EndNote has become an important tool in the belts of researchers, scientists, and students around the world. But is it truly the most effective, or just the most popular? And for academics on a budget (which, let’s be honest – we all are), does the high ticket price force you to look elsewhere? This article first explains what academic software solutions are used for, then breaks down the pros and cons of EndNote, Zotero, Mendeley, ReadCube, and of course, Auratikum!
In an APA citation, include all authors shown on a source. If using the BibMe APA citation builder, click 'Add another contributor' to add additional author names. Our free citation creator will format the authors in the order in which you add them. Multiple authors, same last name. The software is also developing a reputation for inconsistent functionality and glitchy elements, with a flood of 1-star reviews for its mobile app. Again, they do offer a free 30 day trial, so feel free to give it a go and decide for yourself! Cost: 30 days free, $3 monthly. Compatibility: Microsoft, MacOS. The Mac version of our software creates APA formatted documents with built-in styles for creating APA format subheadings. And the Reference Database that comes with the APA version of our software makes it simple to type APA style references and citations. Our easy to use screens are optimized to help you enter exactly the right information for.
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What Can Academic Software Do For Me?
Regardless of your level of mastery – from undergraduate, to doctoral candidate, to veteran researcher, professor, or academic author – writing the perfect paper is a near impossible goal. The academic lifestyle is a stressful one! Whether you’re in need of a note-taking tool, a reference manager, or an all-around knowledge organizer, you have an incredible array of digital tools at your disposal. The challenge? Finding the perfect one for you and your workflow.
EndNote: The Popular Kid
EndNote (or more specifically, “EndNote X9”) has become the go-to in reference management for researchers and scientists, and is beginning to drip down to the student level. EndNote tackles what it believes are the biggest challenges for its user base, namely (1) the tedious work of manually collecting citations and formatting bibliographies, and (2) remotely coordinating this curation of citations with your colleagues. So if those are your biggest hurdles, EndNote might be perfect for you!
EndNote integrates many platforms to offer powerful search functionality across a detailed online archive of sources and PDFs. It also pairs nicely with Microsoft Word through its “Cite While You Write” plugin, automatically generating a bibliography while you make in-text citations.
Cost: $299 physical, $249 digital license
Compatibility: Microsoft, MacOS
Installation: Desktop application, Microsoft Word plug-in
Free Citation Software For Mac
Why Not EndNote?
With all that reference managing power comes an unfortunate dose of complexity. EndNote has had to create a fully fleshed out “Training Channel” on YouTube just to teach users how to begin using the software. Considering that their audience is trying to simplify their workflow, taking a seminar just to learn how to begin using the tool is not a particularly attractive offer. It’s not particularly user-friendly, and a vast majority of EndNote users never come close to actually making the most of the platform or taking advantage of what they paid for.
On that note, we reach the main crux of EndNote – it’s far from affordable with no introductory pricing or easily-accessible free trial, and though there is a student discount, its hefty price tag is likely to put it out of reach for most undergraduate or graduate students. Ready for some great alternatives?
Mendeley: Smart & Social
Mendeley comes close to the power of EndNote at potentially a fraction of the cost – their pricing model removes the flat license fee and instead bills you monthly based on how much storage you require. It’s free to start and use with up to 2GB of storage, with fairly-priced tiers at 5GB, or go beyond with unlimited storage. Mendeley is an “all-inclusive” reference manager, allowing you to first find relevant documents and publications, annotate them as you read, and then easily add them to your library for later reference. Once you’re ready to build a bibliography, just access your Mendeley library, import any outside sources, and select a referencing style – Mendeley does the rest and builds a perfect citation page for your paper.
It’s the closest direct alternative to EndNote, and also offers a “cite as you write” plug-in for Word (and Word for Mac). An added strength is the communal aspect of Mendeley; touting themselves as a research network of over 6 million users who contribute to, organize, and refine a database of over 65 million peer-reviewed articles. However, those articles are largely limited to PDFs, and if you have a diverse source list spanning non-digital media, it may prove difficult to automate your bibliography every time. If outreach, networking, and sharing your work is especially important, Mendeley might be the tool and community for you.
Cost: Free up to 2GB, $4.99 monthly to 5GB, $9.99 monthly for up to 10GB and $14.99 monthly for unlimited capacity
Compatibility: Microsoft, MacOS, and Linux
Installation: Desktop application, web browser version, and mobile app.
Zotero: Budget-Friendly
It can’t get more budget-friendly than Zotero, which is completely free to use and as an open-source alternative, is likely to stay that way for good. You can’t really ask for much more from a free software – Zotero allows to find sources, organize them with tags and/or keywords, and build simple bibliographies. It’s still a barebones platform that entirely focuses on listing references only; missing elements like advanced searching, note-taking, or annotating.
