Reference management

A reference management program is a program with functions that facilitate the organisation of scientific literature and the creation of your own texts. The basic functions include the storage of references, abstracts and full texts. This data can often be taken directly from websites or other databases. The reference management program supports the organisation of bibliographic references, e.g. through search functions, the possibility of creating personal notes or the creation of bibliographies. Another basic function is the provision of different citation styles, which can be customised to suit individual requirements. Many programmes also offer options for collaborating with other authors.

S(kim) offers you the Citavi administration programme as part of a licence agreement. With the campus licence, you can not only work on your own reference management projects, but also have the option of working on a project in a team.

In addition to Citavi, you can also use other free reference management programmes such as Zotero or Mendeley. There is no clear answer as to which software is the right one for you, but there are many comparisons of common software products on the Internet, e.g. comparison of reference management software (Softwarevergleich Literaturverwaltung)

Perhaps another decision criterion for a reference management programme is usability via mobile devices such as smartphones and/or tablets.

• The native app for Mendeley
  Available for: Android & IOS
  URL: https://www.mendeley.com/
• The Papership app supports the Zotero and Mendeley software
  Available for: Android & IOS
  URL: http://www.papershipapp.com/
• The Zotpad app is part of Zotero
  Available for: IOS
  URL: http://www.zotpad.com/

Some users have experienced login problems with Citavi.
If you are not currently affected by the login problem and you are working with Citavi in a cloud project, it makes sense to create local backup copies. If you are using the desktop version of Citavi, you can select the option "Stay logged in on this computer" to avoid login problems.

Version 7 of the reference management programme Citavi has been available since the end of 2024. Important changes in Citavi 7 include the integration of an AI assistant, new export functions and a new interface design. The new version still has some imperfections, which are expected to be fixed with updates and patches. As there is no German-language documentation for Citavi 7 yet, we do not recommend updating at this time and continue to recommend working with the stable version Citavi 6.19.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

Download: On the following website https://www.citavi.com/en/download you can download Citavi for the MS Windows operating system.

Install and start: After downloading, start the installation by double-clicking on Citavi6Setup.exe and follow the installation dialogue.

Additional program Citavi Picker: (for Firefox, Edge, Google Chrome, Adobe Reader and Adobe Acrobat) is installed automatically. You can use the Picker to quickly transfer information from Internet and PDF documents.

Tip: Citavi settings file (Einstellungsdatei)  (to be imported into Citavi). It contains certain default settings that make it easier for you to search for locations (with regard to our library's holdings) and conduct searches.

Range of functions: The number of tracks you can save per project depends on whether you are using the free version or have activated it with a licence. In the free version, a maximum of 100 tracks can be saved per project, with a licence up to 100,000 tracks.

Request a licence: You can obtain your licence via https://www.citavi.com/en/sitelicenses When you obtain your licence, you automatically open a personal Citavi Account. Your Citavi account is like a safe deposit box for your licence data and your cloud projects.

Log in: Citavi takes the licence information from your Citavi account. Start Citavi and enter your Citavi account login details in the login form. You can also access the login symbol at any time later in the start window.

Renewal of the campus licence: The campus licence has been extended until 28.02.2027. If you already have a Citavi account, you will have received an email asking you to activate your new licence. Please follow the instructions in the email and confirm that you are still a member of the university. Proof of university membership must be provided with a valid university e-mail address.

Create a new project: Click New project  in the start window and choose a local project or a cloud project.
Citavi saves your local projects in the Documents\Citavi 6\Projects directory, unless you choose otherwise. Cloud projects use the Microsoft infrastructure on a server in Germany. You can change the storage location at any time: from your computer to the cloud and vice versa.

Save data: Citavi saves all entries automatically. You don't need to press the Save button. If you are using local projects, Citavi helps you back up your data: Whenever you close Citavi, Citavi creates backup copies of the most recently changed local projects in the Documents\Citavi 6\Backup folder. To change the number and folder for the backup copies go to:  Tools > Options > Storage locations (Extras > Optionen > Speicherorte). If you need to access a backup copy, double-click on the file. Back up the entire Documents\Citavi 6 folder regularly to an external data carrier. All cloud data is backed up automatically. However, if you want to back up different work statuses, create an archive copy with File > This project (Datei > Dieses Projekt).

