Academic Reference Managers

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Medical historians can benefit from the use of academic reference managers. The more advanced reference managers provide article indexing and search capabilities, cloud-based services, biographic and footnote managers, as well as tight integration with leading word processors, such as Microsoft Word and OpenOffice.

The advantages of using a reference manager are considerable. It can help the busy historian quickly locate and identify sources and manage citations without having to retype them. In essence, it serves as a centralized storage receptacle for the sources (both primary and secondary) associated with your project.

The following reference managers offer the widest array of features:


Mendeley

Developed by: Mendeley Ltd.
Cost: Free “Earth” account / $4.99 – 9.99 /mn.
Features: Mendeley Desktop, which is compatible with Windows, Mac, and Linux.

Web Site: http://www.mendeley.com/



Zotero

Developed by: Center for History and New Media at George Mason University
Cost: free (100 MB storage) / Additional storage space $20/year -> 1 GB
Features: Firefox extension and stand-alone version with connectors.

Web Site: http://www.zotero.com/



EndNote

Developed by: Thomson Reuters
Cost: $299.95 (most universities already have a subscription)
Features: Client with EndNote Web account

Web Site: http://www.endnote.com/