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Zotero: Citation Manager

This guide will help you use the free online citation and research management tool Zotero to organize citations from Library catalogs and databases.

Zotero Connector Browser Extension

If you installed the Zotero Connector for Firefox, Safari or Chrome, you are able to save citations automatically from within your browser to your Zotero library. 

  1. Depending on the extension you are using, look for an icon to the left or right of your browser's address bar. It often looks like a capital letter "Z", but it can change based on the type of resource you have open. Sometimes it looks like a book or a piece of paper, for example.
  2. Click on the icon to save the citation(s).   Zotero's browser extension with its article icon, and a hover tooltip stating: "Save to Zotero (EBSCOhost)"
  3. A dialog box will pop up displaying the citation information for the particular resource you saved to your library. 
    • If you are currently working in a specific collection (that is, a collection highlighted in the left column rather than “My Library”), the reference(s) will be copied to that location as well as your main library.

Multiple Citations

On some web pages that list information about multiple items (e.g. a list of database search results), Zotero will show a folder icon. Clicking this folder icon will open a window where you can select the items that you want to save to your library.

Screenshot of a Google Scholar search where you can check which results you want Zotero to save for you.

Adding PDFs

Add existing PDFs to your library by dragging them into the Zotero pane. Most of the time, Zotero will search for the metadata for that PDF and create an entry for it. If it does not, check your Settings or Preferences. In Edit > Settings > General, check the boxes for "Automatically retrieve metadata for PDFs and ebooks" and "Automatically rename locally added files." 

Saving Webpages

Sometimes Zotero can't recognize the type of resource you are viewing in your web browser. Even if Zotero can't automatically capture citation info from a certain web pages, you can still add them to your library.

Saving Snapshots

Taking a snapshot saves a copy of the webpage to your computer, which means if the page is removed later or if you're offline, you'll still be able to view your copy. It functions similarly to a screenshot.

  1. On the page of the resource you want to save, click the screenshot icon in your browser extension of choice. The icon will appear as a blue sheet of paper, generally. The webpage icon for Zotero's browser extension.
  2. You'll need to go to your library to add citation information for this snapshot. 

Compatibility

Zotero provides an official list of compatible sites, but keep in mind that many other sites not included on this list work with Zotero as well.

Manual Entry

You can also add references manually, if the connector isn't working correctly. You can do so by clicking the "New Item" button, which is just above your reference list and is typically a paper icon with a plus sign in the corner.

The Zotero add item icon.

From there, select the appropriate item type. If you hover over "More," that will give you many other options. After that, you can add the other metadata (like title and author) in the right column. 

Importing from other tools

To import libraries from other reference management tools into Zotero, start by exporting the bibliographic data from your other software program. In Zotero, you will find the Import option under File in the menu bar.  Browse to your file, select it, and click the “Open” button. 

Zotero can import the following bibliographic file formats:

  • Zotero RDF
  • MODS (Metadata Object Description Schema)
  • BibTeX
  • RIS
  • Refer/BibIX
  • Unqualified Dublin Core RDF

If you want to transfer entire Zotero libraries between different Zotero installations, you should use Zotero's sync functions, rather than the import/export function.