Robbins Library Notes

Note: As we start the new academic year, I’m reposting some earlier posts that may be of interest.  Today’s post, which I wrote last year, covers bibliographic management software.  Readers should also check out the new guide to citation tools and bibliographic management software available at Harvard. — jp

I often receive questions from patrons on how to properly format footnotes, endnotes, and bibliographies when writing a paper or a dissertation. I usually tell the inquirers that the format will depend on the citation style that they use, which may be one that they’ve learned in earlier years, or one that their professor or adviser prefers. I try to ask if they have a sense of what this style might be, since there are several citation styles from which to chose, like APA, MLA, or the Chicago Manual of Style, and respective guides on how to put footnotes, endnotes, and bibliographies in these formats.

But, is there software that can help you manage your bibliographies and notes? The answer is yes. There are three with which I am familiar: EndNote, RefWorks, and Zotero. I won’t go into great detail here about each of these — two of my library colleagues have already written an excellent comparison of EndNote and RefWorks, and Zotero provides a great Flash demonstration on its Web site. Nonetheless, I will offer my own comments where I think they’re appropriate, since any of these three packages has the potential to save you a lot of time and effort when writing lengthy papers or books.

EndNote and RefWorks

EndNote and RefWorks are two software programs designed to help you manage your citations and bibliographies. At present, Harvard subscribes to RefWorks, and it is thus free to authorized users. Access to EndNote is not currently provided by Harvard, and those wanting to use it will have to subscribe to it on their own.

A comparison of the two packages is outlined here. A guide for using RefWorks may be found here. This guide will tell you how to access RefWorks via the “E-research@Harvard” page.  Update 8/12/2008: All of the information formerly found in this paragraph is outdated, and has been replaced with updated information in the new site, “Using RefWorks, EndNote, and Other Citation Tools.”

I have not used EndNote very much, so I cannot comment on it. I have, though, used RefWorks, and have found it difficult to use. Importing references from databases is not easy to do, and when I have been able to import references, using RefWorks to manage my citations has also proven challenging. Others may have a different experience of using it, though, and I’m curious to learn more from them about their experiences with the software.

Zotero

According to its Web site, “Zotero [zoh-TAIR-oh] is a free, easy-to-use Firefox extension to help you collect, manage, and cite your research sources. It lives right where you do your work — in the web browser itself.”

Like LibX, Zotero is a Firefox extension — so, it won’t work with other browsers like Internet Explorer or Safari. (Again, it’s another excuse to download Firefox and try it out.) The tool is free and open source. And, it boasts a number of nifty features, like automatic capture of citation information from Web pages; storage of files, Web pages, and images; and formatted citation export, meaning that it will automatically generate a bibliography for you in one of many styles, with more being added.

From my experience, Zotero is a bit intimidating at first. However, once you get the hang of it, it is relatively easy to use, and will make managing your bibliographies much less time-consuming. The Zotero programmers work very hard to make sure the product is as user-friendly as possible, and are eager for user feedback.

To take a tour of Zotero, go to their Web site and click on the “View Tour” button on the right-hand side of the page. A list of its features can be found in the lower part of the home page, just under the screen shot graphic.

If you would like a demonstration of Zotero, whether individually or in a group, please let me know, and I’ll be happy to meet with you. Zotero, in my view, is best demonstrated “live,” rather than with static screen shots, to show off all of its functionality.

Update: 10/03/2007

Scott McLemee has written a great review of Zotero for InsideHigherEd.com

A Caveat

In all of this, I would caution against letting any one of these software packages do all of the work for you. Make sure to go over your bibliography and notes to make sure that they’re formatted correctly, and consult a print guide if necessary. For example, I find that Zotero sometimes does interesting things with APA format such that it needs correcting. Technology is a great tool, but don’t let it become a crutch to support sloppy research and writing.