Zotero: Citation Management Made Easy: Getting started with Zotero

Zotero: Citation Management Made Easy

Zotero is a free, easy-to-use tool to help you collect, organize, annotate, cite, and share research.

Features of Zotero:

-It automatically senses research as you browse the web.

-It helps you organize your research any way you want. You can sort items into collections and tag them with keywords. Or create saved searches that automatically fill with relevant materials as you work.

-It instantly creates references and bibliographies for any text editor, and directly inside Word, LibreOffice, and Google Docs. With support for over 9,000 citation styles, you can format your work to match any style guide or publication.

-It can optionally synchronize your data across devices, keeping your files, notes, and bibliographic records seamlessly up to date. If you decide to sync, you can also always access your research from any web browser.

-It lets you co-write a paper with a colleague, distribute course materials to students, or build a collaborative bibliography. You can share a Zotero library with as many people as you like for free.

-It is an open source!.

Creating an Account

A (free) Zotero.org account allows 300MB of cloud storage. This 'cloud' account operates as an online copy of the main Zotero 'standalone' account you downloaded to your device. You will be prompted to purchase a storage upgrade if you exceed 300MB of cloud storage.

Follow the steps below to open a cloud version of your account on Zotero.org.

Step 1: Go to Zotero.org and log in/register (new account) to activate cloud storage

Step 2: This takes you to the user registration page. Complete the form and click 'Register'.

Step 3: You receive a confirmation email once your account is set up.
Step 4: Click on the confirmation link in the email.

Zotero 7: Zotero, redesigned

In August 2024 Zotero 7 announced the release as the biggest update in Zotero’s 18-year history and a major leap forward in design, performance, and functionality. To know more click here.

Downloading Zotero

You can download Zotero for Mac, Windows, Linux, and iOS by clicking here.

If you just need to create a quick bibliography? Try ZoteroBib.

The download steps are below:

1- Go to Zotero.org click here

2- Download Zotero (Windows - macOS - Linux 32-bit - Linux 64-bit)
The MSWord/Open Office plugin is installed by default.

3- Install Zotero Connector click here (Chrome / Firefox)

See also the video for installation advice/instructions.

How Zotero works?

Zotero is made up of three components:

Translators - interpret meta-data from websites, databases, library catalogues, videos, etc.
Styles - choose from over 20 standard citation styles and add more if necessary
Storage - Zotero offers cloud storage via your Zotero account; you are given 300MB of free storage

Once Zotero is installed look out for the Zotero icon on the top right side of your browser. The icon changes according to the type of source (reference) you are dealing with (e.g. article, book, website etc.)

Support and Help

- Zotero Forum

- Zotero Blog

- Follow @Zotero on Twitter

- Using Zotero with Google Docs

- Using Zotero with LibreOffice

External Resources

IMPORTANT: Always cross-check reference lists and in-text citations for accuracy and consistency. No one reference management application is 100% reliable! You can cross-check against the correct citation notation from reference websites such as Purdue Research and Citation.