RefWorks and Endnote

What are they?

RefWorks and EndNote are bibliographic citation managers. These software packages let you 1) create databases of citations of books, articles, websites, etc. usually by importing data directly from library databases, and 2) format bibliographies and in-text citations and footnotes, in a style of your choice, for your papers. They take the guesswork out of this once laborious process.

Which one should I use?

EndNote	RefWorks
Must purchase yourself and load on a specific computer. The student or academic price at the Tufts Bookstore is $100.00.	Free, web-based, can be used anywhere as long as you are a member of the Tufts community. After graduation, you can purchase a subscription ($100 a year, 2007 prices) which allows for continued use.
Best if you tend to write your papers, add your bibliography, create your footnotes, etc. while offline.	Best if you want to be able to save citations from whatever computer you are using at any moment, and don’t mind writing your papers while online.
Fairly to moderately easy to learn, depending on your computer skills. Excellent manual. Very good technical support. Download a trial version to try it out.	Very easy to learn. Good online help. Very good technical support. See Quick Start, FAQ.
Good for theses, dissertations and other sophisticated research projects. Very good if you plan on publishing a great deal as a scholar or researcher.	Good for undergraduates.
Can import/export into/from RefWorks. Good if you decide to switch to EndNote.	Can import/export into/from EndNote. Good if you decide to switch to RefWorks.
Can import from many of our databases (ISI, Ovid, FirstSearch). Must use in tandem with RefWorks to save citations from additional databases, such as CSA.	Supports more of our databases than EndNote.
Good for creating footnotes and endnotes in many formats.	Also creates footnotes and endnotes in many formats.

How can I learn RefWorks and EndNote?

Tisch Library provides 2-hour workshops each semester to teach both systems. If you have questions after the classes, or prefer a shorter lesson than the class, you can meet with a librarian. If you have questions about EndNote, contact Abigail Cross. For RefWorks, contact the reference desk by phone at 617-627-3460 or by email.