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4.2: Citation Management with Zotero

  • Page ID
    82811
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    Using Zotero

    There are many citation managers to chose from, but Zotero is recommended for the following reasons:

    • Zotero is free (you can pay for more storage space)
    • Zotero is open-source and run by a non-profit
      • Many popular citation managers are run by publishers that use your data for profit
    • Zotero has a great support
    • Zotero is easy to use
    Download Zotero

    Download the two components of Zotero at https://www.zotero.org/download/

    • Zotero Desktop: where you can see and organize your citations

    Image of the zotero desktop program

    • Zotero Connector: a browser plugin that automatically detects content as you browse the web and allows you to save it to Zotero with a single click
    Image of the zotero connector plug in
    Zotero icon changes depending on what type of material you are looking at. A folder for a list of items and a paper for a journal article.
    Add items to Zotero

    There are two main ways to add item to Zotero

    • Zotero Connector
      • Use the Zotero button to automatically add materials to Zotoro
      • If you are looking at a series of search results, you can bulk add to Zotero
      • If you are on a webpage that includes the pdf of an article, Zotero will automatically download the article

    Image of the zotero connector plug in

    • Adding pdfs
      • You can manually drag-and-drop pdfs into the main window of Zotero desktop to add those item to Zotero
    Organizing with Zotero

    In the Zotero desktop you can:

    • Create folders to organize your resources
    • Add tags and notes to items
    • Search by keyword to find your resources

    The original version of this chapter contained H5P content. You may want to remove or replace this element.

    Cite with Zotero

    To cite with LaTeX see the next chapter.

    To cite in Word or Open Office:

    • Enable to Zotero plug in
      • Go to Tools > Add-ons and choose your plug in (you may need to restart your computer)

    zotero_4word-300x188.png

    • Use the Zotero tool bar to add citations and create a bibliography

    zotero_ribon-300x99.jpg

    To cite in Google Docs:

    • Using the Zotero connector will automatically add a Zotero menu in Google Docs

    zotero_google-300x35.png

    • Use the menu to add citations and create a bibliography
    Zotero Help

    Zotero Quick Start Guide – Guide to help you get started with Zotero

    Zotero Support – For more in depth help

     

    Note

    Always double check that your citations are correct, even when you use a citation manager

    • If a citation manager has the wrong information, you citation will be incorrect
    • Always update or edit citation information in Zotero to correct your citation
      • If you edit a citation in Word or Google Docs, the edit will be undone when you refresh.

     


    4.2: Citation Management with Zotero is shared under a CC BY license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

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