Bibliographic Software

Overview

There are several programs developed as databases for bibliographic references. Several will allow you to import the complete citation into the database to allow you to organize your references. In addition, the programs will format a bibliography at the end of your manuscript or grant proposal. The format style for a variety of journals are included to allow you to easily switch from one format to another. In addition, a plug-in to Microsoft Word is available to allow you to "cite while you write", bringing in citations from your database and automatically creating a bibliography. At CSUSB, we have access to two bibliographic reference software programs - EndNote Web and Zotero.

EndNote Web

Thanks to the subscription of the Social Science Citation Index database sponsored by the College of Education, our campus has a site license for EndNote Web (the "lite" version of EndNote). This is available to all faculty and students. You must initally register through a campus computer using your campus email, and then re-register annually (at no cost to you). EndNote Web is accessible from any computer through the web at the End Note Website and your database is stored on EndNote servers. The following links describe the procedure to register and download EndNote Web (including a link to the Microsoft Word plug-in) as well as links to EndNote Web Tutorials.

• Microsoft Word EndNote Web Plug-in (Note:you must log into EndNote Web, then click on the format tab, click on "Cite While You Write Plug In", and download the Word Plug-in.)

EndNote Web Tutorials:

• Tutorial from EndNote
• EndNote Webinar training
• Training course from Thomson Publishing

Zotero

Zotero is a free bibliographic reference database available to anyone. The only limitation is that you must use it with the Firefox browser. It will not work with Internet Explorer, but Firefox is also free. Zotero requires you to save your database on your computer. The following links describe the procedure to download Zotero (including a link to the Microsoft Word plug-in) as well as links to Zotero Tutorials.

• Zotero access and account set-up
• Download and install Firefox
• Download and install Zotero
• Microsoft Word and OpenOffice Zotero Plug-in

Zotero Web Tutorials

• Quick Start Guide
• Tutorial from Univ. of Colorado
• Tutorial from Univ. of Michigan

Comparison of EndNote Web and Zotero

The CSUSB Library has developed a comparison of EndNote Web and Zotero.

Comparison Sheet (pdf format)

If you have further questions, contact the Pfau Library reference desk.

If you would like to schedule a group or individual tutorial, please contact Lisa Bartle (lbartle@csusb.edu, 537-7552), Reference Librarian.