OSU Extension

Library resources to support study and research of OSU Extension educators, staff and researchers.

Citation Management Software

Citation management software allow a user to organize and retrieve information, such as citations for books, articles, and websites, by interfacing with library databases. The citation manager then works with word-processing software to insert properly formatted footnotes or citations into a paper and create a properly formatted bibliography.

Zotero

Zotero is a free, open source, easy-to-use tool to help you collect, organize, cite, and share your research sources. Zotero collects all your research in a single, searchable interface. Zotero includes a plugin for Word, Google Docs, and other word processing software to let users to create bibliographies using over 7000 citation styles. Users can add PDFs, images, audio and video files, snapshots of web pages, and really anything else. Zotero allows users to create or join groups to collaborate.

Read on for an overview of Zotero's features and capabilities (Quick start guide). Review these tutorials demonstrating many of the basic functions of Zotero. For further information on Zotero Syncing and space management, review this guide.

Learn how to optimize Zotero's settings to work with OSU's licensed materials and your citations.

ZoteroBib

ZoteroBib is a free tool that helps you to quickly build a bibliography from any computer or device without creating an account or installing software. To learn more about ZoteroBib's features read the ZoteroBib FAQ.

EndNote

EndNote is a research management software package that imports, organizes and stores the citations you find using research databases and library catalogs. EndNote also stores and organizes the full text of your references. EndNote integrates with Word to format citations and bibliographies instantly. 

Watch this tutorial for an overview of the most popular features in EndNote. Get started using EndNote by reviewing these training resources.

Learn how to optimize EndNote for use with OSU Libraries' resources.

EndNote is available at a discounted price from the OSU Tech Store, Tech Hub.

EndNote Basic

EndNote Basic is a limited functionality, web-based version of EndNote that can be used alone or with the EndNote desktop software. EndNote Basics imports, stores, and organizes citations, and formats citations and bibliographies using a Word plugin. EndNote Basic is available for free to all OSU students, faculty and staff. Users can create an account and access EndNote Basic via myendnoteweb.com, or through the EndNote link in Web of Science.

Mendeley

Mendeley is a desktop and web program for managing and sharing research papers, discovering research data and collaborating online. It combines Mendeley Desktop, a PDF and reference management application (available for Windows, OS X and Linux) and Mendeley for Android and iOS, with Mendeley Web, an online social network for researchers.

Learn how to use Mendeley's features with these short videos and tutorials.

Zotero File Storage with OneDrive (Source: guides.osu.edu/vetmed)

1.  In the OneDrive folder on your computer, create a Zotero attachments folder.

3.  Download and install Zotfile.  This is designed for the Firefox version of Zotero, but will work with Standalone--just follow the directions on the Zotfile homepage under "Install Zotfile."

4.  Open Zotero. Go to Tools > ZotFile Preferences (or gear icon > ZotFile Preferences).  On the General Settings tab, under 'Source Folder', choose the default location (C:\Users\[username]\Zotero).  Under 'Location of Files', select Custom Location and choose the Zotero attachments folder you created in OneDrive.

Screenshot of the Zotero Preferences screen.  Described in detail before and after the image.

4.  On the Tablet Settings tab, check "Use Zotfile to send get files from tablet".  Then choose your attachments folder in OneDrive as your base folder.  Click OK.

Screenshot of the Zotero Preferences screen, showing the Zotfile tablet settings. Settings are described in text around the image.

5.  Close the Zotfile Preferences window and open Preferences from Zotero's Edit menu.  Go to the Advanced menu, then select the Files and Folders tab.  Make sure that the Base directory field is blank.

Screenshot of the Zotero Preferences screen, showing the Advanced settings.  Settings are described in detail around the image.

6.  Finally, in the middle column of your library, right click (or command-click) on one or multiple references with attachments and select Manage Attachments > Send to Tablet.  The next time OneDrive syncs, your PDFs will sync as well.

Zotero Settings at OSU (Source: guides.osu.edu/vetmed)

There are several settings in Zotero that you can adjust to make the tool work more easily.

  • To use Zotero to insert citations and create a bibliography, use the Microsoft Word Add-In from within Word or use the Zotero tool in Google Docs.
  • Zotero can search the full text of any PDFs that you associate with your citations.  To do this, turn on PDF Indexing under Preferences > Search.
  • You can set your default citation format under Preferences > Export.  If you're working on a thesis or dissertation, you may want set this to be APA 6th. 
  • To connect to OSU’s subscribed content online from your records, under Preferences > Advanced, set the OpenURL to http://nf4hr2ve4v.search.serialssolutions.com.  That will let you connect to OSU’s subscribed content online from your records.

EndNote Settings at OSU (Source: guides.osu.edu/vetmed)

Bibliographic management tools like EndNote can not only help researchers to manage references, they can also be used to search for full text. Finding full text resources requires the proper configuration.

In the EndNote Preferences dialog (Edit-->Preferences on PC, or EndNote 20-->Preferences on Mac), select Find Full Text, then copy and paste the following URLs:

  • Finding full text requires the OpenURL path of  http://nf4hr2ve4v.search.serialssolutions.com
  • Finding full text requires authentication with URL
    https://library.osu.edu/Shibboleth.sso/Login

There are some caveats regarding EndNote's ability to find full text:

  • Searching and finding full text may work better on campus than off due to different resource authentication methods and licensing agreements. 
  • EndNote offers several pathways to some databases, such as Agricola. However, OSU Libraries may not have subscription access through each of these pathways.

For further assistance: