Software Alternatives & Reviews

RefWorks VS Zotero

Compare RefWorks VS Zotero and see what are their differences

RefWorks logo RefWorks

RefWorks is an online research management, writing & collaboration tool that helps researchers easily gather, manage, store & share information.

Zotero logo Zotero

Zotero is a free, easy-to-use tool to help you collect, organize, cite, and share research.
  • RefWorks Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-05-08
  • Zotero Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-24

RefWorks videos

Introduction to RefWorks

More videos:

  • Review - Getting started with a systematic review in RefWorks: Part 1

Zotero videos

Zotero vs Mendeley: which one is best?

More videos:

  • Review - Using Zotero for academic writing

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to RefWorks and Zotero)
Research Tools
19 19%
81% 81
Information Organization
20 20%
80% 80
Document Management
17 17%
83% 83
Reference Management
21 21%
79% 79

User comments

Share your experience with using RefWorks and Zotero. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare RefWorks and Zotero

RefWorks Reviews

10 Best Reference Management Software for Research
RefWorks is a web-based application that allows you to create and manage your references from anywhere in the world. With RefWorks, you can easily import citations from databases, journals, and websites, and then create bibliographies in any format you need.
Citation Management Tools - Alternatives to EndNote
RefWorks is another Web-based tool that a lot of people know and love from their undergraduate programs. RefWorks features a lot of storage space for people who like to gather PDFs.

Zotero Reviews

Top 5 Free Reference Management Software for Research
Zotero is the only software that automatically senses research on the web. Need an article from JSTOR or a preprint from arXiv.org? A news story from the New York Times or a book from a library? Zotero has you covered, everywhere.
10 Best Reference Management Software for Research
Zotero is a reference management software that can be used by students and researchers of all levels. It’s a great way to keep track of your sources, as well as easily create citations and bibliographies. Here are some of the ways Zotero can be especially helpful for Ph.D. students:
Citation Management Tools - Alternatives to EndNote
Mendeley is a free Web-based tool similar to Zotero, but it sets itself apart with a robust PDF annotating tool. Because Mendeley doesn't work within Google Docs, you would have to create a bibliography and copy it over to the document. Thus, Mendeley might be a great fit for those who use citation managers for personal projects but not for those participating in a lot of...

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Zotero seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 17 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

RefWorks mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of RefWorks yet. Tracking of RefWorks recommendations started around Mar 2021.

Zotero mentions (17)

  • Newbie help setting up Zotero using existing materials
    If the second, then you need to create a zotero group library. This can only be done at zotero.org but syncs with your client. Source: 10 months ago
  • Problems with syncing
    When I check the API settings on zotero.org, I only see my desktop actually connecting,. Source: 11 months ago
  • Emacs, a maximalist approach to social media addiction
    An approach of digital maximalism should also let you organise incoming and outgoing information (on software that you run and control). This is what [Emacs](https://emacs.org) is doing. If you're missing _e.g._ the adrenaline of social media, Emacs can help for that by letting you insert academic references into lengthy, inflammatory, but informed, nuanced, and articulated Org-mode documents. It's actually much... Source: 12 months ago
  • Best resources for chiropractic research?
    If you’re interested in actually downloading, reading, and collecting research papers, I highly recommend Zotero. Source: about 1 year ago
  • Zotero on Chromebook
    Has anyone managed to make Zotero work on their Chromebook? I have a Lenovo Chromebook and I've not been able to make it work. I can't access any of the PDF attachments on zotero.org or install the programme. I would appreciate any suggestions you may have. Source: over 1 year ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing RefWorks and Zotero, you can also consider the following products

Mendeley - Easily organize your papers, read & annotate your PDFs, collaborate in private or open groups, and securely access your research from everywhere.

JabRef - Graphical Java application for managing bibtex (. bib) databases.‎JabRef · ‎JabRef Help · ‎JabRef | Blog · ‎OpenOffice/LibreOffice .

Qiqqa - Qiqqa is a free research and reference management software. It can be used in many organizational projects from the academic to the personal to the business endeavor. Read more about Qiqqa.

Citavi - Citavi is a program for Microsoft Windows that manages literary references and organizes organizational knowledge.

Docear - Docear

EndNote - Accelerate Your Research. Save time, stay organized, collaborate with colleagues and get published with EndNote 20.