  This article is the result of the analysis of various bibliographic reference
management tools, especially those that are free. The use of editorial tools by
bibliographic editors has evolved rapidly since 2007. But, until recently, free
software has fallen short when it comes to ergonomics or use. The functional
and technical panorama offered by free software is the result of the comparison
of JabRef, Mendeley Desktop, BibDesk and Zotero software undertaken in January
2012 by two research professors affiliated with the Institut national
fran\c{c}ais des techniques de la documentation (INTD).
