The Citavi campus licence expires on 31 December 2025.
As of this date, the ASH Berlin library will no longer offer Citavi training courses and will not renew access to the Citavi licence. Instead, we recommend the use of Zotero, a free open source software for literature management.
What does that mean for you?
- If you use Citavi, you should back up your data in good time and switch to Zotero or another reference management programme.
- All important information on data transmission and the new training programmes can be found on this page.
Switch from Citavi to Zotero
Citavi will no longer be supported from 1 January 2026. We therefore recommend that all users transfer their Citavi data to Zotero in good time. Zotero is free, easy to use and works on all common operating systems. It also offers the option of editing and synchronising your data from different devices and the use of a web version. Zotero provides 300 MB of online storage space for this purpose. If more storage space is required, this can be purchased at Zotero.org.
Step-by-step guide to switching:
Download and install Zotero:
Visit Zotero.org and download the latest version of Zotero for one of the common operating systems. Follow the installation instructions. If you want to synchronise your Zotero library between different devices, you must create a free Zotero account (information on data protection). If you only want to work locally, a Zotero account is not necessarily required.You should also install the Zotero Connector, a browser extension that allows you to save literature data and PDF documents directly from the browser in Zotero.
Back up data from Citavi:
Speichern Sie zunächst Ihre Citavi-Projekte, um sie anschließend exportieren bzw. in Zotero importieren zu können. Beachten Sie, dass Cloud-Projekte zuerst in lokale Projekte umgewandelt werden müssen. Eine detaillierte Beschreibung zur Speicherung Ihrer Citavi-Projekte finden Sie in derFirst save your Citavi projects so that you can then export them or import them into Zotero. Please note that cloud projects must first be converted to local projects. You can find a detailed description of how to save your Citavi projects in the ‘Instructions for migrating Citavi projects to Zotero’ (currently only in german).
- Import data to Zotero:
Use the ‘Instructions for migrating Citavi projects to Zotero’ (currently only in german) to import your saved Citavi data.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
A reference management programme helps you to keep track of the sources you use for a term paper, thesis, project or similar, to create references in a separate text document and to generate bibliographies in different styles. Zotero offers all these functions and is the recommended alternative to Citavi.
Due to changes in the provider's terms and conditions, the ASH Berlin library will no longer be renewing the licence for the Citavi reference management system from next year. With this decision, we are following the example of many other universities that have also decided not to renew their licences.
After your Citavi licence expires, you will no longer have access to Citavi Cloud projects (regardless of whether they were created using Citavi Desktop or Citavi Web). Cloud projects must therefore be saved as local projects in advance so that they can be exported to Zotero. Local projects can also be exported to Zotero after the licence has expired. So remember to back up your Citavi data in good time. Detailed instructions on saving cloud projects as local projects and exporting Citavi data to Zotero can be found here.
The following data is transferred:
- Literature sources with all bibliographical details
- Quotes and comments as notes
- Tasks (without reference to titles or projects)
- PDF documents incl. markings
- Keywords for titles
- Categories and groups for titles
Some of the data in Zotero is converted into other elements. We explain more about this in the ‘Instructions for migrating Citavi projects to Zotero’ (currently still in German) and our webinars.
The following data will not be transferred:
- Categories and keywords for knowledge items
- Assignment of sources to knowledge elements
- Pictures
- Citavi's own references to other literature sources
We explain more about this in the ‘Instructions for migrating Citavi projects to Zotero’ (currently still in German) and our webinars.
If you want to continue using Citavi, you can purchase a private licence for Citavi after the licence expires. You can find more information on the Citavi website.
Yes, there are other reference management programmes such as Mendeley and EndNote. However, these are not offered directly by ASH Berlin and there are no specific training courses for these programmes. A very good overview of the various reference management programmes and a comparison of their functionalities can be found in the ‘Reference Management Software Comparison’ published by the University Library of the Technical University of Munich.
Training courses for the changeover (in German)
From the summer semester 2025, we will be offering various training courses and webinars to make the switch from Citavi to Zotero easier. Here you will learn everything you need to know about installing and using Zotero and transferring your Citavi data. We also offer open training courses to introduce you to Zotero.
Offers in detail:
- Webinars on the introduction to Zotero for Citavi users
Learn how to successfully transfer your Citavi data and get to know the basic functions of Zotero. - Open online training for the introduction to Zotero
Get a comprehensive introduction to Zotero. You will then be able to find your way around the interface, import literature, work with PDFs, organise literature, insert citations in text programs and work in groups. - Online consultation hours
- During consultation hours, we offer individual support for those who have already taken part in a webinar or have completed the ‘Instructions for migrating Citavi projects to Zotero’ (currently still in German). Here you can ask questions and receive practical help with the migration of your projects. The dates will follow at a later date.
In this webinar we explain the individual steps you need to take to migrate your data from Citavi to Zotero and the main differences so that you can find your way around Zotero.
Monthly at 10am via Zoom.
Participation via Zoom without registration:
to the webinar ‘Introduction to Zotero for people switching from Citavi’
Or copy and paste the following link: eu02web.zoom-x.de/j/64727028073
Contact
If you have any questions about switching from Citavi to Zotero, please take advantage of our webinars and consultation hours or send us an email: schulungen.bibliothek@ ash-berlin.eu
