Research Guides: Zotero: Home

Zotero [zoh-TAIR-oh] is a free, easy-to-use tool to help you collect, organize, cite, and share your research sources. This research tool automatically detects many types of content as you browse, allowing you to add it to your personal library with a single click. Zotero is used by researchers in many academic disciplines, especially social sciences and humanities.

Collect references and add full-text PDFs, images, A/V files, snapshots of web pages, and other sources.
Organize your references into collections. Zotero automatically indexes the full contents of your library, enabling you to find exactly what you're looking for with a few keystrokes.
Cite sources in a bibliography and in-text citations using the style of your choice. Use a plugin to work in your favorite word processing program or simply drag one or more references into a message or document.
Share your collections of references by creating or joining groups on the Zotero site. Groups can be private or public, open or closed.

How-To Tutorials

In this video based on our Getting Started with Zotero workshop, learn to install the app, set your preferences, add and organize references, and create citations and bibliographies with ease.

Tip: Click the ^ at the bottom of the video to skip to a specific section.

Video Transcript: Getting Started with Zotero

In this video based on our advanced Zotero workshop, learn 10 tips and tricks for getting the most out of Zotero.

Tip: Click the ^ at the bottom of the video to skip to a specific section.

Video Transcript: Zotero: Advanced Tips and Tricks

Open URL for Library Lookup

Copy and paste into Zotero > Settings > Advanced: https://shenandoah.on.worldcat.org/atoztitles/link

Official Zotero Documentation

Prefer to read step-by-step instructions? Zotero includes extensive support documentation on its site. Some highlights are listed below.

Quick Start Guide: A basic introduction to the features of Zotero.
Getting Stuff into Your Library: Various methods for adding references to Zotero.
Collections and Tags: How to organize your files and provide tags to items and files.
Creating Bibliographies: How to use Zotero with MS Word or Open Office to create bibliographies within a document.
Word Processor Integration: How to use Zotero with your word processor for in-text citations and embedded bibliographies.

While the Zotero web library is optimized to allow you to access and edit your Zotero library on any tablet or mobile phone, an official app is now available.

Once you have installed the Zotero app on your device, you can use your username and password to sync the app to your Zotero library.

Viewing References

Click the information icon to the right of the item title to view and edit the citation information.
Click the title of a reference to read an attached PDF or, when there is no attachment, to follow the item's URL. (Note that the app is not compatible with linked files using remote storage.)
When you open a PDF in the app, you can annotate it manually or using the Apple Pen. Annotations will be synced to your library and available on both the web and the desktop.

Adding References

Add an item manually by clicking on the plus sign to the right of the search bar and then choosing "New Item."
Click on the Share button in the Safari toolbar and select Zotero from the options that appear (works best from a publisher's website).
From databases, you may need to add both the citation information and the PDF full text file in two steps.
If you add only the PDF file in the app, you can try adding its citation information the next time you log into the desktop version. Simply locate the PDF, right-click on it, and select "Retrieve Metadata for PDF."