What is Zotero?
Zotero is a free reference manager which allows you to collect, organize and cite your resources. After downloading the browser extension, Zotero can easily detect and import reference information from many databases and websites. Zotero also allows you to attach PDF's, notes and images to your citations, making it easier to access your information.
Creating libraries and collections allows you to easily organize your information. You can also share your research with other users.
Since Zotero is a free tool, you can continue to use and access your resources after leaving St. Lawrence College.
ZoteroBib
ZoteroBib helps you build a bibliography instantly from any computer or device, without creating an account or installing any software. It’s brought to you by the team behind Zotero, the powerful open-source research tool recommended by thousands of universities worldwide, so you can trust it to help you seamlessly add sources and produce perfect bibliographies. If you need to reuse sources across multiple projects or build a shared research library, we recommend using Zotero instead.
Zotero Documentation
Before getting started with Zotero, read this Quick Start Guide.
For help or more information on how to use Zotero, visit the Documentation and Support Page.
Introduction to Zotero Video
SLC Libraries and Academic Support Centres. (2021, January 25). SLC Libraries Tutorial - Introduction to Zotero [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/rSrwkFvarYo
Direct Links
- Connector for FirefoxThis file may automatically download, please check your Downloads folder on your computer.
- Connector for SafariThe Zotero Connector for Safari is bundled with Zotero. You can enable it from the Extensions pane under Safari -> Preferences.
If you're unable to install an extension in your browser, you can save web pages or identifiers to your library from this page or with the magic wand button from your web library.
Installing Zotero and Creating an Account
Zotero can easily be downloaded on any Windows, Mac and Linux operating system.
1. Go to the Zotero website and click "Download".
2. Zotero will automatically detect which operating system you are using. Click "Download" under the Zotero version for your operating system.
3. Once the Zotero file has finished downloading, open the file to complete setup.
To download the Zotero browser extension, the Desktop Application must be installed first. The browser extension is compatible with Safari, Chrome, Edge and Firefox. It will work with the Desktop Application to easily capture citations/ information during the research process.
1. Go to the Zotero website and click "Download".
2. Zotero will automatically detect which browser you are using. Click "Install (browser name) Connector".
3. Click to allow the extension or add-on to install.
4. Sometimes, the Zotero extension is not easily visible in your browser. You may need to "pin" it so it is easier to access. To do so, you will need to open your browser and click on your extension icon (to the right of the search bar) and click the pin icon next to the Zotero extension.
Zotero keeps a record of your citations and can easily produce a bibliography using the Word-Processor Add-on. Please remember to check your citations to ensure they are accurate and follow the proper citation format.
1. Open the Zotero Desktop Application.
2. Click on "Tools" and then "Add-ons". A new window will pop-up. Ensure the Add-on extension for Microsoft Word is enabled.
3. Click on "Edit" tab and then click "Preferences".
4. Click on the "Cite" tab and then the "Word Processors" tab.
5. Click on "Install Microsoft Word Add-in".
6. Open Microsoft Word. There should now be a tab for Zotero.
To access your citations anywhere, back-up your attached files, share your citations and work collaboratively as a group, you will need to create a free Zotero account.
1. Open the Zotero Desktop version on your computer.
2. Click on "Edit" and then "Preferences" from the menu bar.
3. Click "Sync" and then "Create Account"
4. A new screen will open asking you to fill in your registration details.
5. Once you have registered, Zotero will send you a link to confirm your e-mail address. Once you have confirmed your e-mail address, you will need to go back to the Zotero Desktop Version and enter your account information on the screen in Step 3.
6. Click "Set Up Syncing".
7. Select the options you would like to sync and click "ok" (or leave the defaults selected and click "ok").
8. From the Zotero Desktop version, click the "Sync" icon in the top right of the screen. If it is already spinning, it means the syncing process has already begun.
9. Go to Zotero.org and click "Log in" from the top right menu.
10. Enter your login information. You should now be able to view your Libraries, collections and resources from the desktop version.
