Reference management software helps you collect, organise, and cite your sources.
It keeps your research tidy and saves time by automatically generating references and bibliographies.
🔹You can:
Is reference management software for you? Do you just need to cite and reference and not collect and organise? Then try Citation Tools.
Important: Please note that various referencing management software have not yet updated to Cite Them Right Harvard 13th Edition. When still using the 12th Edition, the main difference is to remove the 'Place of publication' field for your book references to more closely match the latest edition.
Using reference software can help you:
✅ Keep references in one place – no more losing sources
✅ Create citations and bibliographies instantly in your required style
✅ Work with others on shared research projects or group assignments
✅ Write faster – insert citations directly into Word or Google Docs
✅ Stay organised – tag and group sources by topic, project, or course
🎓 Especially useful for dissertations, long essays, and collaborative projects.
🧰 Reference Managers (Mendeley, Zotero and Rayyan)
Ideal for: dissertations, extended projects, and researchers who need to store and organise lots of references.
➡️ [See comparison table below]
📌 If you're still unsure, try the software yourself to see which works best for you – they're free and quick to use.
|
Consideration |
Mendeley |
Zotero |
Rayyan |
|
Do you need to install it? |
No – Mendeley has a web version which you should use if needing to work on campus, but it does also have a desktop app version to install on a home computer. Be aware: you cannot install apps on to DMU computers, you can only install the app on your home computer. |
Yes – Zotero requires a desktop app, but you can sync across devices and access your library via the web too. Be aware: you cannot install apps on to DMU computers, you can only install the app on your home computer. |
No – Rayyan has a web version which you should use if needing to work on campus, but it does also have a desktop app version to install on a home computer. Be aware: you cannot install apps on to DMU computers, you can only install the app on your home computer. |
|
How user-friendly is it? |
Sleek and polished look. Some users find it intuitive at first glance. |
Interface can feel a bit less modern at first. It's completely open-source, so not as slick. |
Sleek and more polished look. Some users find it intuitive at first glance. |
|
How can you import references? |
Integrates with some databases or can import references via appropriate file formats (RIS, CSV, etc.) |
Integrates with some databases or can import references via appropriate file formats (RIS, CSV, etc.) |
Import via appropriate file formats (RIS, CSV, etc.) |
|
How well does it handle duplicates? |
Fair – but not as good as the other software |
Very good – Zotero makes it easy to review, compare, and merge duplicates. |
Extremely well – Rayyan finds duplicates very effectively and then gives you the option to review: keep or remove. |
|
How does it organise references? |
You can create named collections to organise your references in. PDFs can be uploaded to be stored with a reference. |
You can create named folders to organise your references in. PDFs can be uploaded to be stored with a reference. |
The interface guides users through the stages of the literature review process (screening via title/abstract, full text screening, data extraction). PDFs can be uploaded to be stored with a reference. |
|
Does your subject area matter? |
Often preferred in STEM and health sciences. Includes tools for managing PDFs of scientific papers and integrates with some scientific databases. |
Widely used across Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences, and Law. Good at handling varied sources and complex citation styles. Law users: see note 1 on Juris-M. |
Often preferred in STEM and health sciences. Includes tools for managing PDFs of papers |
|
Do you need group work features? |
Also supports shared libraries; more focus on sharing PDFs within academic networks. |
Strong collaboration via shared libraries, especially useful for teaching or co-authoring. |
It offers shared processing of the review process. |
|
MS Word Integration for inserting citations and references |
Yes – via Add-In in MS Word app |
Yes – automatically installs into MS Word app when you install Zotero app. |
No – but at the end of the review process you can export your selected references for importing into Mendeley or Zotero. |
1 Juris-M is a variant of Zotero specifically designed for legal research, offering enhanced support for legal citation styles and multilingual materials. For more information, visit Juris-M Project.