LibGuides: Citation Tools at the Thompson Library: Overview

Citation Tools

With the resources below, you can create bibliographies, generate and manage citations, and share with others. Each tool is a little different, but all support most of the leading citation formats, such as MLA, APA, Chicago/Turabian, and more. The library supports using Zotero or EndNote Online, but other options are also available.

Zotero

Zotero This link opens in a new window
Downloadable tool to collect, organize, cite, and share research. Available for Windows, Mac, and Linux. Zotero has integration into Google Docs and Microsoft 365, so this is a good alternative to Endnote.
For the Library Lookup tool, use this as the link resolver:
https://umich.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/openurl?institution=01UMICH_INST&vid=01UMICH_INST:FLINT
To create a bibliography without downloading software, ZoteroBib is available.

Zotero Quick Start Guide
This guide covers how to get started using Zotero as well as organize and collect citations and how to collaborate with others.

EndNote

EndNote This link opens in a new window
Citation management package. Provides 2GB of file storage (up to 50,000 references), and supports citations in the 20 most popular bibliographic styles. Requires creation of a free account.
- Thompson Library video tutorials for using EndNote
- Publisher documentation about EndNote
Supports these bibliographic styles:
- APA 7th
- Chicago 17th
- JAMA
- MLA 8th
- Refman (RIS) Export
- Turabian 9th
- Vancouver
- Many others
Mac users: Some people have reported issues with their EndNote accounts syncing with their laptops, e.g., in Cite While You Write. EndNote passwords do not work properly if they contain special characters ( ! and $ are especially problematic), so EndNote recommends that you change password by substituting "@" for whatever special character you were using, log back into the Word plugin, and then close Word and reopen it. This should resolve the issue. This problem seems to be specifically a Mac issue.

Upcoming Webinars

Some Other Citation Tools

ZoteroBib This link opens in a new window
Tool for creating citations and bibliographies, manually or by entering the URL, ISBN, DOI, PMID, arXiv ID, or title. Supports APA, MLA, Chicago/Turabian, and thousand of other citation styles.
Mendeley This link opens in a new window
Citation management software that collects and organizes citations and documents into personal libraries.
Mendeley is a citation management tool that collects and organize citations to create a personal library. Mendeley can also insert citations into documents and format bibliographies. PDFs can be added to the library using drag and drop features; PDFs can also be highlighted, annotated, and shared with others using this software

Mendeley supports desktop, web, and mobile device use to access citations and PDFs.

A desktop application must be installed for maximum usefulness. Access to cloud-based personal libraries are available via the Internet. An iOS mobile app is also available.

Video tutorials

Related Guides

Research Process
by Liz Svoboda Last Updated Jun 20, 2025 10279 views this year

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Citation Tools at the Thompson Library

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