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Adams State University
Nielsen Library

Citation Management Systems (CMS)

Need help citing your sources and compiling your research? Let us help!

What is CMS (Citation Management Systems)?

Citation Management Systems/Softwares/Services help users (students, faculty, authors, or amateur researchers) manage their references and research. They help you format your bibliography, store your PDFs, and keep track of research across different projects (say, you need the research you did for a freshman paper for your Senior thesis). Some CMS require subscriptions and payments (RefWorks, EndNote); some are open-source (Zotero, Mendeley). Nielsen Library is looking at two open-source options to meet Adams State's needs -- Zotero & Mendeley. More information is included on the following pages. Please give us feedback!

Zotero works great across all academic disciplines.

Mendeley is a great tool for STEM students.

CiteULike is the best option for those without a home or personal computer (e.g. working on the lab computers on campus), as it does not require a download. 

 

Below is a comparison chart of the top 5 available options.

Table from Scribendi. (n.d.)  Speedy Citations: 5 Reference Management Software Solutions for Your Research. Retrieved from: https://www.scribendi.com/advice/reference_management_software_solutions.en.html.

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