Epidemiology

Citation or bibliographic managment programs help you:

• collect and organize your references and PDFs
• easily insert citations in a Word document
• create and format a bibliography in many styles.

Each program works somewhat differently, so take some time to get to know a few programs and find the one that works best for you.

Don't worry about changing a program that isn't working for you. You can export your references from one program to another easily.

Why use Mendeley?

• It's easy to use.
• It's not just a citation manager; it's a workflow product that helps you manage your PDFs, connect with other scholars, and find new references in the Mendeley catalog.
• It was created by researchers, so it works the way researchers work:
• Download the desktop program to as many computers as you work on
• Also access your collections through the web
• It's free!

Why use Zotero?

• It's easy to use.
• It was created by researchers, so it works the way you work:  it lets you take notes on articles and easily share them with others.
• It's free.
• It lives inside your Firefox bowser, so it's always ready to use.
• It's the best program for those who actively collect information from social media (web sites, blogs, wikis).

Why use EndNote?

• If you plan on having an academic career, it's the most commonly used citation management program in the academic world.
• It has many features, including thousands of exisiting output (or bibliographic) styles, which can be edited.
• You may be able to get a free copy through your department, but if not, as a student, you pay half the normal price.
• EndNote also has a web-based program (EndNote Basic) that makes it easier to collaborate with colleagues.
• It's harder to learn, so it may not be the best choice if you won't need it for your job now or in the future.

If you choose to format your references yourself, you can use programs such as ZoteroBib, but for formatting by hand or to check the work of a program, use these helpful examples from University College of the University of Maryland.