Senior Thesis 2024-25

Zotero is a free, easy-to-use software that can help you collect, manage and cite your research sources. It functions as a stand-alone desktop application that can be used with Firefox, Chrome, Edge, or Safari. (Be aware that there is ongoing work on Safari support because there have been some bugs in Mac support for browser extensions -- you may find it easier to use Chrome or Firefox with Zotero.) Zotero has a group function online that enables multiple users to share citations. Install Zotero by visiting zotero.org.

Zotero documentation includes information on installation and a helpful Quick Start Guide, as well as a FAQ.

Zotero has a number of screencast guides that explain the basics of using the software. 

To get started, you need to download Zotero standalone, which can be used with Firefox, Chrome, Edge, or Safari (there are currently some bugs with Safari however). You also need to download the Zotero Connector for the browser you use. This lets the browser communicate with your Zotero database. Before you start collecting citations, open the Zotero standalone application. It will appear in a separate window and will enable you to send citations from Chrome or Safari to your Zotero library.

EndNote and Zotero have similar capabilities for capturing reference information and formatting citations in Word documents. Zotero is somewhat less complicated and is easier to install and use. However, EndNote may make more sense for you to use if, for example, you are a science major who frequently uses Web of Science to search for articles (because EndNote is integrated into that interface). Whitman has a site license for EndNote, so although the software is not free, you can get a copy to use for free while you are a student at Whitman.

Whitman currently supports both EndNote 8 and EndNote 9. However, Clarivate has newer versions, EndNote 20 and EndNote 21. It isn't clear when support for EndNote 8 will be ended, but if you are just getting started, use the more recent version. (EndNote 8 and later versions are not backwards compatible with EndNote7. There can be compatibility issues with Word integrations if you move in between older and more recent versions of EndNote.)