Citation managers, also called bibliographic managers, are programs and tools that assist with the collection, organization, annotation, compilation, and formatting of citations from a wide variety of sources (articles, books, websites, etc) and easily create in-text citations and bibliographies as you write. They can also be used to share and collaborate with colleagues.
Why Use Citation Managers
Citation managers allow you to quickly and easily collect and save citations, whether you find them in a database, on the web, or from a PDF. They can save you hours of time and energy when it comes to keeping track of your research over time, writing manuscripts, and making sure citations are in the correct format. Many journals even provide specific citation formats available in citation management software such as EndNote, so without such tools it can be very difficult to properly submit a manuscript for publication.
Benefits of Citation Managers
Import citations directly from databases. It's easy to build your reference collection with direct exportation from most literature databases (e.g. PubMed, Embase, etc.), as well as resources like Cochrane, Google Scholar, TRIP Database, and many more.
Organize, tag, and annotate citations. Keep track of all your references for manuscripts and research all in one place.
Attach PDFs (and other files) directly to the corresponding citation. Forget about trying to find that full-text on your computer, it's right there with the citation with all of your notes and highlights.
Create bibliographies and cite papers in hundreds/thousands of citation styles. No longer is it a chore to keep your citation formats correct and in the proper order.
Collaborate with colleagues. Whether it's weekly journal club or an international collaboration for a publication, easily share citations and full-text all in one place.
