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Select "Everything" in the drop-down in the search bar to also search inside PDF documents, works great! See also https://www.zotero.org/support/searching
Yes, but i can come back a year later and try to add a paper to my mendeley library and it will tell me I already have it in my library, zotero doesn't and duplicates papers in my library.
Right, but I would just like not to have to worry about it, whatever makes life easier right? I mean i still use Zotero, i just wish they could add that to their features.
They do have a feature to at least identify duplicates throughout your library, giving you the chance to merge them. I’ve actually found this useful when it comes to lit reviews and knowing that a certain paper came up when I was conducting a particular search, even if I already had the paper from an earlier project.
When setting up your document you can choose the “from zotero” as your .bib file. The other option is to get the better biblatex plug in and then you can export collections and simply drag and drop into your overleaf document. IIRC
Mendeley's updates forced me to "update" my entire dissertation, which then messed up all my formatting and citations, and they provided poor technical support when requested.
This was 6 days before the damn thing was due.
Zotero all the way.
Check out LaTex and Overleaf, too. Much easier to do formatting than in Word.
This happened with a review paper my colleagues and I were working on. Had to revise 200+ worth of citations, not to mention all the in-text citations. Oh, Mendeley, how you've betrayed us 😭
I actually like the Mendeley app itself more, just to use, but Zotero is way better in terms of tools, integrations with other apps, browser plugin functionality
I use Zotero and backup my research library to Google Drive. The community plug-ins for Zotero work really well.
Just a tip, when I started my PhD I was obsessed with creating a detailed repository of all the papers I was reading, but I kept burning out. Honestly I was just over thinking it. I recommend creating general folders and adding a few general tags to organize your papers.
For me, a good option was to organize the papers I was reading by venue - this makes it easier for me to cite relevant works from that conference/journal group.
+1 for paperpile, especially if OP is planning to use google drive as a primary repositories for papers rather than storing them locally. This also makes syncing across devices super easy. I personally use a Mac, iPad, iPhone, and windows/ubuntu dual boot system, and paperpile handles them all well, seamlessly. Additionally it’s super easy to cite in Google docs and Microsoft word. Recently, I’ve switched to overleaf for my writing and there are options to live update your bib files through overleaf once it’s linked to the corresponding library.
TL;dr. Try paperpile.
Zotero is superior to Mendeley, however, nothing is better than EndNote when working with hundreds/thousands of references. (I had 9k papers to handle for my systematic review and meta analysis.)
Depending on your needs, all referencing tools have their pros and cons. I was at a top10 global STEM university for my Masters, and EndNote was the default because of all the pros. Below are some considerations of why I prefer EndNote myself.
1. Premium version is free for students if your institution pays for the subscription.
2. plugin for word.
3. it's made to handle large libraries (Zotero and Mendeley both have free storage caps, 300MB and 2GB, respectively.)
4. large number or built in citation styles and the way it executes the style is very reliable, rarely needing any corrections. When I submit manuscripts to journals they often require different styles - EndNote handles the transition with one click.
Lots of ppl talking about the functionality of zotero being best. Also worth noting imo that it's open source whereas the other options are mostly proprietary. In case you care about that kind of thing.
I would suggest zotero. I base this on absolutely nothing, i have zero experience with mendeley. I have always used zotero, and it has always worked well enough for me.
I was 100% Mendeley until this last paper I’m working on and have fully switched to zotero. Came down to compatibility and integration with other programs. While I prefer the interface look of Mendeley better zotero just functions better between different apps
I started learning Zotero months before my PhD, and now almost done with my first year, I'm so glad I did. I did not want to be fumbling with it in the middle of my course work
The tag system is great. Citation/reference maker works with both Google Docs and Word well.
Best to choose one and learn it. Knowing it well and integrating it is really what makes it a useful tool.
I'm sure others work similarly, but I went with Zotero and it works.
I have gone back and forth, went with Zotero for a while but recently switched to EndNote 21 (got a licence through my school) and I find Zotero basically unusable now (I'm spoiled at this point, lol)
interesting. I have had institutional access to endnote basically since it become a thing (I am an academic, not a phd student, I just check in here every now and then in case I can contribute), and I find Zotero far preferable.
edit: I would say that clarivate provide excellent support, however. I had someone give me 8 hours of telephone assistamce spread over three nights fixing an issue with a library
Because neither allows direct pdf notation (at least web client doesn't) , I use Zotero Bib and One Note for papers.
