Citation Management Software

Citation managers 

Citation management software (also known as reference or citation managers and tools) lets you collect, save, organize, cite, and share your references.  

Use them to quickly download citations and organize them into folders; add notes and attach PDF files and other research objects; and create and share bibliographies or reference lists in almost any citation style. 

Two free and easy to use citation managers are Zotero and Mendeley. Use Western Libraries' Decision Tree to help choose between them (hint: there's no wrong answer!). Accessible version here. 

Zotero and Mendeley are not the only citation managers, though. Check out Wikipedia’s Comparison of reference management software to learn about different options.  

Getting started 

To get started, find the download and installation guide on the website of either Zotero or Mendeley. Both products are easy to learn on your own using their help guides and tutorials.  

Western Libraries also offers citation management orientation through the Workshops. Prefer that we visit your class or student group? Request a citation management workshop using our online form.  

Open URLs are used in citation management software like Zotero to connect users to library subscriptions.

Getting Full Text

Western’s OpenURL link resolver is: https://ocul-uwo.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/openurl?institution=01OCUL_UWO&vid=01OCUL_UWO:UWO_DEFAULT

To set up Western’s Open URL in Zotero:

  1. In the Zotero menu, go to Edit > Preferences (on Mac, go to Zotero > Preferences)
  2. In the Preferences window that appears, go to Advanced in the toolbar.
  3. Near the bottom of the Advanced window, you'll see Resolver: next to a textbox. Enter this URL into the textbox: https://ocul-uwo.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/openurl?institution=01OCUL_UWO&vid=01OCUL_UWO:UWO_DEFAULT
  4. Once you've entered the URL, exit the window. Zotero will save your changes automatically.

Getting help 

Please note that Western Libraries does not offer technical support for citation managers - both the Zotero and Mendeley guides have excellent, up-to-date help guides.

You can also find help from:

Zotero

Mendeley