It’s a bit old-fashioned and isn’t exactly the height of usability; the desktop app feels clunky and while it does offer cloud sync, there is no web/browser access or mobile app to keep your work flexible. Zotero’s open source nature has its pros and cons – what you gain in free access and peace of mind as far as data usage, you sacrifice in user experience, customer service, and in-app functionality. Zotero is also designed to be used in conjunction with other platforms for note-taking, PDF reading, and paper-writing, so if you’re looking for an all-in-one solution, this isn’t the one. That being said, Zotero is a powerful tool that’s completely free, so there’s no harm in downloading it, giving it a trial run, and seeing how it works for you!
Cost: Free
Compatibility: Microsoft, MacOS and Linux
Installation: Desktop application
Papers by ReadCube: Deep & Detailed
ReadCube’s reference manager, Papers, is a strong contender at a reasonable price point. It offers much of the same functionality as EndNote and Mendeley, falling just short in terms of usability and functionality. Papers’ in-app PDF reader is fantastic, and if you’re confident that a majority of your references will come from PDF articles, the ability to easily read, annotate, organize, and later cite PDFs is virtually unmatched.
However, Papers is a bit limited to that extent; when dealing with a great majority of your sources in PDF form and only looking for referencing and citation help, Papers can be a great alternative. But if you have a wider variety of sources to import, or would also look to add note-taking, paper-structuring, or knowledge organization assistance, Papers will likely have to be used in combination with several other tools. The software is also developing a reputation for inconsistent functionality and glitchy elements, with a flood of 1-star reviews for its mobile app. Again, they do offer a free 30 day trial, so feel free to give it a go and decide for yourself!
Cost: 30 days free, $3 monthly
Compatibility: Microsoft, MacOS
Installation: Desktop, Browser, Mobile app, Microsoft Word plug-in
Auratikum: The All-Rounder
Auratikum is a reference manager on par with the best of EndNote, Mendeley, and the others, but is unique in that it is truly the only academic software you need throughout the entire research process. Even EndNote, with its hefty price and incredible searching power is still designed to be just a single tool of many that a researcher might use to write a paper. While all of the above have their respective merits when it comes to reference management, none offer the full spectrum of academic support.
Auratikum is designed to guide you through the process and organize your knowledge at every step. First, you can write clear, concise notes that link back to source material and can be tagged or sorted however you like. Those notes can then be organized, brainstormed, and drafted into a coherent narrative structure that allows you to present your research or argument in a convincing and easily understandable way. The usual step of copy-pasting into Word or Google Docs can be skipped – write your paper within the Auratikum window and have easy access to all of your resources and references just a click away. Finally, those same references can be easily dropped into your citation style and added to your paper in a beautiful bibliography (hint: that’s the only step all the other tools can claim to do!). Once you’re proud of the finished project, Auratikum can also be used to share your work with the community and bring your research the attention it deserves.
Try Auratikum for free today
Auratikum is a more intuitive cloud-based academic software, bringing the principles of the famous (and time-tested) Slipbox Method into the 21st century. It provides a more accessible, more comprehensive writing assistant that will complement your personal workflow – from your first phase of research down to the final citation in your bibliography.
Cost: Free to start, Premium packages available between $6.99 and $11.99 per month.
Compatibility: Microsoft, MacOS, & Linux
Installation: Web/Browser App
In Sum…
There are a ton of academic software tools to choose from, and finding the perfect one for your workflow will probably include some trial and error. What’s important to keep in mind is “What challenge is this tool trying to solve?”. Knowing the answer to that question for each tool you’re considering will allow you to see how their product aligns with your needs.
EndNote is tackling the tediousness of manually citing references, as well as collaboration between colleagues. But what if you work alone and need more than just citation help? Zotero, Mendeley, and Papers are affordable alternatives, but each have their drawbacks – no PDF readability, only PDF readability, too simple and lacking detail, or over-detailed and impossible to learn quickly… it all depends on you!
If you’re looking for a single tool to use throughout your paper-writing process, look no further than Auratikum. As much power as the other tools have, they are largely limited to reference management and fall short when it comes to note-taking, knowledge-organizing, and actual paper-writing. Try Auratikum for free today!
Overview | Writing Software| Reference Management Software |Research Tools | Grammar Checking Tools
![Bibliography Bibliography](/uploads/1/2/6/6/126674004/758606176.png)
Referencing tools are handy to organize and format references so that you can easily incorporate them in your essays, research papers, dissertations and PhD thesis. There are many terms used for such tools such as referencing software, referencing tool, reference management software, citation software, citation app, paper software, citation manager, research paper management tool, bibliography software, literature review software, literature management software and research paper organizer. These all refer to a piece of software or an online tool that allows you to store and format references. It is very important that you choose a right tool for your research and stick to it. We have reviewed some of the popular referencing tools used in the scientific community below from an academic writing perspective.
