Writing

Citation Management Tools and APA Tools

Citation management tools, also called citation management software, reference management software, or bibliographic software, allow you to store and organize your resources and citation information. For information about using these tools to collect and organize literature, see the Library. The following information pertains to citation management tools that generate references and citations, format manuscripts, and/or identify APA errors within manuscripts.

Tool	Formats reference list entries per APA 7 rules	Formats parenthetical citations per APA 7 rules	Formats tables and figures per APA 7 rules	Formats manuscripts per APA 7 rules	Indicates whether or not a manuscript contains a reference for every citation	Provides feedback on reference list entry and citation format	Includes a Microsoft Word add-in	Free or fee-based?	Uses APA 7 perfectly without any errors
Recite	No	No	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	Free	No
PERRLA	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Fee-based	No
Zotero	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	Free	No
Mendeley	Yes	Yes	No	No	No	No	Yes	Free	No

 

A citation management tool or APA tool with perfect APA formatting accuracy does not exist. A writer can potentially save time when using one or more of the tools listed above. However, in order for a writer to create a perfectly formatted APA manuscript, they must be able to identify and correct the APA errors these systems generate. The more a writer learns about APA, the easier the tools above are to use. Learn more about APA basics through the following resources: 

• APA Basics Checklist
• APA Basics Modules