In addition to the Windows-based version Citavi 6, all users can now use Citavi Web as a trial version. This means that students who work with other operating systems can now also use Citavi as a reference management programme.

To register for Citavi Web

Working in the cloud: Citavi 6 includes many new features that support working on multiple computers and in teams.

Save online: Save your projects in the Citavi Cloud. Edit your project on all computers on which Citavi is installed. You can even work on your cloud project when you're not connected to the internet. Your changes will be updated automatically as soon as you are connected again.

Work in a team: Invite as many colleagues as you like. You define who in the team has read-only access to the shared data and who has the right to add or edit data.

Use chat: In cloud projects, you can see who is currently working on the project and contact them via chat.

Find terms faster: Every PDF file in a cloud project is automatically indexed. This means you can search not only your Citavi project at lightning speed, but also all PDF files linked to it.

Input and navigate: Citavi consists of three programme parts: Reference management (literature), knowledge organisation (knowledge) and task planning (tasks). Citavi offers 35 input masks for adding your documents.

Select input mask: Click on Title and select the appropriate document type from the list.

Tip: The display of the titles in the finished bibliography depends on the reference type.
Click on all the types you are interested in and read the descriptions on the right. Use drag & drop to arrange your favourites in the first column.

Enter information: The help texts support you when entering data on the tabs. Some fields have a blue field name. In general, anything that is blue can be clicked in Citavi! For example, if you click on Author, you will see a form for entering complicated names. Simple names - even multiple names - can be added directly (note the semicolon): Miller, Peter M.; Smith, Jane
Summaries (abstracts), tables of contents and ratings can be input on the contents tab.

ISBN download: If you are connected to the internet, quickly pick up books with an ISBN number. Click "ISBN, DOI, other ID" enter the ISBN and click "Apply". Citavi will download the references. This also works if titles have a DOI address, PubMed, PMC or arXiv ID.

Special feature: Contributions from collected editions: First enter the collected edition (or the conference proceedings etc.) and click on "Add contribution" (for the collected edition).

Navigate: Click on the blue arrows to switch to the next (or previous) title or on the history clock for further navigation options. Click on Recent changes to see the latest progress in the project - also filtered by editor.

Table view: To see an overview of all titles, click on Table in the toolbar.

Add a catalogue: Search over 4600 library catalogs, bibliographic databases and more right from within Citavi. Are you connected to the Internet? Then click on Online search and then on Add database/catalogue. Enter a search term in the Name field, e.g. "Berlin" for catalogues from Berlin. Select the desired catalogue in the list and click on Add.

Run a search: Select the catalogues you want to search by clicking on the box in front of the name. You can also send your search query to several catalogues at the same time. Enter your search terms. If you enter more than one term, the terms are automatically linked with AND; you will therefore receive fewer but more precise results. Pay attention to the help texts for the catalogues. You will find tips on searching there.

Add search results: Citavi displays the results in a list. If you are not satisfied with the results, repeat the search with other terms. Save all or selected results in your project. To do this, click "Add to project".

Cancel selection: The titles you have just accepted are displayed as a selection (= subset of all existing titles in the project). Take your time to check the new titles and assign the first tasks. To see all titles in the project again, click on Cancel selection in the status bar at the bottom left.
After transferring titles using Search, Picker and the ISBN, DOI, other ID function, you should check all transferred information against the original literature.

Check reference type: The form of the title in the bibliography is controlled by the citation style via the assigned reference type. After all transfers, check whether the reference type has been assigned correctly. Click on the blue label to change it.

Correct names: In some databases, names are in capital letters or in the wrong order. To correct this, right-click on the name and select Edit person/institution.

Use the picker: The pickers are free additional programmes for Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge and Adobe Acrobat and Acrobat Reader. Use them to transfer web pages and PDF documents to your project.

