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Only two of the major reference managers were built for Google Docs from the start; the rest bolt support on with real caveats. This page answers the actual decision a Google-Docs-first researcher is making — not how to install any one tool, but which tool to install in the first place, and what breaks if you pick wrong.
The short answer
- Paperpile and Zotero are the two mature, well-supported Google Docs options — Paperpile natively, Zotero via its browser connector.
- EndNote works in Google Docs, but only on EndNote 21 or EndNote 2025, routed through EndNote Web rather than the desktop Cite While You Write add-in Word users get.
- Mendeley Cite has no native Google Docs integration at all — only Microsoft Word. Getting Mendeley references into a Google Doc means an unofficial third-party add-on, not anything Elsevier ships or supports.
- RefWorks now supports Google Docs through RefWorks Citation Manager (RCM), after ProQuest deactivated the older Word-only Write-N-Cite plugin in October 2025.
Citation managers vs. Google Docs, side by side
| Tool | Google Docs support | How it works | Caveat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zotero | Yes — mature | Browser connector (Chrome/Firefox) inserts citations directly into the doc | Citations are stored as links, not Word-style field codes — they can go dead if stripped |
| Paperpile | Yes — native, original feature | First-party Google Docs add-on, same account used for the Chrome extension and library | Paid subscription; free tier does not include the citation add-ons |
| EndNote | Yes — version-gated | Runs through EndNote Web, not the desktop plugin | Requires EndNote 21 or EndNote 2025; older licenses are Word/Pages-only |
| Mendeley | No official support | Mendeley Cite is Word-only; Google Docs needs an unofficial third-party add-on | Not built or supported by Elsevier |
| RefWorks | Yes — current generation | RefWorks Citation Manager (RCM), the replacement for the retired Write-N-Cite | Institution-licensed; older library guides describing Write-N-Cite are now out of date |
Zotero
Zotero’s browser connector adds citations and a bibliography straight into a Google Doc without a separate Google Docs–specific plugin download — the same connector that saves references from a publisher page or Google Scholar also inserts them into the document you’re writing. The mechanism is link-based rather than field-code-based, which is what causes the two most common failure reports: citations that go dead after a .docx download, and a collaborator without the connector installed silently breaking half a shared bibliography. The full mechanism, and how to recover from both failure modes, is covered in Using Zotero with Google Docs.
Paperpile
Google Docs support is Paperpile’s original, signature feature — the product was built around it before the newer, separately-installed Word add-in existed. Citations in Docs are stored as links tied to your library, the same underlying mechanism Zotero uses, not Word-style form fields. Paperpile is the only tool on this list that also has a genuinely native, first-party Word add-in built by the same company, which matters if a Google-Docs-first lab has to submit to a Word-only journal. That conversion path — and where a plain copy-paste between the two editors breaks it — is covered in Paperpile in Word, Google Docs, and the Browser.
EndNote
EndNote’s desktop Cite While You Write add-in — the plugin most institutional EndNote guidance assumes — does not run in Google Docs at all; it is a Word (and, on macOS, Pages) integration only. Google Docs support exists on a separate track: EndNote 21 and EndNote 2025 can cite through EndNote Web directly inside a Google Doc, using a browser-based plugin rather than the desktop add-in. If your institution’s EndNote license predates version 21, this path is unavailable regardless of any settings change. Setup order, platform differences, and the Google Docs limitation specifically are covered in Installing EndNote Cite While You Write in Word.
Mendeley
Mendeley Cite, Elsevier’s current citation add-in, works with Microsoft Word only — there is no first-party Google Docs plugin, and Elsevier does not publish one. Researchers who need Mendeley references inside a Google Doc typically rely on unofficial, community-built add-ons distributed through the Google Workspace Marketplace, which read a Mendeley library but are not built, maintained, or supported by Elsevier itself. Treat that distinction as load-bearing before standardizing a lab on Mendeley for Google-Docs-first writing: if the unofficial add-on breaks after a Mendeley API change, there is no vendor support path to fix it. The Word add-in itself is covered in Installing Mendeley Cite.
RefWorks
RefWorks’ Google Docs story changed materially in late 2025. The long-standing Word plugin, Write-N-Cite, was deactivated in October 2025 and replaced by RefWorks Citation Manager (RCM), which supports both Microsoft Word and Google Docs from the same add-on. Any library guide or workflow instructions still describing Write-N-Cite predate that change and should be treated as stale. RefWorks is institution-licensed rather than individually purchased — see RefWorks: what it is, institutional licensing, and how to migrate your library for access and setup.
JabRef and other managers
JabRef is a BibTeX-native manager built around LaTeX and BibTeX-aware editors, not word-processor add-ons — it has no Google Docs plugin, and Google Docs citation is not a workflow it targets. If your lab’s actual constraint is “everyone drafts in Google Docs,” JabRef is not the tool being evaluated in that comparison; see Zotero Alternatives for Researchers for where it does fit.
Which one to actually pick
- Solo researcher or small lab, no institutional EndNote/RefWorks license: Zotero (free) or Paperpile (paid, more polished cross-editor conversion) — both have mature, well-documented Google Docs support.
- Institutionally licensed EndNote, current version: usable in Google Docs via EndNote Web, but confirm your license is EndNote 21 or 2025 before relying on it — older versions cannot do this at all.
- Institutionally licensed RefWorks: confirm you’re on RefWorks Citation Manager, not legacy Write-N-Cite documentation, before assuming Google Docs is supported.
- Already standardized on Mendeley: either accept an unofficial, unsupported add-on for Google Docs work, or draft in Word and convert later — there is no first-party alternative today.
Common questions
Does any citation manager insert citations into Google Docs as natively as Word’s field codes?
No. Every tool with real Google Docs support (Zotero, Paperpile, current-generation EndNote and RefWorks) stores the citation as a link back to your library rather than a Word-style field code, because Google Docs has no equivalent container to write into. That is a structural difference, not a bug in any one product.
Can I just copy-paste a citation from Word into Google Docs, or the reverse?
Not reliably with any of these tools. A plain copy-paste carries the visible citation text but not the underlying link or field code, so the pasted citation stops updating. Use each tool’s own conversion path when moving a manuscript between editors.
Is Mendeley ever going to get a native Google Docs plugin?
Elsevier has not shipped one as of this writing, and Mendeley Cite’s own documentation states it works with Microsoft Word only. There is no announced timeline for a first-party Google Docs add-on.
My library still describes RefWorks’ Write-N-Cite for Google Docs — is that accurate?
No, if the guide predates October 2025. Write-N-Cite was deactivated and replaced by RefWorks Citation Manager (RCM); check with your library that current setup instructions reference RCM.
What’s the safest choice if I don’t yet know which journal I’ll submit to?
Paperpile or Zotero — both handle a later move into Word cleanly, since that conversion path is a core, documented feature rather than an afterthought.
For the fuller feature-by-feature comparison across pricing, storage, and collaboration — not just Google Docs support — see Zotero vs. EndNote vs. Mendeley vs. RefWorks vs. Paperpile. For a research group choosing and licensing a reference manager as a whole, see Citation Management Software for a Research Group. For the wider research-tools landscape, see the Research Tools pillar.
