With special software for reference management, you can collect the results of your literature research, organize your knowledge, and keep track of the literature you have read. With little effort, you can insert citation information into your work and automatically create your bibliography in a citation style of your choice.
The University Library supports you in your academic working with three widely used reference management programs: Citavi, EndNote, and Zotero.
Overview of reference management software features:
Which reference management program best suits your needs depends on various factors, such as technical requirements, desired features, prevalence in your field, and personal preferences.
For a quick start, use the short introduction to Citavi7. Detailed descriptions of the functions can be found in the Citavi7 manual for your EndNote version.
If you have general questions about using EndNote and the campus license, please contact literaturverwaltung@ub.uni-muenchen.de
If you have technical questions or installation problems, it is best to contact Citavi Support directly.
Download link for Citavi for Windows
Please note the technical requirements for using Citavi and close Word and all other Office programs before installation.
Do you work with a Mac?
Then find out about the possibility of using Citavi Web. Please note that Citavi Web lacks some of the features available in Citavi for Windows (desktop).
Members of LMU can use Citavi free of charge.
To do so, create a Citavi account with your LMU email address:http://www.citavi.com/lmu
If you already have a Citavi account, log in to your Citavi account and retrieve the LMU campus license via "Licenses>New License>Campus License" using your LMU email address (@lmu.de or @campus.lmu.de).
Open Citavi on your desktop and enter your Citavi account login details. Citavi for Windows is now available for you to use.
When you leave LMU, your authorization to use Citavi via the campus license will also expire.
Citavi has been part of the US company Lumivero (formerly QSR International) since 2021. According to its own statement, the data from Citavi accounts and the cloud projects of European customers will continue to be stored in Europe (source, in German). However, there is a possibility that personal data may still be transferred to the US.
Under EU data protection law, the US is not considered a safe third country. US authorities can access data stored there without those affected being able to take legal action against it. Processing and evaluation for surveillance purposes cannot be ruled out.
The University Library has no influence on these processing activities.
Lumivero privacy policy
Further information on data protection can be found in the current Citavi manual.
Citavi offers numerous citation styles. You can search for citation styles based on specific characteristics, customize existing citation styles according to your preferences, or create completely new ones. Details can be found in the Citavi manual: Using citation styles.
The University Library does not provide citation styles adapted to individual faculties.
Citavi Web allows you to work in a browser without installing anything on your desktop. Please note that Citavi Web lacks some of the features available in Citavi for Windows (desktop).
Use the Quick Reference Guide to get started quickly. Detailed descriptions of the functions can be found in the Help Guide (Windows / Mac) for your version of EndNote.
If you have general questions about using EndNote and the campus license, please contact literaturverwaltung@ub.uni-muenchen.de.
For technical questions or installation problems, it is best to contact EndNote Support directly.
Download link for EndNote 21 for Windows and EndNote 21 for Apple OS X (Mac)
Please note the technical requirements (Windows / macOS) for using EndNote and close Word and all other Office programs before installation.
Downloadlink for EndNote 25 for Windows and EndNote 25 for Apple OS X (Mac)
The installation file can only be downloaded after authentication via your e-media login. This activates the campus license. You do not need to enter a personalized license key.
EndNote is owned by the US company Clarivate. When using EndNote and EndNote Online/Web, personal data may be transferred to the US. Under EU data protection law, the US is not considered a safe third country. US authorities can access data stored there without those affected being able to take legal action against it. Processing and evaluation for surveillance purposes cannot be ruled out.
The University Library has no influence on these processing activities.
EndNote offers numerous citation styles, known as output styles. You can search for citation styles based on specific characteristics, download, and install them in EndNote.
In addition, existing citation styles can be customized according to your preferences or completely recreated. Details can be found in the "Output Styles" chapter of the Help Guide for your version of EndNote.
The University Library does not provide citation styles adapted to individual faculties.
EndNote Web and EndNote Online can be used in a browser without installing anything on your desktop. See also: Comparison of EndNote Web and EndNote Online
The app allows you to use EndNote on iOS devices. An EndNote Online account is required for this. It is not yet possible to cite in Word or another text editor using the app (as of November 2025).
Use the Quick Start Guide to get started quickly. Detailed descriptions of the functions can be found in the Zotero documentation.
If you have general questions about using Zotero, please contact: literaturverwaltung@ub.uni-muenchen.de.
For technical questions or installation problems, please refer to the troubleshooting pages in the documentation or contact the Zotero developers in the forum.
Download link for Zotero for Windows, Mac, and Linux
Please note the technical requirements for using Zotero and close Word and all other Office programs before installation.
The browser extension Zotero Connector (download) can also be installed in Chrome, Edge, and Firefox to save references and PDF documents directly from the browser to Zotero. On Mac devices, the extension is automatically installed with the desktop application, but must be enabled in Safari (details).
A Zotero account is not absolutely necessary if you only want to work locally. To use and synchronize Zotero on different devices, you need a free Zotero account (terms of use, information on data protection).
The account can be created with any e-mail address.
Zotero is a US non-profit organization and does not sell user data.
Zotero is a product of the US non-profit organization Digital Scholar and, according to its own statement, does not sell user data (source).
Your usage behavior influences data processing: If you work with local storage, this is not a concern in terms of data protection, as the data remains on your computer. If you use the web version and your Zotero account (e.g., for data synchronization), personal data may be transferred to the USA.
Under EU data protection law, the USA is not considered a safe third country. US authorities can access data stored there without those affected being able to take legal action against it. Processing and evaluation for surveillance purposes cannot be ruled out.
The University Library has no influence on these processing activities.
To synchronize file attachments across multiple devices, the LRZ CloudStorage service can be integrated via WebDAV. Data security is guaranteed by the LRZ's multi-level security procedures. LMU members have 400 GB of personal storage space available free of charge (source, as of November 2025).
A Zotero account is required for WebDAV integration in Zotero.
To integrate the CloudStorage service, open the settings in Zotero and select the "Sync" section. If necessary, log in with your Zotero account. Under "File Synchronization," check the box next to "Synchronize file attachments in My Library with" and select "WebDAV" from the drop-down menu.
Enter the following data:
URL: webdisk.ads.mwn.de/hcwebdav/Home
Username: ADS\personal LRZ ID, e.g.: ADS\lm25ub
Password: Password for your LRZ/LMU ID
Zotero has several common citation styles integrated as standard. Over 10,000 citation styles can be found and reused via the Zotero Style Repository.
If you have very specific citation requirements and want to customize a style yourself, you can search directly in the Citation Style Editor.
The "Search by example" function can be used to find citation styles that are as close as possible to your requirements.
Step-by-step instructions from the Technical University of Hamburg (in German)
Once you have found a citation style, you can customize it in the "Visual Editor".
Instructions for editing citation styles in the Zotero documentation
Video tutorial from the Mannheim University Library (in German)
(To activate the e-tutorial, you must click on the link. Please note that after activation, you will leave the LMU University Library website and data may be transmitted to YouTube or other providers. Use of this service is outside the scope of responsibility of the LMU University Library or the institution. For more information, please refer to the LMU privacy policy.)
With the Zotero Weblibrary, you can work browser-based and without desktop installation.
Zotero can be used on iOS and Android devices with the app. Many functions are available in one way or another, including some additional functions such as scanning barcodes for automatic import of ISBNs. Citing in Word or other text editors is not yet possible with the app (as of November 2025).
Quick guide from Hamburg Open Online University (in German)
Do you have any questions?
Find out about our range of courses or contact us by e-mail: literaturverwaltung@ub.uni-muenchen.de