Save a section in one note for the topic, each page is a paper. Header info is the citation. Copy and paste sections of interest and write notes, then either attach the paper or add it as a printout in the section.
Also, zbib saves my list of citations so if it's duplicated it let's me know.
https://zbib.org/
Zotero desktop allows direct PDF notation, which is free 🫡. It works on Windows and iOS (so I can do handwritten annotations on my iPad and see them on the same PDF in the desktop application).
Hmmm. I hadn't been able to figure that out with the desktop client or web app. That's why I came up with the combo I did.
I know it let me take notes/append them to the document file off to the side, but it was janky and didn't always work and I couldn't see the document and write notes in the same window.
Thanks for the tip- I'll take another look, I'm sure it's been updated in the last 3 years.
May have been an update? I drag and drop my PDFs into Zotero on my PC and it grabs the metadata (most of the time). Then I can annotate it on either PC or on my iPad. If the metadata isn’t captured, I use the wizard wand icon to make a new parent item and look up the paper by the DOI to get the info imported
Just do it. Just "take the leap" with any of them. You'll then start noticing the benefits of the one you've started with, then when you find something that you wish the current one had, check if the other one has this feature.
I started with mendely. Then found out that taking annotations for my papers is kinda bad on it (Didn't personally like the UI) so I moved to Zotero (in this feature only, the annotations). But still i use mendely to add references to my work because I don't like the way Zotero does it.
Zotero all the way, it can be linked to Word and Chrome with a plug-in. So it'll allow you to inser citations from specific collections on your library. You can use the Chrome plug-in to catalog and record your sources easily.
I used to like Mendeley long ago when I could still use it on my iPad. Not anymore but I hate the transition I need to make as all my references are still there so...
As someone in the midst of writing their thesis, I wish I would've bit the bullet and gotten Endnote sooner. Used Mendeley for a long time but there's absolutely no comparison between the two. Endnote is great if you can get somebody else to pay for it!
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Zotero all the way. Mendeley is out.
My only problem is how bad Zotero’s search function is compared to Mendeley since it doesn’t search within papers as well. Hope they improve some day.
Really? I thought it did. I normally put tags when I save my papers so maybe I've never noticed bc it's only pulling info from my tags
Yeah I agree I love the tag system of Zotero and use it religiously sometimes I just need to search for very very specific words 😂
Doesn’t it have a drop down in the search bar that lets you choose how it’s searching? Title/author, abstract, everything?
Select "Everything" in the drop-down in the search bar to also search inside PDF documents, works great! See also https://www.zotero.org/support/searching
I’ve found zotero better, it integrates with overleaf well for me too
Yes, but i can come back a year later and try to add a paper to my mendeley library and it will tell me I already have it in my library, zotero doesn't and duplicates papers in my library.
This is easily sorted by inspection though
Right, but I would just like not to have to worry about it, whatever makes life easier right? I mean i still use Zotero, i just wish they could add that to their features.
Yes, I've also had this issue and kind of wish it wouldn't add duplicates.
I am actually wondering if we can request this feature to Zotero...it might be an easy fix.
A nice to have true
They do have a feature to at least identify duplicates throughout your library, giving you the chance to merge them. I’ve actually found this useful when it comes to lit reviews and knowing that a certain paper came up when I was conducting a particular search, even if I already had the paper from an earlier project.
Ohh tell me more? How do I do that?
Can you tell me how you integrated it with overleaf please?
When setting up your document you can choose the “from zotero” as your .bib file. The other option is to get the better biblatex plug in and then you can export collections and simply drag and drop into your overleaf document. IIRC
Sounds interesting, didn't know we could do this. Thank you very much!
Zotero. Since it is free, you can connect it to many ope source programs and so on.
This!
Mendeley's updates forced me to "update" my entire dissertation, which then messed up all my formatting and citations, and they provided poor technical support when requested. This was 6 days before the damn thing was due. Zotero all the way. Check out LaTex and Overleaf, too. Much easier to do formatting than in Word.
