Citation Manager Comparison

by Matthew Conner – November 1, 2021

The four products discussed–EndNote, Mendeley, Zotero, and Sciwheel–are very similar, and each can support extensive research. The products fall on a spectrum with EndNote being somewhat more complicated but powerful and Zotero being simpler but more limited with Mendeley falling in the middle.  For the downloadable desktop versions, EndNote is the only one that requires a fee.  The campus deal for a discount has expired, and an individual license costs $249.95.  Negotiations are underway for another campus license.  (For information about how to purchase individual licenses contact librarian Matt Conner.)  The other three products are free, but Zotero and Mendeley charge annual fees for optional increases in storage and groups.  Among these options, Sciwheel stands out for several reasons.  By virtue of the library subscription to the Faculty Opinions science database, all UC Davis campus members are eligible for a free account.  Sciwheel is entirely cloud-based and has all the essential features of the other products, and it is the only one besides EndNote which has dedicated technical support.  Note that as of August 2021, Sciwheel has upgraded its MS word plug-in to the 365 Office version.  Because this version may pose an online security risk, you may need campus authorization to download it to your machine.  If you find the download blocked, contact IT Express, and they will create a ticket to have the plug-in installed.