Reference management with Citavi

TThe reference management program Citavi helps you managing references and preparing scientific papers.

Citavi campus license expires on March 31, 2027

The Citavi campus license expires on March 31, 2027, and will not be renewed due to the provider’s current terms and conditions.

As a result, Citavi will no longer be available as a free campus license to all members of the University Hohenheim starting April 1, 2027.

Please back up your Citavi projects well before the end of March:

  • Cloud projects will no longer be available once the license expires. Be sure to save your project locally in a timely manner: Save Cloud Project as a Local Project

  • Local projects can no longer be opened in Citavi after the license expires, but they generally remain available—for example, for migration to another reference management program


The references, PDFs, and knowledge items, etc., collected in Citavi can be imported into Zotero. Since Zotero has a different set of features than Citavi, a one-to-one transfer is not possible.
We have created a migration guide for you.

The deadline for submitting your work is before 31 March 2027

The deadline for submitting your work is before 31 March 2027

You can continue to use your Citavi project and complete your work in Citavi. If your project data is stored in the Citavi Cloud, you will also be able to access it until then. 
If you wish to continue using reference management software after that, we recommend Zotero.

The deadline for submitting your work is after 31 March 2027

The deadline for submitting your work is after 31 March 2027

You should switch to Zotero as soon as possible. Please refer to our guide page ‘Switching from Citavi to Zotero’ for further details.

So far, you have mainly been using Citavi to collect references

So far, you have mainly been using Citavi to collect references

Bibliographic data, keywords and full-text articles can be easily transferred to Zotero. Please refer to the guide page ‘Switching from Citavi to Zotero’ for instructions.

You have also used Citavi to organise your knowledge

You have also used Citavi to organise your knowledge

Migration is possible in this case too. However, this is not an automated process and will require some manual work. To do this, please follow the recommendations on ‘Switching from Citavi to Zotero’.

You have only used Citavi Web so far. Is it possible to switch from Citavi Web as well?

You have only used Citavi Web so far. Is it possible to switch from Citavi Web as well?

When exporting projects from Citavi Web, only title data, PDF files and PDF annotations can be exported. Citations and other knowledge elements cannot be transferred.
We therefore recommend exporting from the Citavi Client/Desktop application. Further information can be found here.

How can I continue to use Citavi after my licence has expired?

How can I continue to use Citavi after my licence has expired?

After 31 March 2027, it will no longer be possible to access cloud projects. Please ensure you back up your cloud projects locally in advance or transfer them to a new licence.

You will not be able to open any Citavi projects (local, cloud or via Citavi Web) without a Citavi licence.
Information on individual licences and costs can be found here.

Do you have any further questions, or would you like some help with switching to Zotero?

Do you have any further questions, or would you like some help with switching to Zotero?

Please refer to our guide page ‘Switching from Citavi to Zotero’.

If you require further assistance, please feel free to contact our reference management team: kim-literaturverwaltung@uni-hohenheim.de 

Storage capacity with Zotero

Storage capacity with Zotero

You can store data and attachments locally on your computer without any restrictions. There are additional Zotero features (synchronisation with the Web Library, group libraries) for which storage space is limited to 300 MB for attachments.

You can increase the storage space for your own Zotero library. File attachments for personal libraries can be synchronised on your own WebDAV server. Zotero explains how to do this: https://www.zotero.org/support/sync#webdav

The bwSync&Share cloud storage service is WebDAV-compatible. You can find information about bwSync&Share on the KIM-website. We describe how to set up bwSync&Share as WebDAV storage for Zotero in the learning module ‘Reference Management with Zotero’.

This option does not work as a storage extension for group libraries. The group’s file storage always uses the group owner’s storage account (the free storage space is limited to 300 MB for attachments). You can purchase additional storage space here: https://www.zotero.org/storage.

Main focus of Citavi

In Citavi you can manage your references, organize your knowledge and plan your tasks.

You can:

  • import references from library catalogues and subject databases
  • organize PDFs, images and screenshots of websites
  • take quotes from text and internet documents
  • assign bibliographic references, files and quotations to tasks and submit the relevant processing status
  • create outlines and assign your recorded literature to your bulletsassign subject headings
  • insert footnotes, bibliographic references and quotes from Citavi into your word processor
  • create reading lists and bibliographies for scientific papers

Free use of the full version

With a state license, you can use the full version of Citavi. To do so, you need an account. You can create this yourself at Citavi.

To create an account, please include your Hohenheim e-mail address (...@uni-hohenheim.de), otherwise you won´t have the functions of the full version.

How to

To use Citavi, you first need to download and install Citavi from the manufacturer’s website. Please note the installation instructions.

In the next step you create an account like it is described above. After the login on the start page of the citavi programme all functions of the full version can be used.

Help and further Materials

On the support page of Citavi you will find a comprehensiv manual.

In films and animations functions and procedures of the program are shown.

Do you have questions or comments about this site? contact form

Further questions?

If you have technical and content questions concerning Citavi you can contact the KIM reference management team by e-mail.

Or, visit our Citavi consulting service in the Central Library, Tuesday from 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. and Wednesday from 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.