

  • Automatically generate bibliographies
  • Collaborate easily with other researchers online
  • Easily import papers from other research software
  • Find relevant papers based on what you’re reading
  • Access your papers from anywhere online

To learn more about Mendeley, create your free account or get support for your account, go to mendeley.com

For further assistance, view the Getting Started Guide or check out the videos and tutorials at the Mendeley support center.

Create Your Mendeley Account

Creating a Mendeley account

To use Mendeley, the first steps are you need to complete are (1) create an account and (2) download the software.
  1. Go to www.mendeley.com and simply sign up for an account: You can click on the top-right hand green button or set up directly on the form displayed in the middle of the page. They also have the option for you to sign in using your Facebook account.
  2. Provide your contact details.
  3. Next, choose a password and provide your profile information.
  4. Once completed, you receive a link to download Mendeley.

Importing References from Another Citation Manager

Zotero:
  1. Mendeley Desktop now supports importing your documents directly from Zotero. To do this, you'll need to install Mendeley Desktop onto the same computer as where you have Zotero installed.
  2. Once done, open up Mendeley Desktop and go to Tools > Options (or Mendeley Desktop > Preferences if you're on a Mac) and select the Zotero / CiteULike tab. From here, just enable the checkbox for Zotero integration. Mendeley Desktop will attempt to automatically locate your Zotero database, however you can choose to use an alternate Zotero database if desired.
  3. Once you've clicked Apply, all of your existing documents from Zotero will be imported into Mendeley Desktop, and any future items you add to Zotero should find their way into Mendeley Desktop automatically.

EndNote:

To import your EndNote library, you need to first export your references to an 'EndNote XML' file and then import that into Mendeley Desktop
  1. In EndNote, select the references that you want to import into Mendeley Desktop, and click File > Export...
  2. In the window that appears, there is a box labeled 'Files of type:', in that box select 'XML (*.xml)'
  3. Choose a name for the file and click the 'Save' button
  4. Open Mendeley Desktop and click File > Add Files
  5. Select the file which you exported from EndNote and click Open

In addition to the EndNote XML format, you can also export references to BibTeX and RIS format in EndNote which Mendeley Desktop can also import. In EndNote select Edit > Output Styles > Open Style Manager. Check the 'BibTeX Export' and 'RefMan (RIS) Export' options in the list that appears then close the window. Then go to File > Export... and select the 'Text File' type. In the box labeled Output Style, select either BibTeX Export or 'RefMan (RIS) Export'. In the filename field, enter a name ending in ".bib" for BibTeX or ".ris" for RIS export and click 'Save'.

References

Creating a Mendeley Account - Mendeley Resource Center. (April 14, 2014).

  • Last Updated: Nov 18, 2024 12:49 PM
  • URL: https://libguides.gvsu.edu/pna