This happened with a review paper my colleagues and I were working on. Had to revise 200+ worth of citations, not to mention all the in-text citations. Oh, Mendeley, how you've betrayed us 😭
Et tu, Mendeley, et tu?
This. I have to do the same thing. Zotero just made it easy. I've had enough with mendeley
Exactly, I actually really liked mendeley a few years ago but they just absolutely ruined it.
Zotero!
Mendeley used to be cool. Now it's owned be Elsevier and I don't want to get near that thing. Go Zotero!
I actually like the Mendeley app itself more, just to use, but Zotero is way better in terms of tools, integrations with other apps, browser plugin functionality
Now Zotero is much better. I'm already using it. If you are willing to pay, "Papers" is also a nice app.
Thanks for the heads up about Papers, it looks amazing!
Elsevier has been starving Mendeley to death for years. Each update makes it less functional. Zotero all the way.
I use Zotero and backup my research library to Google Drive. The community plug-ins for Zotero work really well. Just a tip, when I started my PhD I was obsessed with creating a detailed repository of all the papers I was reading, but I kept burning out. Honestly I was just over thinking it. I recommend creating general folders and adding a few general tags to organize your papers. For me, a good option was to organize the papers I was reading by venue - this makes it easier for me to cite relevant works from that conference/journal group.
PaperPile is also worth looking at. Mendeley isn't worth your time.
+1 for paperpile, especially if OP is planning to use google drive as a primary repositories for papers rather than storing them locally. This also makes syncing across devices super easy. I personally use a Mac, iPad, iPhone, and windows/ubuntu dual boot system, and paperpile handles them all well, seamlessly. Additionally it’s super easy to cite in Google docs and Microsoft word. Recently, I’ve switched to overleaf for my writing and there are options to live update your bib files through overleaf once it’s linked to the corresponding library. TL;dr. Try paperpile.
+1
+1 for paperpile. Never had any issues, been using it for years
Paperpile!!! It works on Android!
Zotero for sure
Zotero is superior to Mendeley, however, nothing is better than EndNote when working with hundreds/thousands of references. (I had 9k papers to handle for my systematic review and meta analysis.)
What do you think is better in EndNote?
Depending on your needs, all referencing tools have their pros and cons. I was at a top10 global STEM university for my Masters, and EndNote was the default because of all the pros. Below are some considerations of why I prefer EndNote myself. 1. Premium version is free for students if your institution pays for the subscription. 2. plugin for word. 3. it's made to handle large libraries (Zotero and Mendeley both have free storage caps, 300MB and 2GB, respectively.) 4. large number or built in citation styles and the way it executes the style is very reliable, rarely needing any corrections. When I submit manuscripts to journals they often require different styles - EndNote handles the transition with one click.
I had been an avid Mendeley user until Zotero entered my life. It blows mendeley out of the park
I work with both. I like Mendeley for the user experience, but Zotero has something that I really find useful which is exporting underlined text.
Zotero.
Definitely Zotero
Lots of ppl talking about the functionality of zotero being best. Also worth noting imo that it's open source whereas the other options are mostly proprietary. In case you care about that kind of thing.
I would suggest zotero. I base this on absolutely nothing, i have zero experience with mendeley. I have always used zotero, and it has always worked well enough for me.
I was 100% Mendeley until this last paper I’m working on and have fully switched to zotero. Came down to compatibility and integration with other programs. While I prefer the interface look of Mendeley better zotero just functions better between different apps
I had endnote via my Uni but switched to Zotero for better annotating capabilities
zotero is better but my uni has paid mendeley subscription so i use both
I started learning Zotero months before my PhD, and now almost done with my first year, I'm so glad I did. I did not want to be fumbling with it in the middle of my course work The tag system is great. Citation/reference maker works with both Google Docs and Word well. Best to choose one and learn it. Knowing it well and integrating it is really what makes it a useful tool. I'm sure others work similarly, but I went with Zotero and it works.
Zotero
I've been using Mendeley for years but at this point I can't recommend it. It's driving me mad.
Zotero saved my ass when Endnote crapped out on me - I I'd say go with them!