Add a web page: Citavi must be running. If you want to add a webpage to your project, right-click in the browser to open the context menu. Select Add a web page as a title. Citavi creates a new reference of the type "Internet document" in the currently open project and copies the metadata from the webpage. If necessary, make any corrections by hand.

Save a PDF copy: Web pages go offline quickly, so save them as a PDF copy right away. To do this, open the webpage in the Citavi preview and click Save as PDF.

Add a PDF document: For PDF documents, use the PDF Picker to save the file. Citavi creates a new reference of the type "Journal article", copies the metadata from the PDF and enters a link to the PDF file in the Local file field.

Annotate documents and extract citations: Read web pages, eBooks and PDF documents directly in the preview in Citavi. PDF documents can be extensively annotated, so save webpages and eBooks with the Save as PDF function. Extract text citations and graphics. Record the page number if it is not already recognised automatically. Note down tasks for individual passages, e.g. "Check" or "Discuss". These annotations in the PDF document can be accessed from Citavi and the Word Add-In with a single click. You can find detailed instructions at www.citavi.com/pdf-guide.

Remove line breaks from copies of text: Copies of text from PDF documents often contain "hard" line breaks. To get a continuous text, double-click the citation (or abstract, etc.) in Citavi and press Ctrl+Shift+Space.

Planning tasks: “photocopy”, “verify bibliographic information”, and “read” are just a few of the tasks you can assign to a reference.

Assign a task: In the reference editor, on the tasks & locations tab, click task. In cloud projects, tasks can also be delegated to other project members.

Print a task list: To get an overview of all your tasks, in the task planner, click task list. A printable task list is created

Tip: In the task planner, you can also create project tasks, which do not apply to a specific reference. This is good for major deadlines, deliverable dates, etc.

Creating an outline: It’s easy to create an outline for a paper with Citavi’s categories. Assign categories to quotations and thoughts you have collected to better structure your paper. This is very helpful later on while writing.

Creating a category system: In the knowledge organizer, click new category or new subcategory. Name the category, and continue adding new categories and subcategories to match the structure of your paper.

Assigning categories: You can assign one or more categories to every reference, quotation, and thought. This lets you view only the items relevant to a particular section later on when you are writing your paper. Assign categories to references in the Reference Editor on the Context tab. To assign categories to a quotation or thought, double-click it and then enter the categories in the corresponding field.

Modifying categories: It’s normal to need to revise and change your outline as you progress. Select a category and use the controls to move it to its new place in the system. (Alternatively, drag a category to move it.)
The changes automatically apply to all items in your project assigned to the category

Organizing knowledge: Save as many knowledge items - text and image quotations, thoughts, and comments - in Citavi as you want. The Knowledge Organizer helps you manage your collected knowledge

Add text quotations: You can save quotations from the preview as described in section picker. Of course, you can also add quotations manually if you don’t have a source as a file on your computer. On the quotation, comments tab, click new and then select the quotation type: Direct quotation for a verbatim quotation, copied word-for-word; Indirect quotation for the author’s thoughts in your own words; Summary for a heavily condensed version in your own words; Image or
file quotation for images and audiovisual media; Comment for your opinions and notes about a statement by the author. Be sure to enter the page range. Click core statement to enter a concise rewording of the main idea of the quotation.

Add image quotations: Image and file quotations work the same way as text quotations. Enter a description and caption. Insert the image quotation into your document, and the caption will appear underneath it.

Add a thought: You’ll find the light bulb symbol everywhere in Citavi. Use it to jot down thoughts at any time. If you have handwritten notes, scan them or photograph them, and then save them as an image thought.

Create associations and thoughts: Assign categories (see section categories), keywords, and groups to your knowledge items. Use categories for the sections in your paper and keywords for creating associations based on content. Groups can be used to organize knowledge items in a way unrelated to their content.

Get an overview: Switch to the knowledge section. n the category tree, click a category to see the knowledge items that are assigned to it. You can compare what different authors have said by selecting multiple quotations and looking at the content of the quotations in the Preview.