1. Zotero
Zotero is a free referencing tool that allows you to collect, cite, organize and share research sources. Zotero comes with a browser extension that automatically senses content in your web browser, allowing you to add it to your personal library with a single click. It automatically picks up the nature of the text displayed in the page and displays a relevant icon in the address bar that represents the content (book, article, etc). The user can click this icon to add the reference to the library. Zotero automatically parses metadata of PDF files and extracts citation information and adds it to the library. You can include the references in your text by simply dragging and dropping citation files from the Zotero library into the document. Zotero supports all the major citation formats.
2. Mendeley
Mendeley is a free referencing manager and social network that helps you organize research, collaborate online and discover new research. You can sign up for a Mendeley account online and install the Mendeley Desktop Tool in your computer. You can import papers into Mendeley library from your hard drive by simply dragging and dropping files. You can also import reference list from other reference managers or by searching various web databases for papers through Mendeley Literature Search. You can also use Mendeley Web Importer, a browser plugin that allows you to import documents from anywhere on the web quickly. Mendeley desktop will display a PDF icon next to the paper if the full text is available. You can search annotate and add notes to PDF documents. You can sync your libraries to the cloud to access them anywhere. Mendeley Writing Addins are available for MS Word and LibreOffice which enables you to insert references into your article and generate a bibliography list.
3. EndNoteEndNote is a reference management tool that allows you to import references directly from online sources such as PubMed, Web of Science, Library of Congress, etc. You can also import references by uploading a list of references in Citation Manager format. Alternatively, you can manually input the references if it is an unpublished source. You can insert references in the document as you write using EndNote Word Addin. EndNote supports numerous citation formats. The tool automatically generates the bibliography for the references contained in the text. The cost of full single user license is £209, and student license is £99.
4. RefWorks
RefWorks is a reference management software quite similar to EndNote. RefWorks is web-based as in the reference database is stored online. The references can be accessed and updated from any computer with an internet connection. Institutions subscribe to RefWorks on behalf of all their students, faculty and staff. The references can be included in the text using RefWorks’s Write-n-Cite Microsoft Word Addin. This plugin allows users to insert references in the text and generate a bibliography in a wide variety of formats.
5. CitaviCitavi is a reference management tool that combines referencing with task management. Citavi allows users to search for sources, analyze content, structure ideas and write a paper. You can import PDFs by dragging and dropping files and add books and articles using ISBN. When you find information on the web, you can use Citavi browser plugin to import quotations, pictures, and web pages to Citavi library. You can annotate PDFs and save pictures to Citavi library. You can also make a note of your thoughts while reading a research paper using Citavi Thoughts Option. You can add tasks to the tasks manager window to manage project deadlines. You can structure your paper by creating an outline in Citavi. Then you can drag and drop references, image, and quotations to relevant sections of the paper. Finally, you can download the paper outline as a Word document and start filling in the missing bits of the paper.
Free Bibliography Software For Macbook Pro
6. PaperPile
PaperPile is a GoogleDocs Addon for managing your references and bibliography. It is a very useful tool if you are using GoogleDocs for writing papers instead of MS Word. PaperPile is attached to your Google account. You can download this app from the Google store. There is a basic version available for free, and you can upgrade for a few dollars to a premium version. One of the big advantages of PaperPile is that it works very well with other citation managers such as Zotero and EndNote. PaperPile allows you to import Zotero or EndNote citations into GoogleDocs. You can insert citations, format citations and generate a bibliography in a wide variety of formats. You can easily import papers from Google Scholar into PaperPile. If full-text PDF is available for an article, you can use PaperPile to store them in GoogleDrive.
7. JabRefJabRef is a reference management software for Latex. The tool allows you to manage citations and generate bibliography if you are using Latex as your writing medium. This is a free tool and is well maintained. You can simply download citations in BibTex format and create entries in JabRef. You can also export a list of papers from multiple sources at the same time by selecting multiple items from a web page. JabRef tool will produce a .bib file with a list of references in your library and create a BibTexKey for each source. Now you can link this .bib file with Latex using ‘addbibresource’ command and cite articles in your Latex document using BibTexKey and ‘cite’ command. It supports a wide variety of citation styles and bibliography formats.
8. Papers
Papers is a citation manager and referencing tool that allows users to discover, organize, read & annotate and share research. Papers tool is available for both Windows and Mac. It comes with all the basic functionality offered by other reference managers. Also some useful features are unique to Papers. You can search multiple search engines at the same time for keywords and view one set of results. You can organize your references by annotating, ranking and color coding. You can search your research library by building a complex query rather than searching for simple keywords. You can share your collection with your colleagues using Papers online web interface.
Free Bibliography Software
9. Docear
Docear helps you to find relevant literature and remember all the things you read in the literature. Docear is a free tool and is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux. It provides a user-friendly graphical interface where you can drag and drop PDFs into different categories and topics. Then you can directly open the PDFs from this interface and annotate them. The annotations can be viewed by clicking on annotation icon that is displayed next to the PDF in the graphical interface. You can create an outline of the paper using Docear’s interactive user interface. You can drag and drop annotations and references into relevant sections of your outline in the interface. Once you are done, you can download the outline as a document in a wide variety of formats.