RefWorks and Zotero

What are they?
RefWorks and Zotero are “citation manager” tools that help you get control over your research projects and store and organize references, documents and notes. Both also have tools that plug into word processor programs that draw from your citations to automatically formulate and populate your references and bibliography.

Why should I use one of these?
Learning how to use one of these tools will take a little time up front, but it will ultimately save you lots of time later. You’ll never have to format every citation and write a bibliography by hand again!

How do I decide which one to use?
The chart below shows some of the differences between the two, to help you decide which works best for your personal style of research.

Questions? Contact a Reference Librarian

	RefWorks	Zotero
Is the tool web-based or does it require using your personal computer?	Web-based; you can access your data from any computer with an internet connection	Stores data on your computer; synching to the web is possible, but Zotero works best if you research on your own computer
Must it be used with a specific web browser?	Not browser-specific	Currently operates as a Firefox plug-in, although standalone software is in beta testing
What happens to my data when I leave Oberlin?	Although RefWorks is provided by an Oberlin College Library subscription, you can keep using your account after you graduate	Zotero is a free open-source tool, so no subscription is necessary
What is the learning curve like?	It's fairly easy to learn, but has more fine-tuned functionality than Zotero	It’s easy to learn, and is simpler than RefWorks
How does it work with word processors, and which ones?	Uses a plug-in for Microsoft Word (both PC and Mac) called Write-N-Cite, which formats citations and bibliographies	Has plug-ins for OpenOffice, NeoOffice and Microsoft Word (both PC and Mac, except Word X for Mac), which formats citations and bibliographies
What kind of items can it store?	Any kind! You can attach PDFs and documents to citation records	Any kind! You can attach PDFs and documents to a citation record, and automatically saves PDFs from some databases, including JSTOR
Can I share citations with others?	Yes, you can collaborate with other RefWorks users using RefShare	Yes, has a feature to create private or public groups for resource sharing with other Zotero users
Which citation styles does it use for output?	Has a staggering number of output styles, including MLA, APA and Chicago style	Has a staggering number of output styles that can be installed, only 15 come pre-installed, including MLA, APA and Chicago style
Overall Strengths	Web based, requires no software or storage of data It’s a subscription-based product and has excellent documentation and support available	Easy to import records Automatically stores PDFs from JSTOR and other databases as well as snapshots of web pages Has built-in note taking functionality

Additional comparison help:
Checklist from University of Wisconsin Madison
UW Madision detailed comparison matrix