Literature Management

Academic work requires the targeted use of literature. In our courses, we show how to efficiently collect, manage and correctly cite literature using reference management software. The aim is to provide support in writing papers and to improve the quality of academic texts.

Reference management software is software that supports students, researchers and teachers in collecting, editing and managing literature sources. It is important to familiarise oneself with the possibilities of a reference management programme early on so that you can make the best use of this tool during your studies and for your final thesis.

Please note that all courses are in German.

Literature management with Citavi

Citavi is a very popular reference management programme that offers a wide range of support for academic research, work and writing processes.

A campus-wide licence for Citavi 7 is available free of charge to all students and members of Kiel University via the University Computing Centre (Rechenzentrum). To use Citavi, you need to register once with your university email address. Installation instructions can be found in this video tutorial (in German).

Since Citavi unfortunately only runs on a Mac (Apple) with a so-called virtualisation solution, the paid software EndNote or the free software Zotero can be alternatives. Further information about Citavi can be found on the website of the University Computing Centre (Rechenzentrum) zu finden.

This workshop explains the basics of Citavi software and the many ways it can offer support in academic research, work, and writing processes.

Recommendes for: All students, lecturers, researchers and doctoral candidates
Length: About 90 minutes
Location: Online, via Zoom. The login details will be sent by email after registration on the morning of the event.
Dates and registration
Lecturer: Oliver Weiner and Thorsten Wetzenstein

Literature mangement with Zotero

Zotero is a free reference management program that can be installed on any platform, including Microsoft Windows, macOS, or Linux. This makes Zotero an alternative to Citavi or EndNote.

With Zotero, bibliographic information on scientific literature can be collected online via Connector or offline and managed in literature lists. Zotero offers a folder structure, citation management, cloud storage for teams, and a wide range of citation styles.
Citations are inserted using the word processing programs Word or LibreOffice via a plug-in that is included in the overall installation.

In the course “Literature management with Zotero,” we demonstrate:

  • Download and installation
  • Importing literature citations from bibliographic databases
    • Zotero connector
    • Via database search and file import
    • Identifier (ISBN, ISSN, DOI)
  • Managing literature collection and citations
    • Zotero functions
    • Creating a folder structure
    • Creating quotes
    • Integrating plug-ins & KI-Tools
  • Citing with Zotero (Word)
    • Zotero plug-in
    • Choice of citation style
    • Inserting quotations


Recommendes for: All students, lecturers, researchers and doctoral candidates
Length: About 90 minutes
Location: Online, via Zoom. The login details will be sent by email after registration on the morning of the event.
Dates and registration
Lecturer: Oliver Weiner

Zotero Advanced: Advanced features, tips & tricks

The advanced course Zotero Advanced is aimed at people who already work with Zotero or have taken the introductory course at the University Library. It teaches advanced functions, tips, and tricks for using the reference management program even more efficiently for collecting literature and academic work.

Course contents:

  • Group function
  • Using tags efficiently
  • Findinf and installing plug-ins
  • Examples: Translate, Cite, KI-PlugIn A.R.I.A.


Recommended for: Students, lecturers, researchers and doctoral candidates with basic knowledge in Zotero

Length: About 60 minutes
Location: Online, via Zoom. The login details will be sent by email after registration on the morning of the event.
Dates and registration
Lecturer: Oliver Weiner

Literature management with EndNote

EndNote is a powerful reference management program with a focus on scientific subjects in the life sciences. In addition to the desktop version, a license also includes access to EndNote Web. EndNote supports the creation of scientific texts with its interfaces to the most common online information systems (catalogues, databases), the collection of literature sources, the management of bibliographic information and the implementation of citation styles.

The University Library offers regular training courses on EndNote and support with questions about using the software. This workshop explains the basics of EndNote and the many ways it can support the academic research, work, and writing process.

Recommended for: Students of natural sciences, teachers, scientists, and doctoral candidates
Length: About 90 minutes
Location: Online, via Zoom. The login details will be sent by email after registration on the morning of the event.
Dates and registration
Lecturer: Oliver Weiner