SLC Libraries and Academic Support Centres. (2021, January 25). SLC Libraries Tutorial - Getting Started with Zotero [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/Ec6gksR6pTA
Adding Resources to Zotero
Zotero organizes your resources in folders called "Collections". You can create multiple collections within your library. This would be beneficial if you were working on multiple assignments/ research topics that you needed to organize resources for.
To create a collection:
1. Open your Zotero Desktop Application.
2. Click on the yellow folder with the plus sign in the left corner.
3. Name your collection (either by topic or assignment name).
1. Open the Zotero Desktop Application (this needs to be open before you can add citations to your collections)
2. To make things easier, click on the collection folder you would like to save the resources to.
3. Open your web browser and begin searching for resources using databases, search engines, etc.
4. Once you have found a list of resources you would like to save, you will click on the Zotero extension (which should be pinned next to your search bar after downloading) in the top right of your screen, next to the search bar.
5. The Zotero Item Selector will pop-up on your screen. Select which citations you would like to add to Zotero (or "Select all" if you would like to add the entire list) and then click "Ok".
6. In the top right of your screen, you will see another pop-up letting you know which folder the citations are saving to (this should be the folder you clicked on in Step 2).
7. You will then see the citations begin to be added to your collection (this may take a minute or two, depending on the size of your list).
8. You should now be able to view your citations in the appropriate collection on the Zotero Desktop Application.
If Zotero is unable to transfer the citation information for a resource or you find it easier to manually add a resource, you can do so by using the Zotero Desktop Application.
1. Open the Zotero Desktop Application.
2. Click on the plus sign at the top of the screen, near the middle.
3. Select the type of resource you would like to add (Book, Journal Article, Blog, etc.).
4. On the right side of the screen, you will have the ability to add as much information about the resource as you can (such as Title, Author, Date, Language, etc.).
5. Once the citation has been added to your collection, you can right click on it and click "Add Attachment". From here, you can add links or saved files.
SLC Libraries and Academic Support Centres. (2021, February 26). SLC Libraries Tutorial - Creating Resource Collections with Zotero [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/4xIwJSbuP7s
Adding Citations to Microsoft Word and Creating a Bibliography
The Microsoft Word Plug-in makes it easy to add an in-text citation. For information on downloading the Microsoft Word Plug-in, visit the Installing Zotero and Creating an Account tab. Please note: this tool does not always create accurate citations. It is still your responsibility to ensure the citation is in the appropriate format required for your assignment.
1. Open Zotero
2. Open Microsoft Word.
3. Click on the "Zotero" tab in Microsoft Word (Zotero must remain open in the background in order for Microsoft Word to connect to the application).
4. Click "Add / Edit Citation".
5. A red box with the Zotero logo will pop up for you to begin searching within your Zotero Library for the resource you would like to cite. You can search by title, author or publication information.
6. When the appropriate resource populates, click on it to add the citation to your document.
You can easily create a bibliography using the Word Processor plug-in (for instructions on how to download the plug-in, visit the Installing Zotero and Creating an Account tab). Please note: this tool does not always create accurate bibliographies. It is still your responsibility to ensure the bibliography is in the appropriate format required for your assignment.
1. Open Zotero.
2. Open Microsoft Word.
3. Add citations to your document using the instructions in the box above - "Adding Citations in Microsoft Word".
4. Once all of your citations have been added, click "Add/ Edit Bibliography".
5. A bibliography of all of your citations should be created. Remember to check the bibliography for accuracy.
Zotero allows you to copy the text of your bibliography to paste in a Word document, e-mail, etc. Please note: this tool does not always create accurate bibliographies. It is still your responsibility to ensure the bibliography is in the appropriate format required for your assignment.
1. Open Zotero.
2. Right click on the collection name you wish to create a bibliography for.
3. Select "Create Bibliography from Collection".
4. Select the appropriate Citation Style (for example, American Psychological Association (APA) 7th edition).
5. Select "Bibliography" as the output mode.
6. Select "Copy to Clipboard".
7. The text of your bibliography is now saved to your clipboard. To paste it, either right click where you want to put the text and click "paste" or press CTRL and V on your keyboard. Remember to check the bibliography for accuracy.
