LibGuides: Zotero: Get Started with Zotero

Introduction

If you are trying to keep track of all the books, articles and other sources for your projects, a citation management program can help. Zotero is a free program to help you collect, organize, cite, and share research. This guide will help you understand Zotero's function and get the program set up for use on your device.

Zotero
Zotero (pronounced "zoh-TAIR-oh") is an application that collects, manages, and cites research sources.

About Zotero

Automatically extract citation information from websites, library catalogs, databases, and more.
Save PDF files, images, screenshots, and other file types.
Automatically create formatted bibliographies in many different styles.
Works with word processing programs, Google Docs, Microsoft Word, and OpenOffice.
Sync the citations and files you save online across multiple devices.
Create group libraries to share.
As an open-source program, Zotero is free (for the first 300 MB of online storage).

Special Tips

If you use Zotero for creating an annotated bibliography use these tips:
- If using the Chicago Manual of Style (Chicago Style)
  - Download the Chicago Manual of Style, 17th edition, Note, with Annotated Bibliography file and add it to your Zotero app
  - Write your annotation in the "Extra" field (found 3rd from the bottom in the "Info" section for the item)
- If using the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA Style)
  - Download the American Psychological Association, 7th edition (annotated bibliography) file and add it to your Zotero app
  - Write your annotation in the "Extra" field (found 3rd from the bottom in the "Info" section for the item)
If the style you need to use is not listed as an option in Zotero, explore the Zotero Citation Repository, linked below to find additional citation styles that are in addition to the default styles loaded into Zotero.

Zotero Style Repository

Learning Outcomes: Setting Up Zotero

The following video outlines step-by-step directions for the initial set-up of Zotero:

Create an account
Download the program
Add the web browser extension
Sync the program to your account
Set preferences including citation style, link resolver
Integrate with your word processing software

The video length is 3:46.

The tutorial above mentions the OpenURL Revolver (found under "Advanced" in the Preferences menu). Copy the URL below to paste as described about 03:00.

https://i-share-bra.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/openurl/01CARLI_BRA/01CARLI_BRA:CARLI_BRA

Adding Items to Zotero

This video demonstrates how to add a source (like a journal article) into your Zotero account including

creating/setting up collections/file folders
Adding a book from the catalog
Adding articles from databases like CINAHL or Academic Search Complete
Adding articles from PubMed
Adding articles/books from Google Scholar
Adding webpages
Manually entering PDFs into Zotero
removing duplicates

The video length is 7:44

NOTE: This video was recorded from a previous version of the library's website. When you follow these steps the pages may look different but the steps are the same.

Getting Information Out of Zotero

This video demonstrates how to export sources in the citation format you want and add them into your paper/project including

Creating a bibliography from a collection
How to fix mistakes in the citation
How to add notes and tags to a record
Generate a report that includes notes and tags
How to use the MS Word add-on to integrate sources in Zotero into citations and references/works cited

Remember as with all citation generators, check each citation generated for errors using the corresponding style manual. Machines make mistakes.

The length of this video is 8:04.

NOTE: This video was recorded from a previous version of the library's website. When you follow these steps the pages may look different but the steps are the same.