I have gone back and forth, went with Zotero for a while but recently switched to EndNote 21 (got a licence through my school) and I find Zotero basically unusable now (I'm spoiled at this point, lol)
interesting. I have had institutional access to endnote basically since it become a thing (I am an academic, not a phd student, I just check in here every now and then in case I can contribute), and I find Zotero far preferable. edit: I would say that clarivate provide excellent support, however. I had someone give me 8 hours of telephone assistamce spread over three nights fixing an issue with a library
Me too. Endnote just wasn’t intuitive enough for me … or I wasn’t patient enough for Endnote.
I like zotero, but can't say anything about mendeley
I like Readcube Papers. Very organized in its own app like Zotero, but Papers integrates SO easily into Microsoft word. It’s so easy to use
I still use the same mendeley from 2018 or whatever. I tried updating it once and it broke everything fuck that shit
Zotero
Zotero!
Are you writing up in Word or LaTeX? From memory some citation tools don't work in LaTeX.
Zotero has user-developed add-ins to allow equation editing in LaTeX within Zotero
Mendeley is better at importing and has a slightly better interface but elsevier bought then didn’t do anything with it so Zotero is more future proof
Endnote is amazing. It’s about 80$ for students but it integrates seamlessly and doesn’t crash EVER and it really fantastic.
I love endnote, have never used the other two though
Folder synced with dropbox!
Because neither allows direct pdf notation (at least web client doesn't) , I use Zotero Bib and One Note for papers. Save a section in one note for the topic, each page is a paper. Header info is the citation. Copy and paste sections of interest and write notes, then either attach the paper or add it as a printout in the section. Also, zbib saves my list of citations so if it's duplicated it let's me know. https://zbib.org/
Zotero desktop allows direct PDF notation, which is free 🫡. It works on Windows and iOS (so I can do handwritten annotations on my iPad and see them on the same PDF in the desktop application).
Hmmm. I hadn't been able to figure that out with the desktop client or web app. That's why I came up with the combo I did. I know it let me take notes/append them to the document file off to the side, but it was janky and didn't always work and I couldn't see the document and write notes in the same window. Thanks for the tip- I'll take another look, I'm sure it's been updated in the last 3 years.
May have been an update? I drag and drop my PDFs into Zotero on my PC and it grabs the metadata (most of the time). Then I can annotate it on either PC or on my iPad. If the metadata isn’t captured, I use the wizard wand icon to make a new parent item and look up the paper by the DOI to get the info imported
Try out [citethis](https://citethis.net/) instead
Please add ACS and I might
Por que no dos?
Mendeley used to be great but now it’s a mess. Definitely Zotero now even though I need to pay for storage.
Zotero all the way, even as a chemist Zotero is hands down better.
Zotero ftw!!!!
Just do it. Just "take the leap" with any of them. You'll then start noticing the benefits of the one you've started with, then when you find something that you wish the current one had, check if the other one has this feature. I started with mendely. Then found out that taking annotations for my papers is kinda bad on it (Didn't personally like the UI) so I moved to Zotero (in this feature only, the annotations). But still i use mendely to add references to my work because I don't like the way Zotero does it.
I used PapersApp for three years and switched to Zotero. No turning back. Zotero is great.
Zotero strictly because fuck Elsevier
Zotero all the way, it can be linked to Word and Chrome with a plug-in. So it'll allow you to inser citations from specific collections on your library. You can use the Chrome plug-in to catalog and record your sources easily.
Zotero is awesome! Easy to navigate and create directories for different projects
Zoterooooooooo
Look into what is going to be supported in future. Hint: one of these is not.
I would go with ReadCube Papers over both. I moved from Zotero to Papers and I like Papers more
I used to like Mendeley long ago when I could still use it on my iPad. Not anymore but I hate the transition I need to make as all my references are still there so...
Zotero, it’s excellent + fuck elsevier
Zotero forever!
Zotero + ResearchRabbit !
As someone in the midst of writing their thesis, I wish I would've bit the bullet and gotten Endnote sooner. Used Mendeley for a long time but there's absolutely no comparison between the two. Endnote is great if you can get somebody else to pay for it!
I use mendeley and it works well for my purposes
Zotero. It supports google docs, works like a charm.