Sort associations and thoughts: You can arrange knowledge items in a logical order to structure the flow of ideas in your planned paper and make it easier to write. Select a knowledge item and use the arrows to move it up or down

Tip: When you have a lot of knowledge items, you can use Sub-headings to subdivide a category.

Writing with Word: With Citavi’s Add-In for Word you can enter references and quotations into your document
formatted exactly as your citation style prescribes. The bibliography is updated to match.
Are you working with a TeX editor? Please see our user manual

Assign a document: Create a new document in Word. In the section Tasks click Citavi. Select a project to assign to the document.

Select a citation style: On the Citavi ribbon, click the Citation style dropdown menu. Click Add citation style. You can search for styles by name or citation system.
It’s important to decide whether you want to use a footnote style or an in-text citation style before you start writing. Although you can use Convert > Change citation system to switch style types later on, this is an imperfect workaround, since any manually entered information in the footnotes will not be moved.

Grouped bibliographies: The Group bibliography feature allows you to list the references in your bibliography in sub-
sections. You can download the grouping definitions directly from our server or create them yourself.

Write with Citavi: If you categorized quotations and thoughts in your Citavi project, there are two main ways you
can use them in your publication:

• Add your outline, then add the best items: Right-click a category and choose insert categories and knowledge items. Then, uncheck the box next to Include knowledge items. All categorized quotations and thoughts will then appear on the chapters tab and can be easily inserted into your document.
• Add everything at once, then revise: Insert all categories, quotations, and thoughts into your document at once, and then delete or revise items as necessary

Insert references: On the Rrferences or chapters tab, select the reference you want to insert. Either click insert or double-click the reference.

Insert quotations or thoughts: On the Knowledge or Chapters tab, select the quotation or thought you want to insert. Either click Insert or double-click the item.

Change formatting: For in-text citation styles using the author year format, you can easily change the formatting
of the citation. Options include (Doe 2013), Doe (2013), Doe 2013, only Doe or only 2013. To choose an alternate form, select the reference and click Insert advanced. Alternatively, you can right-click an already inserted reference. On the shortcut menu, select the format you want to use.

Enter page numbers: if you insert quotations from your project, Citavi will insert the page numbers automatically. Alternatively, you can insert a reference and then add the page numbers. On the References tab, select a reference. Either start typing the page number or click Insert advanced and enter the page numbers in the Page range field.
Important: Do not add prefixes or suffixes such as pp. 12-14. Your citation style will do this for you.

Multiple citations: Insert the first reference into your document. Then, place the insertion point in the reference you just inserted. Insert additional references. Depending on the citation style, you will end up with a citation that looks like (Doe 2013, Miller 2013, and Smith 2010) or [14-16]. Click the multiple citation in the text. On the Citations tab near the bottom of the pane you can delete unwanted references by clicking the or change the order of citations with the arrows.
Careful: Some citation styles may require multiple citations to be sorted in a specific way. If you are
using one of these styles, you will not be able to change the order of the references in a
multiple citation.

Create bibliographies: Sometimes you only need a bibliography

Print or save bibliography: On the file menu, point to print or save project bibliography and then select print in current citation style. This will generate a list of the references presently displayed in the current citation style.

Select references: f you want a list of all the references in your project, continue to the next step. If you only want a small number of references to appear in the bibliography, select them using the Ctrl key. Then, right-click one of the references and select Apply as selection. You can use the filter or search features to create a larger selection.

Change sort order: By default Citavi sorts all references alphabetically and then by year. Change the sort order by clicking above the list of references, and then setting the desired sort order.

Change citation style : On the Citation menu, click Citation style, and then click browse citation styles. After that click find and add style.

Choose options: The grouping you select in the project is also applied to the list. If no grouping is defined, you can group the list according to your own criteria using the Grouped bibliography option. Would you like to include citations, abstracts, ratings, etc.? Select with additional information.

Help:

Download: www.citavi.com/download
Account: citaviweb.citavi.com/account
Manual: www.citavi.com/sub/manual6/en/index.html
Support: https://www.citavi.com/en/support/overview