Zotero allows you to save the text of your bibliography as a file to open in Microsoft Word, send as an e-mail attachment, etc. Please note: this tool does not always create accurate bibliographies. It is still your responsibility to ensure the bibliography is in the appropriate format required for your assignment.
1. Open Zotero.
2. Right click on the collection name you wish to create a bibliography for.
3. Select "Create Bibliography from Collection".
4. Select the appropriate Citation Style (for example, American Psychological Association (APA) 7th edition).
5. Select "Bibliography" as the output mode.
6. Select "Save as RTF" (this stands for Rich Text Format).
7. Select the location on your computer for where you would like the file saved.
8. You can now open the file with Microsoft Word or send it as an e-mail attachment.
SLC Libraries and Academic Support Centres. (2021, April 20). SLC Libraries Tutorial - Zotero and Microsoft Word [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/DgPFjQHc-nk
Creating Groups
You can create a group in Zotero to share citations and resources with other Zotero users. To do this, all members of the group will need a Zotero account. Once you have created a Zotero account, log in at Zotero.org.
1. From the Zotero.org website, click "log in".
2. Once logged in, click on the "Groups" tab, then "Create a New Group".
3. Create a name for your group (your group name cannot contain the word "Zotero" or else you will get an error message).
4. Choose which type of membership you would like to create for the group.
5. Select the setting for your group (who has permission to edit/ add content, and who can view content)
6. To add members to your group, click "Members Settings"
7. Near the bottom of the page, click "Send More Invitations".
8. Enter the e-mail addresses or Zotero usernames for the members in your group.
9. Once you have added your members, click on the "Web Library" tab.
10. You should now see your group listed on the left. You can also access your group when you open the Zotero desktop app. Every member of your group who has permissions to edit / add resources should be able to access this group through Zotero.org or through the desktop app.
SLC Libraries and Academic Support Centres. (2021, June 22). SLC Libraries Tutorial - Collaborating With Zotero [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/U_kyXQR_BN4
Removing Duplicates
Zotero will search for duplicate records within your Library folder. If you have moved the same record to multiple collections, Zotero will not list this as a duplicate resource. If the same article was added twice to your library, Zotero will list this as a duplicate item.
For more information on how Duplicate Detection works in Zotero, click here.
To find the duplicates in your collection and remove / "merge" the records:
1. Open Zotero.
2. Click "Duplicate Items".
3. You should now see a list of articles Zotero is identifying as duplicates. If no duplicates were found, there would be no articles listed in the window pane.
4. When you click on one of the duplicate resources, the other resource(s) Zotero is identifying as a duplicate will also be selected. If the resources are actually duplicates, select "Merge 2 items" from the far right window.
5. You will need to do this for each duplicate article.
SLC Libraries and Academic Support Centres. (2021, June 22). SLC Libraries Tutorial - Removing Duplicate Resources in Zotero [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/xEruix7H6o0
Common Issues
Translator Errors
If you are receiving a translator error when using the Chrome extension, it could mean many things. Refer to the Zotero page about translator errors. If none of these relates to your error, confirm how many results you are trying to add to Zotero. For EBSCO databases, Zotero works best when the number of results per page is set at 30 or lower. If the error was related to one resource, you can add the resource manually by referring to the Adding Resources to Zotero tab.
Articles not appearing in Zotero Desktop
Zotero will sometimes not add resources to your collection. In some cases, you will see a translator error and will need to refer to the suggestion above. Other times, Zotero may lock you out if you are using Google Scholar or ProQuest and too many results are being exported at once. You will not see an error, however resources will not appear in your collection. If this has happened, your privileges should be restored in a few hours or refer to Zotero's site access limits page.
Zotero's Troubleshooting Forum
Zotero has a forum where other users have posted questions about using Zotero or issues they had. You can also post your own question on the forum or search for a resolution to an issue you may be experiencing with Zotero.