Citation management tools help you organize the results of a literature search and keep track of relevant articles.
There are a few options for free tools. Both Zotero and Mendeley are free but do have a limit for storage. EndNote Basic is free to the School of Medicine community through Web of Science as a web app. WashU faculty, staff and students can also purchase EndNote Desktop at a discounted rate through WUIT Software Licensing.
EndNote Desktop includes Cite While you Write, a tool that automates formatting reference citations and full-text retrieval (learn how). It is also available on six computers in the library at the Research Pod. Below is a comparison chart to show cost and capabilities.
| EndNote Desktop | EndNote Basic | Zotero | Mendeley | |
| Cost | $22 for students $44 for faculty/staff through WUIT Software Licensing Available free in library at Research Pod |
Free to WUSM users | Free | Free |
| Attachment Storage | Unlimited | 2 GB | 300 MB | 2 GB |
| Sharing – Private groups | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Sharing – Public groups | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Full-text searching across PDFs | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Download full-text PDFs through library authentication | Yes Learn how |
No | No | No |
| Formats reference citations for Microsoft Word | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop syncs to online account | Yes, one library at a time | Online only | Online only | Yes |
For EndNote help, contact Kim Lipsey at lipseyk@wustl.edu, or attend her Getting Organized with EndNote class on Friday, May 10.
For Mendeley and Zotero help, contact Michelle Doering at mmdoering@wustl.edu.