Zotero: Comparison of RefWorks to Zotero
RefWorks vs. Zotero
Factor |
RefWorks |
Zotero |
Advantage |
Cost |
Free to NC State University community |
Free to everyone |
Tie for NC State University community |
Browser independence |
Works with any browser |
Firefox browser required (for now) |
Tie for Firefox users, RefWorks for others |
Ability to access citations from any computer |
Saved citations available from any computer via NC State University Libraries site |
Latest version has a sync function, so your citations are available from any computer |
Tie. Maybe a slight advantage to RefWorks because Zotero syncing is sometimes slow. |
Basic citation capturing |
Requires exporting and importing, sometimes in two separate steps, new windows |
Works within browser on same page, maybe some manipulation and organization |
Unclear. Zotero is often a little quicker, but probably not enough to sway experienced RefWorks users. Speed also depends on the citation source. |
Capturing websites |
Yes, with RefGrab-It extension |
Yes, by default |
Zotero does this easily, without any additional installation. But both work. |
Breadth of compatible databases |
No advantage for either, but this is difficult to evaluate, and may depend on the databases you use regularly. Both have extensive lists of sites and databases they work with (RefWorks | Zotero). Both cover all major databases. RefWorks' list is longer, but Zotero could be considered more robust since it isn't necessarily limited to what's on its compatibility list. As long as information looks like a citation, Zotero can grab it. On the other hand, RefWorks can also handle some non-standard citations with a little formatting effort by the user. And you can edit citations with either. |
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Annotations |
Yes, but clunky |
Yes, easy with snapshots, tags |
Zotero |
Folder management |
Works, clunky |
Less clunky, allows for subfolders |
Neither is great. But Zotero wins. |
Revisiting articles |
Yes, through . Also have the option of attaching a file to references. |
Yes, by attaching a file, a link, or |
Tie |
Revisiting books |
Provides link via |
Yes, saves NC State University Libraries catalog record |
Zotero is a sometimes smoother. |
Bibliography creation |
Yes, huge style repository. |
Yes |
RefWorks (more options and styles available) |
Integration with Word |
Yes, through Write-N-Cite |
Yes |
Tie |
Sharing citations |
Yes: create read-only logins or a shared account. You can also easily export your citations and send to others for importing. |
Yes: through Groups. You can also easily export your citations and send to others for importing. |
Tie |
Stability |
Citations are secure and stable, since they are saved on the RefWorks server. |
Possible more volatile, since citations are saved on your own computer. But there are syncing options to save online, and you can backup your library. |
RefWorks by default, but Zotero has options to ensure you won't lose your work. |